The loose records collection consists of all the original loose documents before they were recorded in large volumes.  These records were located at the courthouse until 1988 when they were transferred to the Lawrence County Archives.  The archives staff has sorted and cleaned the records that cover the time period 1818-1909 for both county and chancery court.  Indexes have been created through 1899, and the indexing of the 1900-1909 time period is in the process. All these records are available for the general public to use for research purposes.  As time permits, the staff will process records through 1950 (marriages through 2000) and it will be announced on this web page.           

• Wills: 1820-1909
  
• Deeds:  1820-1909
  
• Estate settlements, Administrator, Guardian & Executor Bonds and Settlements: 1818-1909
  
• Land Grants, Land Entries and Land Surveys: 1818-1909
  
• Road Overseers & Road Petitions:  
  
• Slave Sales:  1818-1865
  
• Apprentice Indentures: 1818-1909
  
• Voter Records: 1818-1909
  
• Tax Records: 1826-1909  (some years are missing)
  
• Bastardy Cases: 1818-
  
• Power of Attorney:  1818-1909
  
• Divorces: 1820-1909
  
• Merchants License:  
  
• Rebel Claims Against U.S.:  1865-early 1870's
  
• County Court Petitions: 1818-1909
  
• Chancery Court Petitions:  1843-1909
  
• Marriage Records:  1818-1969  (loose, book and microfilm)
  

         Books and Microfilm

                Besides these records and their indexes, the archives has many books on various subjects.  Some of these are listed below.  A complete inventory of all the books available for researchers to use while on-site can be found at this web site: http://home.lorettotel.net/~lcarchives/lawrbknv.htm. Microfilm is available for records in some courts as far up as the late 1990's, for other records only through 1950's.  

• 1820-1930 Federal Census (1820-1920 in microfilm and book form; index being created to 1930)
  
• Over 1,200 Family File Folders
  
• Maps
  
• Historical Society Bulletins, 1953-1996
  
• Lots of Civil War Information
  
• Family History Books
  
• County and Community Histories
  
• Church Histories
  
• Cemetery Records
  
• Native American Books
  
• African-American Information 
  
• Newspapers: 1846-1985 (some years and issues missing)
  
• Statewide Books:  Land Grants 1790's-; Marriages 1790's-1870; Census 1810-1870; Mortality Schedule 1850, 1860 & 1880; Wills, Estate Settlements and Inventories 1779-1861; and a few other records.
  
• Other TN Counties that we have "some" books for census, marriages, cemetery, deed abstracts, or other record: Carroll, Carter, Cocke, Davidson, Fayette, Gibson, Giles, Greene, Hardin, Hickman, Lewis, Maury, Perry, Sevier, Wayne, and Williamson.
  
• AL Counties that we have some books containing census, marriages, cemetery, etc.:  Lauderdale, Limestone and St. Clair.
  
• For VA Counties that we have some books containing census, marriages, cemetery, Rev. War, parish records:  See this web page for a complete list - Virginia Books

Page Created by: Reita Jones Burress

Updated By: Kathy Neidergeses