For a comprehensive index to names and places mentioned in Stewart County records, consult the Stewart County Master Index on the TNGenWeb Stewart County Genealogy web site.  That index includes many records held at the Archives.

Bound Volumes

The bound records housed at the Stewart County Archives include:
  • Birth Records (1881-1882, 1911-1912, 1925-1951)
  • Death Records (1925-1938)
  • Minute books (County Court 1808-1905, Circuit Court 1821-1978, Chancery Court 1865-1949)
  • Settlements, Wills and Bonds books (1866-1914, earlier books in the courthouse)
  • Marriage licenses and bonds, 1960-1970
  • ​Administrator's and Executor’s Bonds and Settlements (1883-1973)
  • Guardianship Records (1842-1949, later books in the courthouse)
  • Dockets - Trial, Execution, Appeals (from 1808, various years & courts)
  • Justice of the Peace/Magistrate's Dockets (1842-1937)
  • Tax records (1806-2013, with 1809-1826 records lost)
  • Chattel Mortgages (1932-1963, with 1901-1932 books lost)
  • Deed Book Indexes (1804-1887, actual deed books are in the courthouse)
  • Trust Deed Books (1864-1951)

​A list of the bound volumes held at the Archives is available here:
Archives Book Inventory
File Size: 735 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Loose Papers

The term 'loose papers' is meant as a contrast to the records in bound volumes.  A lot of paperwork was generated by county government, and not nearly everything was transcribed by a courthouse clerk into a bound volume.  The loose paperwork was just as much a part of the public record as the bound volumes.  Loose papers are often the true genealogical gold of a courthouse or Archive.

The Stewart County Archives has the entirety of the Circuit Court's case files, dating back to 1809 when Circuit Courts began in Tennessee; a large collection of Justice of the Peace case files (1860s-1890s so far); and a collection of Chancery Court case files including probates of estates (1870s-1970s). These loose records are being unwrapped, cleaned, organized and indexed for research by the Archives staff.
​
What Are Loose Papers, and Why are they so Genealogically Rich?
  • Loose papers included the documents used in trying civil and criminal court cases.  Examples include petitions, IOUs, summons, depositions, original deeds and wills, divorces, clerks' or attorney's notes.  Whereas a bound volume might mention that heirs of an estate were dividing up the estate, the loose papers will usually name the heirs.
  • Divorce petitions can be the only source of a marriage date/place, or the bride's maiden name.
  • Petitions to become a naturalized citizen include the country of origin and immigration date of the applicant, and usually the birth year.
  • Wills and 'probate packets' were filed in the County Clerk's office and only summarized in 'will books' in many cases.
​

Download a searchable list of our Loose Records here
(last updated August 2, 2023):
Inventory of Loose Records
File Size: 5019 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Records by Mail / E-Mail

The Stewart County Archives accepts requests for printed copies or digital scans of the over 10,000 Loose Records files (see Inventory link above) that have been cleaned and organized to date.  These case files are in the categories of:
  • Citizenship (Naturalization) petitions (1837-1909) - now online (see Online Records below)
  • Circuit Court Civil case files (1808-1949, over 5,000 files)
  • Circuit Court Criminal (State) case files (1810-1949, over 5,000 files)
  • Justice of the Peace (JP) case files (1860s-1890s, over 2,500 files)
  • Divorces (1811-1950, 600 files)
  • Inquests (1813-1942)
  • Wills (1808-1948, 236 files)
​
The Archives' fee schedule for mailed photocopies is 35 cents per printed page (includes postage), or $4.00 per file for electronic delivery (email for smaller files, Dropbox for larger files).  The Inventory link above will indicate how many pages are in each case file, so you'll know the total cost before you place your request, if you choose printed copies.  The Order Form is below.

Requests for printed copies or digital scans, and a check payable to Stewart County Archives, can be mailed to:
​
Stewart County Archives
P. O. Box 367
Dover, TN 37058

The Archives' staff is all-volunteer, and works 1-2 days per week.  Thanks for supporting us.

Questions?  Email [email protected]
Archives Order Form
File Size: 116 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Online Records
Time, money and space prevent us from putting anything but a fraction of our holdings online.  Listed below are indexes, or digital images, of some of our holdings that are not microfilmed.   (Note that almost all of Stewart County's microfilmed courthouse records are now viewable online for free at FamilySearch.  Note also that Tennessee residents can view a large amount of county records online for free at Ancestry, simply by accessing the collections via the State Archives' Tennessee Electronic Library link.)
County Court
Settlements and Bonds Book "A", 1809-1814 (WPA transcript of pp. 1-174) - added July 10, 2023

​Marriage Records, 1838-1848 (WPA transcript) - added July 7, 2023

​Death Records (1925-1938)  - added March 24, 2020
 
Stewart County Death Certificates, 1908-1959 (sorted by Name)  - link to TNGenWeb site
Stewart County Death Certificates, 1908-1959 (sorted by Year)  - link to TNGenWeb site
​
County Court Minute Book Index, 1831-1844 (PDF) - added October 31, 2018
​
​County Court Trial Docket, 1808-1813 - added July 24, 2019
County Court Appeals to Circuit Court, 1824-1834 - added July 26, 2018
County Court Execution Docket, 1824-1826 - added July 26, 2018
County Court Execution Docket, 1826-1827 (PDF, with index) - added July 29, 2018

1920 Automobile Registration Book
Circuit Court
Circuit Court Minute Book, 1810-1820 fragment (WPA transcript of pp. 1-9) - added July 10, 2023
​
Circuit Court Minute Book Index, 1821-1834 (PDF) - added October 31, 2018
Circuit Court Minute Book Index, 1865-1871 (PDF) - added October 31, 2018

Index to Circuit Court Enrolling Book, 1849-1861 - added June 23, 2019

Election Records, 1840-1883 - added April 21, 2023
Index to Election Records

Citizenship Petitions, 1837-1909

Cemeteries
Field Notes from the 1983 county cemetery book (PDF) - added January 22, 2023
Other Records
In addition to the original county records listed above, the Stewart County Archives also has a collection of other research materials to further assist visitors who visit the Archives in person:
​Be sure to view our Collections page for descriptions of the many collections that supplement the official county records in our care. 

The long-running TNGenWeb Stewart County Genealogy website is a great research destination for anyone researching Stewart County families.

Our neighbors at the Stewart County Public Library have a great Genealogy Room with unique books for local research.
Proudly powered by Weebly