If you are a Tennessee resident, you can access many resources on-line through the Tennessee Electronic Library. Some of these resources require individual subscriptions, but access is free for Tennessee residents.
Click here to visit the TEL site for genealogy research.
Sample resources
The Tennessean (1812 – 2002)
Digitized pages of The Tennessean (1812-2002) provide unique historical insight into the regional issues and concerns, such as local government, industrialization, prohibition, and racial struggles. Audience: Middle School, High School, College/Research, Public, Genealogy
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present including 125 newspapers from Tennessee. Audience: Public, Genealogy
Digital Library of Tennessee
The Digital Library of Tennessee provides free access to unique materials from museums, libraries, and archives across the state. Audience: Public, Genealogy
Digital Public Library of America
The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. Audience: Public, Genealogy
HeritageQuest Online
Collection of genealogical and historical sources, with coverage dating back to the 1700s. Search U.S. census records, full-text family and local history books, Freedman’s Bank records and more. Audience: High School, College/Research, Public, Genealogy
Tennessee Records on Ancestry.com
Tennessee records, including birth, death, and tax lists are available online thru a partnership with Ancestry.com. While other Ancestry.com resources require a subscription; these records are free for Tennesseans. Audience: High School, College/Research, Public, Genealogy
Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)
Digital repository of Tennessee history and culture featuring historical records, photographs, documents, maps, postcards, film, audio and other original materials of enduring value. Audience: Public, Genealogy