Knox County Research Helps

Quick Reference Guide

 

Bible Records:

Bibliography

Biographies

Knox County Businesses  (historical)

City & County Directories:  (business, general, telephone, masonic )

Cemeteries

Census Records:

• 1830 Census Surname Index (TNGenWeb Digital Archives)

• 1840 Census Surname Index (TNGenWeb Digital Archives)

• 1850 Census Surname Index (TNGenWeb Digital Archives)

Communities (Past and Present)

Churches (Past and Present)

• Excerpts from "Directory of Churches, Missions, and Religious Institutions of Tennessee: Knox County"  (WPA, 1941). Includes listings for church-based orphanages, newspapers, schools, etc.

• Read J. J. Burnett's biographical Sketches of Tennessee's Pioneer Baptist Preachers (1919) 

• Read Dr. J. G. M. Ramsey's   History of Lebanon Presbyterian Church  "In The Fork": Five Miles East of Knoxville, Tenn. (1918)

County Historian

Ethnic Resources

Knox County Families

Funeral Homes

Historical Resources  (online and beyond!)

Journals  (Business and Personal)

Letters from Forgotten Ancestors - Knox County:  Taking Tansey Bitters~ 1863

Library Resources  (including Knox Co. bibliography &  newspapers on microfilm)

Map Sources:

Knox County Military Links:

• Early Knox County Militia members  listed in the Legislative Petition 26-1817-1 from Record Group (from Tennessee State Library & Archives)

• The Civil War in Knoxville

• Knoxville Civil War Roundtable

• Knox County in the Civil War  (Billie McNamara)

• Index to Tennessee Confederate Soldier's Home Applications (TSLA) (sorted by last name)

• Tennessee Confederate Pension Applications:  Soldiers and Widows

• Ordering Military Records by Mail (TSLA)

• Knox County in the World War (WWI)

• Introduction to WWI Questionnaires - Surname Index (TSLA)

• Knox County Gold Stars - Casualties of War     (WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam)

Newspapers (Past and Present)

Obituaries (Past and Present)

Miscellaneous Records 

Schools (Past and Present)

Knox County Early Settlers

Researching the Social Security Death Index by Knox County Zip Codes

TNGenWeb Digital Archives -Knox County Page (cemeteries, census, marriages, etc)

Topography

Vital Records (including marriages)

 

Additional Links:

• Deciphering Old Handwriting

• A List of Old Occupations

• Nicknames and Naming Traditions -  by Judy Henley Phillips

• Calculating Birth Year Based on Census Information

• The Political Graveyard - Knox County

• Acts of Tennessee 1796 - 1850: Index to Names (from TSLA):

• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary  1831 - 1850:
  (indexed by last name -- includes county, charge, age when entering)

• The History of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

• US Postal Service: Zip Code Finder

• U.S. Courthouse Directory (county courthouse addresses/ phone numbers sorted by state!)

• Stories from the Knoxville News-Sentinel's "Millennium" series: (no longer online. Please contact newspaper directly for copies of articles)

  The Century's Sentinels (dead link - sorry!)
  Major historic events during the 20th century (dead link - sorry!)
  Front Page News, April 1897:  The great Gay Street Fire) (dead link - sorry!)
  Great Revival of 1800 left lasting stamp on Knoxville (dead link - sorry!)
  1918 pandemic claimed 20 million lives worldwide (dead link - sorry!)
  Knox landmarks Honor Leaders of Yesteryear (dead link - sorry!)
  Charles McClung Left Lasting Mark on Knoxville (dead link - sorry!)
  ("Son-in-law of James White laid out first streets and lots")
  East Tennessee's colleges lead the change into the 21st century (includes histories) (dead link - sorry!)