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Obion County

Obion County

Obion County was formed in 1823 from Indian lands
(Private Acts of Tennessee 1823, Chapter 114).

The county seat is Union City.

There was an earthquake at the Obion County
courthouse in 1842.

SELECTED PUBLISHED COUNTY HISTORIES

  • Doing Our Job : Obion Countians in World War II : An Oral History (Forrester & Threlkeld, 1997)
  • Glory and Tears, Obion County, Tennessee, 1860-1870  (Forrester,  1966)*
  • History of Obion County : Towns and Communities, Churches, Schools, Farming, Factories, Social and Political  (Marshall,  1970)*
  • History of Tennessee From the Earliest Times to the Present : Together with an Historical and a Biographical Sketch of Gibson, Obion, Dyer, Weakley and Lake Counties  (Goodspeed,  1978)*
  • Marks on the Land : The Story of Obion  (Glover,  1975)*
  • Obion County History, Union City, Tennessee  [2 vols.]  (Obion County Historical Society,  1981)*
  • Once Upon a Time in Rives : A History of Rives, Obion County, Tennessee  (Allen,  1969?)*
  • Pictorial History of Obion County, Tennessee (Threlkeld.,  1994)*
  • Roads Less Traveled : Self-guided Tours to Historic Sites & Scenic Sreas in Obion County  (Forrester & Threlkeld,  1996)

Additional county and community histories can be found at the Bibliography of Tennessee Local History Sources:  Obion County. The items in the bibliography may not all be available at TSLA.  

 

PUBLISHED LOCAL RECORDS


  • 1880 Census Obion County, Tennessee  (Sistler,  2002) [alphabetical by head of household]*
  • Cemeteries of Obion County, Tennessee  [2 vols.]  (Obion County Genealogical Society,  1986) [name index]*
  • Court minutes index, 1824-1828 [Obion County], (Works Progress Administration, 19??)
  • Dyer Co., Tennessee, Gibson Co., Tennessee, Lake Co., Tennessee, Obion Co., Tennessee, Weakley Co., Tennessee : Enumeration of Male Inhabitants of Twenty-One Years  [1891 enumeration of male voters]  (Reed,  1990)
  • Indexes, First Circuit Court Minute Book, Volume 1 : Knox County Tennessee, February 1810-August 1817 : Obion County, Tennessee  (Daughters of the American Colonists,  1988) [name index]*
  • Minute Book [Circuit Court], 1826-1839  [vol. 1. 1826-1832;   vol. 2  1832-1834;   vol. 3   1835-1839]   (WPA,  1937-1938) [name index]
  • Obion County, Tenn., Court Minutes, October 1849-September 1861  (Paessler,  2000) [name index]*
  • Obion County, Tenn., Wills, Adm. & Bonds [vol. 1 Oct. 1834-Mar. 1837; vol. 2 June 10, 1837-Dec, 7, 1839; vol. 3 Jan. 20, 1840-Mar. 7, 1842; vol. 4 Mar. 1842-Aug. 1843; vol. 5 Aug. 1843-Nov. 1844] (Willis & Sellers) [name index in each volume]*
  • Obion County, Tennessee, 1850 Census  (Porch,  1973) [surname index]*
  • Obion County Tennessee Cemeteries : Elbridge Cemetery, Mason Hall Cemetery, Zion Cemetery (2003) [name index for Elbridge Cemetery and Mason Hall Cemetery]
  • Obion County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, 1824-1828, Index  (WPA,  19??) [name index]
  • Obion County, Tennessee, Court Minutes, 1824-1848  (WPA,  1940)
  • Obion County, Tennessee Deed Book  [1824-1834]  (Crumpton,  2003) [name index]*
  • Obion County, Tennessee, Marriage Records (Loose), 1824-1860  [bound with: Marriage Book, 1838-1845]  (WPA,  1940) [name index]
  • Obion County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1824-1877  (Gary & Stricklin,  1978) [name index]*
  • Obion County, Tennessee, Will Book, Vol. 1 or A, 1833-1861  (WPA,  1936) [name index]
  • Zion Cemetery, Obion County, Tennessee (Green [et. al.], 2007) [name index]

 

LOCAL RECORDS ON MICROFILM 

An inventory of microfilmed Obion County records is available on our web site.  Individual reels of microfilm may also be purchased.    

Earliest records include:

  • marriages from 1838
  • wills from 1834
  • inventories and settlements from 1834
  • deed index from 1824
  • chancery court minutes from 1854
  • county court minutes from 1824
  • circuit court minutes from 1826
  • tax books from 1843

 

The following reels are available on interlibrary loan from TSLA:

  • Deed Index -- 1824-1884  (#44,  1 reel)*
  • Executor's Bonds & Settlements -- 1856-1859 (#A1970, 1 reel)*
  • Marriages -- 1838-1878 (gaps)  (#18,  1 reel)*
  • Wills, Inventories, & Settlements -- 1834-1844  (#40,  1 reel)*
  • Wills, Inventories, & Settlements -- 1844-1853  (#41,  1 reel)*
  • Wills, Inventories, & Settlements -- 1853-1861  (#42,  1 reel)*
  • WPA Records, Obion County  (Record Group #107, Roll 63,  1 reel). Roll includes County Court Minute Book & Index (1824-1848),  Circuit Court Minute Book 1 & 2  (1826-1834),  Circuit Court Journal (1835-1839),  Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions Minute Book (1834-1835),  Will Book A (1833-1861),  Loose Marriage Records (1824-1860) and Marriage Book (1838-1845).*

 

NEWSPAPERS ON MICROFILM 

Newspapers were published in Kenton, Obion, Troy and Union City. Scattered early issues are available from 1876, and a complete run begins in 1929.   Microfilms are loaned to Tennessee libraries.  Individual reels may also be purchased.  An Inventory of Newspapers on Microfilm at TSLA is available on our web site.  

 

SELECTED MANUSCRIPTS MATERIAL

 

CENSUS RECORDS

  • Census on microfilm for Obion County:  1830-1880, 1900-1930
  • State-wide census index:  1830-1880
  • State-wide census index on microfilm  (Soundex):  1880,  1900-1930
  • Obion County census records in book form:  1850*,  1880*

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR OBION COUNTY

 

* Indicates this title may be borrowed on Interlibrary Loan from TSLA.

 

 

Updated December 11, 2014

 
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