The loose records collection consists of all the original loose documents before they were recorded in large volumes.  These records were located at the courthouse until 1988 when they were transferred to the Lawrence County Archives.  The archives staff sorted and cleaned the records that cover the time period 1818-1909 for both county and chancery court.  Indexes have been created through 1899, and the indexing of the 1900-1909 time period is in the process. All these records are available for the general public to use for research purposes.

    This first listing is for loose records only. Most of the loose records only go through the 1950s, except for marriages, divorces and a few other records. However, you can see a listing of the records we have through 1997 on microfilm.                   

• Apprentice Indentures: 1818-1909
   
• Bastardy Cases: 1818-
   
• County Court Petitions: 1818-1950s (only 1818-1909 completely indexed)
   
• Chancery Court Petitions:  1843-1950s (only 1843-1909 completely indexed)
   
• Circuit Court Records (Civil & Criminal): 1800s-1989
   

• Deeds:  1820-1959 (only 1818-1909 completely indexed; also have trust deed books from)
   
• Divorces: 1820-1970 (all indexed)
   
• Estate settlements, Administrator, Guardian & Executor Bonds and Settlements: 1818-1950 (only 1818-1909 completely indexed)
   
• Land Grants, Land Entries and Land Surveys: 1818-1929 (only 1818-1909 completely indexed)
   
• Marriage Records:  1818-2000  (loose, book form and microfilm)
   
• Merchants License: 1818-1950s (only 1818-1909 loose license indexed, but do have a book compiled by archives staff of all types of businesses 1820s-1965; more are being indexed)
   
• Petitions Settling Estates and other matters (usually names heirs and where they reside): 1818-1950s (only 1818-1909 completely indexed)
   
• Power of Attorney: 1818-1950s (only 1818-1909 completely indexed)
   

• Rebel Claims Against U.S.:  1865-early 1870s
   
• Road Overseers & Road Petitions: 1818-1920s or 1930s 
   
• Slave Sales:  1818-1865
   
• Tax Records: 1826-2005  (some years are missing)
   
• Voter Records: 1818-1909
   
• Widow's Support: 1818-1909
   
• Wills: 1820-1959 (only 1818-1909 completely indexed)
   

         Other Records in File Folders, Books and Microfilm

     Besides these records and their indexes, the archives has many books on various subjects.  Some of these are listed below.  A complete inventory of all the books available for researchers to use while on-site can be found at this web site: http://home.lorettotel.net/~lcarchives/lawrbknv.htm. Microfilm is available for most records as far up as the late 1990s.
 

• 1820-1930 Federal Census (1820-1920 in microfilm and book form; printed index for head of household for 1930 and a CD containing the entire Lawrence County 1930 census). 1940 census will be available in 2012.
   
• Family File Folders - Over 2,000  (Access the surname list through this link family file folder)
   
• Maps - Plat, Road, District, School, Railroad, etc.
   
• Obituaries in book form: 1846-2010 (some in loose form in family files also)
   
• Lots of Civil War Books & Information in Files
   
• Family History Books, large collection (listing can be found in archives book inventory for on-site)
   
• County and Community History Books (listing at same link as above)
   
• Miscellaneous File Folders containing info on many subjects - churches, communities, various types of businesses, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and many other categories. (Will compile a complete list soon.)
   
• Church Histories (books and folders)
   
• Cemetery Records
   
• Genealogical Society Quarterly Journals, Sept. 1997-current
   
• Historical Society Bulletins, 1953-1996 (Also bulletins for many other historical and genealogical societies in other counties and states.)
   
• Native American - All Cherokee Rolls compiled into books, plus more
   
• African-American Research - obituaries, census, marriages, slave census, human interest articles, etc.
   
• Newspapers: 1846-1986 (some years and issues missing)
   
• Statewide Books:  Land Grants 1790's-; Marriages 1790's-1870; Census 1810-1870; Mortality Schedule 1850, 1860 & 1880; Wills, Estate Settlements and Inventories 1779-1861; and a few other records.
   
• Other Tennessee Counties that we have "some" books for census, marriages, cemetery, deed abstracts, or other record: Carroll, Carter, Cocke, Davidson, Fayette, Gibson, Giles, Greene, Hardin, Hickman, Lewis, Maury, Perry, Sevier, Wayne, and Williamson.
   
• Heritage Books for Dickson, Giles, Grundy, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Maury, Sevier, Warren and Wayne counties in Tennessee
   
• Goodspeed's Histories for many counties in TN
   
• Alabama Counties that we have some books containing census, marriages, cemetery, etc.:  Lauderdale, Limestone, St. Clair, and Clay.
   
• For Virginia Counties, we have some books containing census, marriages, cemetery, Rev. War, parish records, etc. We also have Heritage Books for Halifax and Pittsburg, Virginia. (See this web page for a complete list - Virginia Books)
   
• Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files Vol. I, II, III & IV by White
   
• The Papers of George Henry Nixon. 
   
• We are always adding more records, so keep checking back.

Updated By: Kathy Niedergeses June 6, 2011