Making the Best Use of Tennessee Census Index Books, 1820-1840
Descriptions of Census and Indexes Obtaining Copies of Indexes and Census Entries Abbreviations used for Tennessee Counties 1820, 1840-1870 Abbreviations used for Tennessee Counties 1830 Bibliography of Tennessee Census Index Books Tennessee Census Availability at Libraries and Archives Nationwide IMPORTANT: Census records before 1850 name only heads of households and give statistical information about family members. No names other than the head of household are available.
1790, 1800 and 1810: Tennessee became a state in 1796. The territorial census schedules and the 1800 census were lost or destroyed. The 1810 census of Tennessee was also lost, except for Grainger and Rutherford counties, which have been indexed. 1820: This census is incomplete and most East Tennessee counties are missing. The missing counties are marked with an * on the following list. Jackson's alphabetical state-wide index lists the heads-of-household, plus a series of numbers indicating the sex and approximate age of family members. The age categories for males, given in order, are: under 10, 10-15, 16-18, 16-25, 26-44, and over 45. To the right of the first hyphen are five similar columns for females in the following age categories: under 10, 10-15, 16-25, 26-44, and over 45. Following the second hyphen is a column detailing number of slaves in the household and a column detailing number of free blacks in the household. Another index, by Bentley, only shows the heads-of-household with a county and page number for each. 1830: Sistler's index is in three volumes, East, Middle and West Tennessee. Heads of household and numbers of males and females are listed by county in the same order as they appear on the actual census, and each volume has its own alphabetical index. The numbers in each column show the number of persons in the household by age groups. Columns on the schedules are, in order, under 5, 5-10, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, and so forth up to the "over 100" category. Males are to the left of the hyphen and females to the right. Sistler's index does not include age and sex breakdowns for blacks, either free or slave, though free black heads of household are followed by the code 0-0. The actual census gives age and sex information on free blacks, slaves, and deaf, dumb, and blind people included in the household. A note about receiving this information by mail: Because these books are not arranged in alphabetical order, we provide copies from the index where identical surnames are together in one place. A second request naming a county and page number (from the index) is necessary to receive the full statistical information. The county abbreviation codes are listed on the following 1830 Tennessee counties list. 1840: The 1840 census also shows the name of head of household and the number of males and females in each age category. Sistler's index covers the state in alphabetical order, listing heads-of-household and numbers of males and females in each family. Categories are the same as in the 1830 index. See above.
The Tennessee State Library & Archives can provide copies from census index books 1820-1870 and from any original (handwritten) census schedule. To obtain copies of census records, please see our web page on ordering census records by mail. Residents of Tennessee can view scanned copies of Tennessee census records by going through the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL), clicking on the Genealogy tab, and then selecting HeritageQuest Online. Your local library may provide access to web sites such as HerigateQuest Online or AncestryLibrary.com, which have scanned the existing Tennessee census records for 1810 - 1880 and 1900 - 1940. The archives.org web site also offers scanned PDFs of Tennessee census records to the public.
Each census index entry provides the county name and census page number. This list will help you identify county names which have been abbreviated by the indexer. The year the county was created is also listed. * Indicates missing from 1820 census.
Same as listed in 1820 and 1840-1870, except as indicated here
Bentley, Elizabeth. Index to the 1820 Census of Tennessee. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1981. Jackson, Ronald V. and G. Teeples. Tennessee 1820 Census. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Syst., 1974. Sistler, Byron. 1830 Census - East Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1969. Sistler, Byron. 1830 Census - Middle Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1971. Sistler, Byron. 1830 Census - West Tennessee. Evanston, Illinois: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1971. Jackson, Ronald V. et al. Tennessee 1840 Census Index. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1976. Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1840 Census - Tennessee. Nashville: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1986. Jackson, Ronald V. Tennessee 1850 Census Index. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1981. Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1850 Census - Tennessee (8 vols.). Nashville: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1974. Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1860 Census - Tennessee (5 vols.). Nashville: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1981. [Jackson, Ronald V.] Tennessee 1860 Census Index (4 vols.). Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Syst., 1982. Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1870 Census - Tennessee (2 vols.). Nashville: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1985. Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census - East Tennessee. Nashville: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 1997. Sistler, Byron and Barbara Sistler. 1880 Census - Middle Tennessee. Nashville: Byron Sistler & Assoc., 2000.
Residents of Tennessee can view scanned copies of Tennessee census records by going through the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL), clicking on the Genealogy tab, and then selecting HeritageQuest Online. Your local library may provide access to web sites such as HerigateQuest Online or AncestryLibrary.com, which have scanned the existing Tennessee census records for 1810 - 1880 and 1900 - 1940. The archives.org web site also offers scanned PDFs of Tennessee census records to the public.
Updated March 5, 2013
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