Bledsoe County TNGenWeb

Presenting the very best in resources for Bledsoe County researchers since 1996!

Author: TNGenWeb Page 12 of 15

Genealogical and Historical Organizations

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On January 10, 2022

In Research Guidance, Research Repositories & Contacts

Bledsoe County Historical & Genealogical Society

Contact by snail-mail only: P. O. Box 465, Pikeville, TN 37367

Tennessee Society, Daughters of the American Revolution

Sequatchie Valley Chapter, Pikeville

Crab Orchard Chapter, Crossville

Avery Trace Chapter, Harriman

Tennessee Society Sons of the American Revolution

Statewide Web Site

Upper Cumberland Genealogical Association

UCGA is an active group that covers multiple counties that were historically related to Bledsoe County. Click here to visit the Web site.  

East Tennessee Historical Society (Knoxville)

ETHS covers the 35-county region of East Tennessee, location of Bledsoe and its parent counties, and is active on multiple social media platforms. Click here for the Web site.

Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society

Most of the Cumberland Plateau, west of the Sequatchie Valley, falls geographically in Middle Tennessee. Click here for the Web site.  

Tennessee Genealogical Society

The Tennessee Genealogical Society encompasses the entire state. Click here for the Web site.

Bledsoe County Historian

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On January 10, 2022

In Research Repositories & Contacts

Miss Elizabeth Parham Robnett

Contact by snail-mail only: 
Route One, Box 234, Pikeville, TN 37367

Miss Robnett has published books on Bledsoe County history.  Click here for a listing.

Elizabeth Parham Robnett has served as Bledsoe County Historian for more than 40 years. Born and raised in Pikeville, her deep sense of the past, led her not only to become a teacher of history but also to publish the excellent books mentioned elsewhere on this page. The first TNGenWeb Bledsoe County Coordinator, Nancy Cole, wrote, “I am deeply indebted to Ms. Robnett for much of the historical information presented here.”

The full listing of Tennessee County Historians is maintained by the Tennessee State Library and Archives.  Click here to view it.

 

Social Media

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On January 10, 2022

In Communication & Exchange, Local History & Information, Off-Site Links

If you can add to this list, please click the button in the sidebar and e-mail the county coordinators!

Local

The Bledsonian-Banner newspaper  Facebook page

Bledsoe County Senior Center  Facebook page

Pikeville-Bledsoe County Chamber of Commerce  Facebook page

Things to do in Pikeville  Facebook page

Bledsoe County Courthouse  Facebook page

Bledsoe County Weather  Facebook page

Regional

Marion Co. TN Genealogy Chat  Facebook group

Topical

Abandoned Tennessee  Facebook group

Exploring Tennessee  Facebook group

Tennessee Historic Structures  Facebook group

Bledsoe County and Regional Museums

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On January 10, 2022

In Historic Sites, Local History & Information, Research Repositories & Contacts

Bledsoe County History Museum

Located in the Ross House

108 Frazier St, Pikeville, TN 37367

Ross House Medical Museum

The site is most widely known as the place where Dr. James A. Ross operated his medical practice in a small building behind the house. Both the circa 1872 house and the office building are being restored.  In the 1940’s, the house served as the county’s second hospital. The committee is searching for the names of the Bledsoe “Boomers” who were born there.

108 Frazier St, Pikeville, TN 37367

Betty Dunn Nature Center

Natural history museum located in Van Buren County

10821 Park Rd, Pikeville, TN 37367

Facebook Page

Dunlap Coke Ovens Museum

The Dunlap coke ovens are the remnants of a coke production facility near Dunlap. National Register of Historic Places site.

Mountain View Cir, Dunlap, TN 37327

Wikipedia Page

Burritt College Museum

Located in Spencer, Van Buren County

Facebook Page

Pioneer Hall Museum

Pioneer Hall is a historic school building in Pleasant Hill in Cumberland County. It was built for the American Missionary Association from 1887 to 1889 and designed by Reverend Benjamin Dodge, a Congregationalist from Maine.  National Register of Historic Places site.

Wikipedia Page

Rhea County Court House Landmark and Museum

Historical exhibits primarily related to the Scopes trial in 1925.

1475 Market St, Dayton, TN 37321

Cumberland Homesteads and CCC Museum

96 Highway 68, Crossville, TN 38555

Facebook Page

White County Heritage Museum

144 S Main St, Sparta, TN 38583

Facebook Page

Palmer Miner’s Museum

2115 Main St, Palmer, TN 37365

Microfilmed Bledsoe County Records

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On January 10, 2022

In Court & Council Records, Land & Property Records, Public Records, Taxes & Assessments, Vital Records, Wills, Estates & Guardianships

The listing below details microfilm holdings of the Tennessee State Library and Archives.  Please contact TSLA for information and assistance.  There is a live chat option on the TSLA Web site during normal operating hours.

Bledsoe County Archives

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On January 10, 2022

In Research Repositories & Contacts

The Archives is maintained as part of the Bledsoe County Public Library.

Click here for location, hours, and contact information.  Click here to view the Tennessee State Library and Archives’ directory listing for the Bledsoe Archives.

The Bledsoe County Public Library is recognized by the Tennessee State Library and Archives as the Bledsoe County Archives and Historical Records Repository. Our genealogy and Tennessee history collection includes research materials for the Sequatchie Valley as well as adjoining counties. Library Director Carolyne Knight is a Certified Archives Manager.

The library maintains many published family histories and a family histories file. Also of interest are the Cherokee and Melungeon books and files, and the Soldiers’ Pension Lists of 1792-1795, 1812, 1820 and 1890.

The library archives and special collections contain many items of interest, including the following:

  • Bledsoe County Chancery Court Loose Papers, 1840-1940.
  • Bledsoe County Circuit Court Minute and Docket Books, 1853-1912.
  • Bledsoe County Board of Education Minute Books, 1919-1928.
  • Bledsoe County Warrant Book, 1856-1872.
  • Farmers Union Telephone Company Directors and Stockholders Book, 1912-1915.
  • Quarterly Conference Records, Methodist, Pikeville Circuit, 1866-1874.
  • First Families of Bledsoe County Files (courtesy of the Bledsoe County Historical and Genealogical Society)
  • Civil War Soldiers from Bledsoe County Pension and Record Files.
  • John A. Murrell File and Book Collection
  • Early area maps
  • Early Bledsoe County births, deaths and marriage records (compiled from official sources)
  • Bledsoe County Eleventh Census Special Schedule – 6th Civil District 1890
  • Letters and Broadsides 1882-1893

Current Newspapers

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On January 9, 2022

In Newspapers & Periodicals

Local

The Bledsonian-Banner
(423) 447-2996
https://www.thebledsonian-banner.com/

Regional

Chattanooga Times Free Press

The Chattanoogan

Crossville Chronicle

The Herald-News (Dayton/Rhea County)

Roane County News

Funeral Homes

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On January 9, 2022

In Cemetery & Burial Records

Putnam-Reed Funeral Home
In business since early 1930’s
127 South Highway
Pikeville, TN 37367
(423) 447-2835
https://www.pikevillefuneralhome.com/

Pikeville Funeral Home
Established 1976
Highway 30 & 127 Junction
Pikeville, TN 37367
(423) 447-2453
https://reedfamilyfh.com/

Bledsoe County Demographics

By

On January 9, 2022

In Local History & Information

County Structure: Traditional

The most basic and widely used form of county government in Tennessee is one with a popularly elected county executive, entitled county mayor (T.C.A. § 5-6-101), who is the administrative head of the county, and a popularly elected county legislative body, which the General Assembly has formally entitled board of county commissioners and which is commonly referred to as the county commission. Members are generally referred to as county commissioners. T.C.A. § 5-5-102(f). This is the constitutionally required form of county government unless a county has followed the provisions provided by the Tennessee Constitution and implemented by statute a consolidated form of government with one or more of the county’s municipalities, or an alternate form of government. Of course a consolidated government will have a legislative body of some type, but the size limitation of 25 does not apply. Tenn. Const., art. VII, § 1.

Development District: Southeast Tennessee Development District
Judicial District: 12
2020 Population: 14,913
2020 Population per Square Mile: 36.23
2010 Population: 12,876
County Road Miles: 495.00
Number of Parcels: 11,651
Incorporated Cities or Towns: Pikeville (pop. 1608)

Source: http://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/county/bledsoe

Bledsoe County Elected Officials

By

On January 9, 2022

In Local History & Information, Research Repositories & Contacts

Bledsoe County is administered under the framework of a publicly elected County Legislative Body and publicly elected officials.

The Tennessee Constitution expressly provides for certain county offices, while others are created by the state legislature. In addition to the office of county mayor/executive and the county legislative body, Article VII, Section 1, of the Tennessee Constitution provides that each county have a sheriff, trustee, register, county clerk, and assessor of property elected by the voters of the county for terms of four years.

The Judicial Article of the Tennessee Constitution, Article VI, also provides in Section 13 that any inferior court clerk shall be elected by the people on a district or county basis to a four-year term, and that the chancellors shall appoint a clerk and master for each district or county for a term of six years.

Both the circuit court clerk and the clerk and master are currently elected or appointed one per county, but some counties have private acts or charters that establish other inferior court clerks such as general sessions court clerk and juvenile court clerk. All of these constitutional or quasi- constitutional offices except the assessor of property collect fees and are commonly referred to as “fee” offices.

The legislature determines the qualifications and duties of each office. Tenn. Const., art. VII, § 1. The duties of these officers in a county with a consolidated city-county government are specified in the charter.

Mailing address for all county offices:

P.O. Box 149
Pikeville, TN 37367

Web Site: 

http://www.pikeville-bledsoe.com

Office Office Holder Phone E-mail
County Mayor Mr. Greggory J Ridley (423) 447-6855 bledsoemayor@bledsoe.net
Administrator of Elections Lisa Wheeler (423)  447-2776  
Assessor of Property Zachary Olendorf (423)  653-2901 zach.olendorf@cot.tn.gov
Circuit Court Clerk Michael L Walker (423)  447-6488 michael.walker@tncourts.gov
Clerk & Master Debbie Debord (423)  447-2484 debbie.debord@tncourts.gov
County Clerk Genese A Sapp (423)  447-2137 genese.sapp@tn.gov
Director of Schools Jennifer Terry (423)  447-2914  
Hwy Chief Admin Off Robby B Roberson (423) 447-6216 bledsoehwy@bledsoe.net
Register of Deeds Emma A Boynton (423)  447-2020 eboynton@titlesearcher.com
Sheriff James L Morris (423)  447-2197 bcsd1201@bledsoe.net
Trustee Tracey Cagle (423)  447-2369 trustee@bledsoe.net

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