Tennessee Genealogy & LDS Family History Centers

The country music capital of the United States is also home to many Tennessee residents who are interested in finding out more about where their families came from. To assist them in their search, the Tennessee LDS church has branched out from their own Family History Library in Utah to establish Tennessee family history centers throughout the state. These centers offer a rich array of research materials, as well as a trained volunteer staff to help guests navigate the sometimes complex world of general research. These centers are all available to the general public and are free to use, but call before heading out to verify the office hours of the center near you.

If you have any questions or comments about family history centers, please send a message [email protected].

Clarksville Ward Family History Center
3242 Hwy 41-A South
Clarksville, Tennessee 37043
(931) 358-9635

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
1608 Hampshire Pike
Columbia, Tennessee 38401
(931) 381-3650

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
4195 Whitten Rd
Bartlett, Tennessee 38135
(901) 388-9974

Memphis TN Family History Center
8150 Walnut Grove Rd
Cordova, Tennessee 38018
(901) 754-2545

Franklin Tennessee Stake FHC
1100 Gray Fox Ln
Franklin, Tennessee 37064
(615) 794-4251
Notes: Phone# is also Church Hall Phone and may possibly be answered by someone other than librarian

Jackson TN Family History Center
923 Pipkin Rd
Jackson, Tennessee 38305
(901) 664-2274

Family History Center
400 Kendall Rd
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
(423) 693-8252

Madison TN Family History Center
107 Twin Hills
Madison, Tennessee 37211
(615) 859-6926

McMinnville TN Family History Center
Old Daylight Rd
McMinnville, Tennessee 37110
(931) 473-1053

Murfreesboro TN Family History Center
902 E Clark Blvd
Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130
(615) 893-1349

Oak Ridge TN Family History Center
140 S Jefferson Cir
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
(423) 483-6401

Paris, TN Family History Center
1921 Lone Oak Rd
Paris, Tennessee 38242
(731) 642-2285
Notes: Linda Dunlap/Director [email protected]; Center has its catalog on-line and does FREE lookups in their resources

Old Shelbyville Hwy
1000 Westside Dr
Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388
(931) 455-5230

Tennessee Genealogy Resources

If you are doing early Tennessee research - make sure you know about surveyors' districts, military reservations and which "state" of Tennessee your ancestor lives or lived in (Eastern, Middle or the Western District). Many records are identified by these divisions as well as county designations. And, don't forget the temporary State of Franklin, North Carolina control and eventual statehood. Though many Tennessee records are centralized do check district, regional and county archives or you will never get the full story on your ancestors! Do also remember its proud military history - "The Volunteer state" provided thousands of volunteers for the War of 1812.

Some great Tennessee specific genealogy resources that you definitely want to check out are:

1. Tennessee State Library and Archives is a must visit resource - either in person, via its extensive collection of online databases or by using interlibrary loan (ILL) to access microfilmed materials at a library local to where you live.

2. The Shelby County Register of Deeds has indexes available for Shelby County and statewide ones for dath, divorce and marriage records.

3. Many issues of Ansearchin' News Archives of the Tennessee Genealogical society are online as well as a county index - great resource for abstracted TN records.

4. Volunteer Voices (Tennessee electronic library) and The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture provide you such important context for the lives of your ancestors which enriches your research through a better understanding of their lives.