Special Collections Division Resources of Interest to Genealogists

All Special Collections Division materials are non-circulating and can only be used in the division. There are some records that we have available in multiple formats.

The sample resources listed are intended as examples only and not as endorsements of the individual items. For advice on the best resources for the subject you're searching for, your best bet is to ask the librarian at the desk.

Open Stack Materials

Cemetery Records
The collection contains print and/or microfilm cemetery records from various Tennessee counties in addition to records from several other states.

Sample Microfilm Resources:

• Index to Interments at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee 1891-1995 [microform]. (19uu) (Tenn. 929.3 D2524ci v.1-9).
• Spring Hill Cemetery Records : Davidson County, 1785-1985 [microform] (Tenn. 929.3 S7693c v.1-8)

Sample Print Resources:

• Complete Surname Index of TVA Grave Removals. (1989) (Tenn. 929.3 T2971cc)
• Daniel, Susan G. Cemeteries and Graveyards of Rutherford County, Tennessee. (2005) (Tenn. 929.3 R9752c)
• Smith, Felix Randolph Robertson. Alphabetical List of the Dead in the City Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee : As Shown by Existing Monuments and Headstones. (1909) (Tenn. 929.3 D25cs Map Case)
• Stones River Chapter S. A. R. and Rutherford Co. Historical Society. Rutherford County, Tenn. Cemeteries. (1975) (Tenn. 929.3 R97c3 v.1-3)

Census Records
Census records for Tennessee and several other areas are available on microfilm. Nation-wide census information is available online via HeritageQuest. The collection also includes published indexes and transcriptions of census records for various areas.

Sample Microfilm Resources (non-Tennessee):

• Missouri--1850 Census Morgan, New Madrid, Nordaway, Oregon and Osage Counties; 1860 and 1870 Census for Maries and Marion Counties.
• Virginia--1880 Soundex C-410 through C-455

Sample Microfilm Resources (Tennessee):

• 1810-1880 and 1900-1930 Census
• 1850-1860 Slave Schedules
• 1850-1880 Special Agricultural and Manufacturing Census
• 1890 Special Census Index and Special Census for Union Veterans and Widows

Online:

• HeritageQuest (use from home with a library card)
  US Federal Census, searchable for years 1790-1820, 1860-1870, 1890-1930 (partial); browse years 1790-1930.
• Ancestry Library Edition (In-library use only)
  U.S. Federal Census, 1790 to 1930. Includes page images and index by all persons listed, head of household and family members.

Sample Print Resources:

• Dobson-Sides, Peggie. 1860 Davidson County, Tennessee, Census. (2000) (Tenn. 929.3 U58d 1860 v.1-2)
• Shrum, Shelta R. McCarter. 1900 Federal Census, Clay County, Tennessee. (2003) (Tenn. 929.3 U5818c 1900)
• Sistler, Barbara. Index to the 1880 Census of West Tennessee. (c2003) (Tenn. 929.3 U5818tsi 1880)

Church Records

Sample Microfilm Resources:

• Belle Meade United Methodist Church [microform] : Nashville, Tennessee; Records, 1951-1980. (19uu) (Tenn. 276.8855 B438)
• Christ Episcopal Church Records : Nashville, 1829-1939 [microform]. (197?) (Tenn. 976.855 C5543 v.1-2)

Sample Print Resources:

• Hill, Louise Biles. History of Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, South of Mount Zion, Warren County, Tenn., 1809-1930. (1930) (Tenn. 287.6 H64)
• Marquis, William Harrison. Our Zion : A Sesquicentennial Publication of the First Presbyterian Church, Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, 1828-1978. (1978) (Tenn. 285.1768 M3579o)
• Sistler, Byron. Vital Statistics from 19th Century Tennessee Church Records. (1979) (Tenn. 929.3 T2971sv v.1-2)

City Directories (Nashville)

Microfilm Resources:

• 1853-1861; 1865-1869; 1870-1918; 1920-1922; 1924-1926

Print Resources:

• 1928; 1930; 1933; 1935; 1937; 1938-1939; 1940-1944; 1946-1947; 1949; 1950-present (1952 and 1992 not included)

City and County Histories and Published Records
Includes published histories of Tennessee cities and counties and published or transcribed deeds, wills, marriage, birth and death records.

Sample Microfilm Resources:

• Birth and Death Indexes, Nashville and Tennessee, 1908-1912
• Davidson County marriages [microform]. (2000) (Tenn. 929.3 D2524m)
• Deeds Index, Davidson County, 1784-1871
• Will Books, Davidson County, 1832-1865

Sample Print Resources:

• Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford). History of Davidson County, Tennessee : with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (1880) (Tenn. 976.855 C6229h)
• Marsh, Helen Crawford. Davidson County Tennessee wills & inventories. (c1990) (Tenn. 929.3 D25w2 v.1-2)
• Sistler, Byron. Davidson Co., TN Marriages, 1838-1863. (1985) (Tenn. 929.3 D25m4)
• Smith, Mary Sue. Davidson County, Tennessee Naturalizaton Records, 1803-1906. (c1997) (Tenn. 929.3 D25n)

Family Histories

Sample Microfilm Resources:

• Baker and Related Families [microform] : Records, 1700-1974. (1974) (Gen. 929.2 B1675)
• The Draper Manuscript Collection [microform]. (1980) (Tenn. 977.02 D766 1980)
• McGavock Family Letters, 1798-1850 [microform]. (19uu) (Tenn. 929.2 M1452f)

Sample Print Resources:

• Frist, William H. Good People Beget Good People : A Genealogy of the Frist Family. (2003) (Tenn. 929.2 F9179f)
• Hassell, James L. The Hassell Family History, 1640-2000. (2002) (Gen. 929.2 H3552h)

Miscellaneous Resources

Civil Rights Microforms Collection
Includes civil rights and African American-related publications and collections, such as: Black abolitionist papers, 1830-1865; Nashville Globe. These resources are not limited to Nashville or Tennessee and date primarily from the 1950s-1970s.

Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedmens Savings and Trust Company, 1865-1874
These records contain signatures of and personal identification data about depositors in 29 branch offices of the Freedmans Savings and Trust Company and are available and searchable online in HeritageQuest.

The records from the Nashville Branch, which was established in 1870, are also available on microfilm. The information contained in the records includes: account number, name of depositor, date of entry, place born, place brought up, residence, age, complexion, name of employer or occupation, wife or husband, children, father, mother, brothers and sisters, remarks, and signature. The early books sometimes also contain the names of the former master or mistress and the name of the plantation. Copies of death certificates are available for some entries.

Sanborn Map Company. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Microform (1983) (Tenn. 912.768 S198s)

Selected records of the Tennessee Field Office of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, 1865 - 1872
Microform (1958) (Tenn. 976.8 S4647)
Includes letters sent by the district offices of Murfreesboro, Nashville, Paris, Purdy, Bolivar, Pulaski, Springfield, and Trenton; lists of and letters relating to seized lands and properties; letters received by the office of the superintendent of the Nashville subdistrict, Aug. 1866-Mar.1867; letters received by the office of the superintendent of the Nashville subdistrict, Apr. 1867-Nov.1868; miscellaneous orders, circulars, claims, and reports received by the office of the superintendent of the Nashville subdistrict; miscellaneous reports, oaths of allegiance, and property returns, 1865-1868; leases for abandoned property received by the office of the assistant commissioner, 1865-1866; Davidson-Rutherford counties, 1865-1866; Shelby-Wilson counties, 1865-1886.

Newspapers
Nashville newspapers dating from 1800-present, including several suburban newspapers. See complete list in Microfilm room. Indexes for the Nashville Banner and the Tennessean are located in the microfilm room and cover the years 1967-1993.

Sample Newspaper Resources:

• Daily American, Sept 1875-1894 available on microfilm.
• Daily Republican Banner, Aug 1837-Jan 1862, Sept-Dec 1865, April 1866-Aug 1875 available on microfilm
• Nashville Banner, 26 Feb. 1880-20 Feb. 1998 available on microfilm; see Nashville Banner Archives, below.
• Nashville Daily Gazette, July 6 1845, 1849-1851, July 1852-1861, Jan 25-Feb 4 1862, March 13-29 1864, Nov 7 1865-June 1868 available on microfilm.
• Nashville Globe, Jan 1907-1913, 1931-1935, 1939-1940, 1944-1951, Oct 16-30 1953, 1954-1960 (Incomplete) available on microfilm
• Tennessean, 1 Jan. 1949-Nov. 2005 available on microfilm
• The Tennessean (1999-present) & The Tennessean Backfile (January 1995 - October 2001)
• Index of obituaries in the Tennessean 1964-2002. Obituaries after 2002 are indexed and searchable through the Library Catalog Subject Search (use the persons last name in a subject search). The index will list the name, date, and a citation to the newspaper in which the obituary appeared. The Main Library owns the newspaper on microfilm, and reader-printers are available.
• Tennessee Gazette, Feb 1800-July 1822, Nov 1936-Mar 1938 (Title varies) available on microfilm.

Periodicals

Sample Microfilm Resources:

• Genealogical Helper, 1947-1971
• Southern Historical Society Papers, 1830-1959
• Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, v. 1-v. 73 (July 1893-Oct. 1965)
• William and Mary Quarterly, v. 1-v. 26 (Jan. 1944-Oct. 1969)

Sample Online Resources:

• EBSCO MasterFile Select: Search an index of 3625 indexed journals including 798 in full-text from 1984 to present. Find maps, historical photographs, and flags in the image collection.
• Expanded Academic ASAP: Full-text articles from 3,525 scholarly, trade, and general-interest periodicals including 2,167 full-text titles. Subject coverage includes humanities, social sciences, general sciences, and current events from 1980 to the present.
• Infotrac OneFile: Search this index of 9,309 scholarly, trade, and general-interest periodicals. Includes indexing of magazine titles from 1980 to the present with 5,163 full-text titles. Offers access such genealogy-related periodicals as Family Chronicle, Heir Lines, Evertons Family History Magazine, and Families.

Sample Print Resources:

• American Genealogist, July 2004-
• Ancestry, 1998-
• HeritageQuest Magazine, Jan/Feb. 2000-
• Tennessee Genealogy and History, 1997-
• Tennessee Historical Quarterly, 1942-

Closed Stack Materials
In addition to the collections highlighted below, we also hold other records from various Nashville schools, churches, organizations and clubs. Finding aids exist for some collections.

Ephemera
Subject files of materials in a wide variety of formats such as reports, brochures, programs, invitations, memorabilia, and scrapbooks. Topics include: architecture, buildings, businesses, churches, family histories, organizations, persons, and schools.

Historic Nashville Downtown Survey
Documents and photographs composing a detailed architectural and historical survey of downtown Nashville buildings, c. 1980. The area included in the survey is bounded on the east by the Cumberland River; on the west by 10th Ave.; on the north by the State Capitol; and on the south by Demonbreun Street. Documents contain detailed architectural descriptions; deed and city directory research; and other research notes. Photographs show front (street) views of most buildings, and frequently include front views taken from an angle to the side. Many properties also have photographs of architectural details, and occasionally side or rear views of a building. Nearly all photographs are of exteriors.

Historic Photograph Collection
Active collection consisting of some 4,500 photographs with emphasis upon Nashville people, places, buildings, and landmarks. Photos of Tennessee people and places apart from Nashville and of historical interest are also included. Nashville persons, places, landmarks and events commonly depicted in this collection include the various Nashville libraries, Centennial Park, the Cumberland River and its floods, historic homes (the Hermitage, Belmont, Cheekwood, etc.), Nashville political leaders, Nashville street scenes, and scenes from everyday life. Most photos date from the twentieth century.

Multiple Listing Service, 1968-1971
Cards describing various real estate properties for sale in Middle Tennessee, 1968-1971, created as a multiple listing service by the Nashville Board of Realtors. Although all types of property are included, most cards are for residential property. Geographic area covered by this collection includes Nashville and Davidson County, as well as urban and rural properties located in Cheatham, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson Counties. Cards typically include a photograph, or occasionally a map, on the front of the card, with detailed information about the property on the reverse. Property information generally consists of: street and subdivision location; selling price; date of listing; type of structure; type of construction; number of rooms and features; square feet; amenities and appliances; bus service; school district; special notes about the property or lot; salesperson; and realtor.

Nashville Banner Archives

• Nashville Banner Clipping Collection
  Clippings from both the Banner (afternoon) and Tennessean (morning) newspapers; consists of biographical and subject files, with the bulk of the collection dating from the 1950s to the early 1990s. Biographical files on several thousand persons constitute almost half of the collection, with the rest in subject files sorted primarily into three main series: Nashville, Davidson County, and Tennessee.
• Nashville Banner Library/Morgue photographic files
  A group of printed photographs, wire photos, and some accompanying materials that were kept in the library of the newspaper, or the morgue. These files were kept independently from the negative and transparency files the photographers kept in their area. These files contain photos that were actually used in the paper, some of them shot by Banner photographers or Banner freelancers. Many of the photos, however, were sent in by companies or groups for publicity purposes and were not shot by Banner staff.
• Banner Negatives and Transparency Collection
  Consisting of film, ranging in size from 35mm, 2 square, 31/4 x 4 1/4, and 4x5, that the Banner photographers shot. It ranges from 1934 to 1998, and the last two years were digital capture stored on CDs. In 1955 the photographers began to keep logbooks and a filing system by date. In order to access this collection, you need to have the information from the newspaper identifying the date and photographer.

Oral History Collections
Recorded interviews with Nashvillians. Includes the Veterans History Project, the Civil Rights Oral History Project, Century III, Nashville Centennial Project, and Union Station.

Sarah Foster Kelley Genealogical Papers
ca. 31.5 cubic feet of manuscripts, correspondence, maps, photographs, and other research papers documenting the lineage and family trees of pioneer Nashville families such as the Robertsons, Cockrills, Dunns, Mays, and Napiers.

Sylvan Park Homes Survey
Compiled by Sarah Foster Kelley; .8 cubic feet. Contains documentation sheets, including photos of homes, by street.

Vertical Files
Biographical and subject clipping files, collected by Nashville Room staff from about 1970 forward. Biographical files cover thousands of Nashvillians and Tennesseans, and subject files cover numerous general topics of local interest, such as buildings, businesses, cemeteries, churches, historic homes, forts, and parks. There are binders of the most heavily used files across from the main desk in the Nashville Room for the following topics: Buildings and Businesses, Tennessee Cemeteries, Tennessee Houses of Worship, Civil Rights, Nashville Homes, Nashville Hotels, Mayors, Mills, Schools, and Parks.