Research Helps

Historical Society

Lewis County Historical Society
Deanna Darden- Carroll, president
Blake Farr, Administrator

- Mailing Address: Lewis County Historical Society, PO Box 703, Hohenwald, TN, 38462
- Membership is $10.00/year.
- If you are interested in joining, please email to request an application or go to this page and download the application and mail with your payment to the address on the form. Memberships run from April through March each year.

County Library

Lewis County Public Library
15 Kyle Avenue
Hohenwald, TN 38462-1434
(931) 796-5365
Library Director & Archivist: Crystal Smith Nash

Hours
Tuesday & Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Holidays
Email: lewislibrary@bellsouth.net

- Lewis Co Public Library and Digital Archives

Lewis County Government

City of Hohenwald Website

County Clerk has marriage records from 1881, probate and court records. Clerk of the Circuit Court has divorce records; Register of Deeds has land records from 1844 and is located at the county Courthouse. Land and property records include transfer of real estate or personal property, mortgages, leases, surveys, and entries.

Lewis County Courthouse
110 N Park Street
Hohenwald, TN 38462
Phone: 931.796.3734

Lewis County County Clerk
110 N. Park Street, Room 105
Hohenwald, TN 38462
(931) 796-3376

Lewis County Register of Deeds
110 N. Park, Room 104
Phone: 1-931-796-2255

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Franz Weinhappel Room of Local History and Genealogy
Franz Weinhappel, a cabinet maker, moved from Austria to Hohenwald in the early 1900s. A hand-crafted room was removed from Mr. Weinhappel’s home and installed in the library in 1989. This room contains an excellent historical records collection of books and microfilm. HeritageQuest is available on the public computers at the library, and may also be accessed from a home computer. They have several microfilms of Lewis County records and bound and unbound books and manuscripts.

This information was found online and is subject to change. If this is one of your destinations, please call the library before you go to Hohenwald to verify the hours of operation.

Tennessee Genealogical Society

The Tennessee Genealogical Society is a federally recognized nonprofit, tax-exempt, educational organization, staffed and managed by unpaid volunteers. Membership is open to all genealogical researchers or others with an interest in genealogy. You can search the free issues of Ansearchin News on their website. The free issues span 1954 through 2009. You must be a member to search issues from 2010 forward.

Other Genealogical Societies in Tennessee that may be of interest include:

Tennessee State Archives

Census Records: Microfilm records for 1850-1920 include Lewis County. They are indexed in statewide census indexes for 1850-1870 and microfilm indexes for 1880 and 1900-1920. Records for 1880 are also in book form.
Selected County Histories: Pictorial history (Lewis County Sesquicentennial Comm.); Lewis County (Lewis County Historical Society, 1995); Goodspeed’s (1886).
Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources: Lewis County. The items in the bibliography may not all be available at TSLA.
Published Local Records:
- Cemetery records (Graves);
- Marriages 1844-1894 (Graves);
- McDonald Funeral Home, Hohenwald, TN
- WPA typescripts include: County court minutes 1846-1870; Guardian bonds 1846-1874 and Bible Records
Local Records Microfilm: An inventory of microfilmed county records is available for purchase. Individual reels may also be purchased. Earliest records include: county court minutes from 1848; marriages from 1847; wills from 1846; deeds from 1844; and inventories from 1846.
The following are available on interlibrary loan: marriage records 1847-1909 (1 reel); wills 1846-1936 (1 reel); 1842-1856 and 1932-1967 (1 reel); deed index 1844-1926 (1 reel); estate inventories 1846-1874 (1 reel); and land sold for taxes 1847-1877 (1 reel).
Newspapers: Newspapers were published in Hohenwald. Scattered early issues are available from 1898, and a complete run begins in 1950. Microfilms are provided to Tennessee libraries on interlibrary loan. Individual reels of microfilm may also be purchased.

Chancery Court Minutes on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll #	Format and Volume
Minutes A-B	Apr 1871 - Dec 1904	1	35mm
Minutes C-D	Jun 1905 - Jul 1927	A-462	35mm
Minutes E-F	Feb 1928 - Feb 1952	A-463	35mm
Minutes G-I	Feb 1952 - Jul 1976	A-10, 439	16mm
Minutes J-M	Jul 1976 - Jun 1989	A-10,440	16mm
Minutes N-P	Jun 1989 - May 1993	A-10, 441	16mm
Minutes Q-R	May 1993 - Jul 1995	A-10, 442	16mm

Circuit Court Minutes on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll #	Format and Volume
Enrollments	Mar 1844 - Jul 1904	2	35mm
Minutes	Mar 1846 - May 1879	3	35mm
Minutes D-E	Sep 1879 - Feb 1906	4	35mm
Minutes F-G	Nov 1906 - May 1922	A-464	35mm
Minutes H-I	Oct 1922 - Oct 1941	A-465	35mm
Minutes, Civil 1	Oct 1929 - Aug 1945	A-466	35mm
Minutes, Civil 2	Oct 1945 - May 1954	A-467	35mm
Minutes, Civil 3-4	Oct 1954 - Oct 1965	A-10,444	35mm
Minutes, Civil 5-9	Feb 1966 - Feb 1986	A-10,445	16mm
Minutes, Civil 10-11	Feb 1986 - Jul 1992	A-10,446	16mm

County Clerk Minutes and Other Records on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll # and Volume	Format
Marriages 1-3	Nov 1847 - Oct 1920	5	35mm
Marriages 4-6	Oct 1920 - Jun 1956	A-472	35mm
Marriages 7-12	Jun 1956 - May 1992	A-10,453	16mm
Minutes, Commission M-O	Jun 1988 - Sep 1991	A-10,460	16mm
Minutes, Equalization	Sep 1898 - Dec 1914	5	35mm
Minutes	Mar 1848 - Jun 1881	7	35mm
Minutes	Oct 1881 - Dec 1897	8	35mm
Minutes	Aug 1897 - Nov 1903	9	35mm
Minutes	Nov 1903 - Jul 1914	A-473	35mm
Minutes A1-B1	Jul 1914 - Jul 1923	A-10,457	35mm

Probate Records (with County or Chancery Court) on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll # and Volume	Format
Bonds, Admin. & Guardian 1	1904 - 1927	A-470	35mm
Bonds, Guardian	2 May 1928 - Jan 1960	A-470	35mm
Estates, Insolvent	1 May 1907 - Jun 1941	A-471	35mm
Inventories	Nov 1846 - Jan 1874	6	35mm
Minutes, Probate	1 Sep 1982 - Feb 1993	A-10,443	16mm
Misc., Tax Sales	Nov 1847 - May 1877	A-471	35mm
Misc., Tax Sales	Feb 1897 - Apr 1907	A-471	35mm
Settlements, Admin	Feb 1875 - Feb 1926	6	35mm
Settlements, Admin 2-4	Nov 1921 - Jul 1956	A-469	35mm
Settlements, Admin & Guard 6-8	Mar 1969 - Aug 1982	A-10,461	16mm

Register of Deeds records on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll # and Volume	Format
Deed Index 1	Mar 1844 - Mar 1926	10	35mm
Deed Index 2-3	Sep 1925 - Dec 1976	A-481	35mm
General Index	Jan 1977 - Jul 1984	A-10,462	35mm
General Index	Aug 1984 - Jul 1987	A-10,463	35mm
General Index	Aug 1987 - Nov 1990	A-10,464	35mm
General Index	Dec 1990 - Dec 1994	A-10,465	35mm
Deeds A-B	Mar 1844 - Oct 1854	10	35mm
Deeds C	Oct 1854 - Oct 1870	11	35mm
Deeds E	Oct 1872 - Jan 1879	11	35mm
Deeds F-G	Jan 1879 - Jan 1889	12	35mm

School Board Minutes on microfilm with TSLA

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll # and Volume	Format
Minutes 1-6	Aug 1927 - Oct 1994	A-10,516	16mm

Trustee Tax Records on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll # and Volume	Format
Tax Books	1887 - 1900	17	35mm
Tax Books	1901 - 1913	A-508	35mm
Tax Books	1918, 1923, - 1928, 1933	A-509	35mm
Tax Books	1938, 1943 - 1948	A-510	35mm
Tax Books	1953 - 1958	A-10,517	35mm
Tax Books	1963 - 1968	A-10,518	35mm

City of Hohenwald records on microfilm with TSLA

entries per page

Record Type	Start / Stop Date	Roll # and Volume	Format
Minutes 3-5	May 1923 - Jul 1952	A-511	35mm
Minutes 6-13	Jun 1952 - Aug 1981	A-10,519	16mm
Minutes 14-18	Aug 1981 - May 1993	A-10,520	16mm
Minutes, Beer Board	Jul 1951 - Jan 1995	A-10,521	16mm
Ordinances 1-3	May 1911 - Oct 1994	A-10,522	16mm
Resolutions A, 1-4	Jun 1923 - Aug 1993	A-10,523	16mm

Books

From the Flame of Battle to the Fiery Cross
James, Van Eldik, ©2001. Yucca Tree Press, 2130 Hixon Drive, Las Cruces, NM, 88005-3305
Provides a look at the TN 3rd from its beginning to its surrender in Greensboro, NC. It is based on primary sources and lists over 1000 men from the official rosters. Men in this unit were from Lewis, Maury, Giles and Lawrence Counties.

Lewis County, Tennessee WPA Records
edited by James L. Douthat, ©1991: Material dates from 1930s. Bible records, tombstone records, church records. Some Civil War letters. Softcover. 66 pp. Typed by Jessie Clinton, published by Mountain Press, PO Box 400, Signal Mountain, TN, 37377-0400, Available for purchase from Byron Sistler and Associates, Inc. 1712 Natchez Trace, PO Box 120934, Nashville, TN 37212

Lewis County: History of Tennessee
©1887, Goodspeed Publishing Company, Softcover. 11 pp. reprinted 1990 by Mountain Press, PO Box 400, Signal Mountain, TN, 37377-0400, Available for purchase from Byron Sistler and Associates, Inc. 1712 Natchez Trace, PO Box 120934, Nashville, TN 37212

Maury County Neighbors: Records of Giles, Lewis and Marshall Counties, TN
Compiled by Marise P. Lightfoot and Evelyn B. Shackelford, ©1967

Lewis County, Tennessee Cemetery Records
Compiled by Marjorie B. Graves, printed by P-Vine Press, Route 7, Box 264, Columbia, TN, 38401, ©1979

First Fifty Years of Lewis County, Tennessee Marriage Records
Compiled by Marjorie B. Graves, printed by Table Top Press, Hohenwald, TN

Lewis County Pictorial History, 1843-1993
Compiled by Lewis County Sesquicentennial Committee, Marjorie Graves & Patty Hedge, co-chairman, published June ©1993

Lewis County, TN, History and Families
published by the Lewis County, TN Historical Society, published by Turner Publishing Co, 412, Broadway, PO Box 3101, Paducah, KY, 42002, ©1995

Hohenwald, Lewis Co, TN Marriage Records, May 1844 to June 1956,
Transcribed by Brenda Willis Coleman 4458 Marshall Rd., Atoka, TN, 38004, ©1997.
Contact the author for additional information.

Lewis Co, TN Court Clerk Wills, November 1846 to June 1936,
Transcribed by Brenda Willis Coleman 4458 Marshall Rd., Atoka, TN, 38004, ©1997.
Contact the author for additional information.

McDonald Funeral Home, Hohenwald,Lewis Co, TN, Volume 1, July 1948 to December 1974,
Transcribed by Brenda Willis Coleman, 4458 Marshall Rd., Atoka, TN, 38004, ©1997
Contact the author for additional information.

McDonald Funeral Home, Hohenwald,Lewis Co, TN, Volume 2, January 1974 to December 1987 ,
Transcribed by Brenda Willis Coleman, 4458 Marshall Rd., Atoka, TN, 38004, ©1997
Contact the author for additional information.

McDonald Funeral Home, Hohenwald,Lewis Co, TN, Volume 3, January 1988 to December 1993 ,
Transcribed by Brenda Willis Coleman, 4458 Marshall Rd., Atoka, TN, 38004, ©1997
Contact the author for additional information.

McDonald Funeral Home, Hohenwald,Lewis Co, TN, Volume 4, January 1994 to June 9, 1997 ,
Transcribed by Brenda Willis Coleman, 4458 Marshall Rd., Atoka, TN, 38004, ©1997
Contact the author for additional information.

1850 US Census, Lewis Co, TN, (book)
Dr. John F Schunk, editor, S-K Publications, PO Box 8173, Wichita, KS, 67208-0173

1880 US Census, Lewis Co, TN (actual images of the pages on a CD-Rom)
Dr. John F Schunk, , editor, S-K Publications, PO Box 8173, Wichita, KS, 67208-0173

1900 US Census, Lewis Co, TN (actual images of the pages on a CD-Rom)
Dr. John F Schunk, , editor, S-K Publications, PO Box 8173, Wichita, KS, 67208-0173

Research Strategies & United States or Tennessee Resources

FamilySearch Wiki – Online Genealogy records for Lewis Co, TN found on the FamilySearch website. Many sources available for viewing.
TNGenWeb Special Projects – in-depth information on Tennessee history, including Native-American history, early state laws, the state in pre- & early statehood, land history, military history and more.
Tennessee Genealogical Society– The Tennessee Genealogical Society is a federally recognized nonprofit, tax-exempt, educational organization, staffed and managed by unpaid volunteers. Membership is open to all genealogical researchers or others with an interest in genealogy.
TNGenWeb Domain Search – Please note, not all TNGenWeb sites are on the www.tngenweb.org URL; external sites are not included in this search as not all TNGenWeb sites are hosted on this server.
Researching in TN Courthouses
National Archives – Getting Started with Genealogy at the National Archives. Here is a sample of the records that you will find at the National Archives site:

1. Casualty lists for the Korean and Vietnam Wars
2. Selected Chinese exclusion lists
3. Fugitive Slave Case Papers, 1850 – 1860 and Petitions Filed Under the Fugitive Slave Act (Fugitive Slave Petition Book), 1850-1860
4. Fort Smith, Arkansas: 50,000 Criminal Case Files
5. Appointments and Oaths of U.S. Marshals and Deputy Marshals, 1864-1912
6. Alien Registration Affidavits from the U.S. District Court, Phoenix Division
7. Chinese Exclusion Act files
8. Sample Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 – ca. 1900
9. Records of Death and Interment at Camp Nelson, KY, 1864-1865
10. Sample Case Files of Members, Battle Mountain Sanitarium, 1907-1934
11. Spanish-American War Compiled Military Service Records for 1,235 “Rough Riders”
12. State Summaries of War Casualties for the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard during World War II, 1946
13. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel, 1946 Dawes Rolls Index and Final Rolls
14. Casualty lists for WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War
15. Prisoner of War lists from WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War
16. Passenger lists into the Port of New York, 1846-1851, the “Famine Irish data files”
17. Japanese-American Internee File, 1942 – 1946
18. Records of Duty Locations for Naval Intelligence Personnel, 1942 – 1945
19. Index to the Gorgas Hospital Mortuary Death Records, 1979 – 1991
20. Records of Awards and Decorations of Honor During the Vietnam Conflict, 10/1968 – 12/1972

What to do with all your Genealogical Research upon your death?

Lewis County TNGenWeb

Part of the USGenWeb

Research Helps

Research Strategies & United States or Tennessee Resources