Tennessee Cemetery Records Research Guide
Many people know the importance of using vital records for genealogy records, but not everyone realizes how important Tennessee cemetery records can be to your work. In fact, many people who use Tennessee cemetery records as a last resort find these records are better than many other things you may try. It is no great secret, or at least it should not be. Tennessee Cemetery and gravestone inscriptions are a rich source of information for family historians. For Definitions of all Cemetery Terms See Symbols on Gravestones and Their Interpretations
The thing about Tennessee cemetery records is that you can get much of the same information on these records as many other kinds. For instance, you can still get a full legal name, a date of birth, date of death and usually even the location of the birth. In some cases, you may also be able to find out the names of other relatives, at least a spouse if there was one.
Clues to the Past
Tennessee cemetery records are a link to the past. It is a way to find out a great deal of data about people who you cannot find information for any longer by using other methods. Because some states guard certain records and documents and make them unavailable to the public, it is good to know you can get details from sources such as Tennessee cemetery records.
If you think you have come to a dead end in your data retrieval, it is time to give Tennessee cemetery records a try. Whenever possible make the trip to the burial plot to see if you can find more clues about related ancestry for a certain person too. This is yet another benefit from Tennessee cemetery records that other vital records may not help you with.
The bottom line is to try all resources possible. Tennessee cemetery records are not the only type of state vital records you can use. However, Tennessee cemetery records are sometimes the most useful. Few other records enable a person to search as far back as burial or death records. Once you have begun to use this, you will be amazed at the results. Use documents or tombstone transcriptions to find out how to begin using Tennessee cemetery records to complete your family tree.
Research In Tennessee Cemetery Records
Many cemetery records for Tennessee have been transcribed. They have been compiled by DAR chapter members. The Lawson McGhee Library's Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection also contains cemetery records. Many can also be found at the FHL and the TSLA as part of the collection called Tennessee Miscellaneous Family and Cemetery Records. Notebooks full of cemetery record listings can also be found at the state library.
County historical societies and genealogical societies have published many cemetery records. Private citizens have also compiled collections of those records throughout the years. Many of them have been published.
County genealogical and historical societies and local citizens have collected, compiled, and published numerous volumes of cemetery records. Other notable sources include:
- Acklen, Jeannette T., et al. Tennessee Records. 2 vols. 1933. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974. Volume 1 contains tombstone inscriptions.
- Hunkins, Lillian. Tombstone Inscriptions and Marriages of Middle Tennessee. Houston: the author, 1965.
Famous People Buried in Tennessee Cemeteries
| County | Name / Date / Cemetery | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Benton | Cline (Hensley), Patsy (Virginia Patterson) 9/8/1932 - 3/5/1963 Several Miles West of Camden |
Country and Pop Musician. Born to a blacksmith and a seamstress, Patsy Cline has been heralded, by fans, colleagues and music critics alike, as one of the most influential and unique vocalists in the history of modern music. |
| Davidson | Acuff, Roy 9/15/1903 - 11/23/1992 Spring Hill Cemetery |
Country Music Singer. A native of Maynardsville, Tennessee, he sold more records in the 1930s and 1940s than any country music star. |
| Davidson | Arnold, Eddy (Richard Edward) 5/15/1918 - 5/8/2008 Woodlawn Memorial Park |
Country Music Singer. A country gentleman who brought style and innumerable fans to country music, he was at heart just a "Tennessee Plowboy". |
| Davidson | Atkins, Chet (Chester Burton) 6/20/1924 - 6/30/2001 Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens |
Country Musician. Known as "Mr. |
| Davidson | Jackson, Andrew 3/15/1767 - 6/8/1845 The Hermitage |
7th United States President. When he threw his hat in the ring and decided to run for the presidency, Andrew Jackson the "Hero of New Orleans" was the most popular man in the country and even received a "favorite son" endorsement from Tennessee delegates. |
| Davidson | Jones, George Glenn 9/12/1931 - Woodlawn Memorial Park |
Country Music Singer and Actor. Born in Saratoga, Texas, he was the eighth child born to George Sr. and Clara Jones. At age nine his parents encouraged him to start singing and playing the guitar. |
| Davidson | Lyell, William Franklin 2/14/1929 - 8/31/1951 Nashville National Cemetery |
Korean War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. |
| Davidson | Rabbitt, Eddie (Edward Thomas) 11/27/1941 - 5/7/1998 Calvary Cemetery |
Singer, Songwriter. Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, he was one of the most innovative country artists of alltime. |
| Davidson | Rambo (Luttrell), Dottie (Joyce Reba) 3/2/1934 - 5/11/2008 Woodlawn Memorial Park |
Gospel Singer, Songwriter. Born Joyce Reba Luttrell. |
| Davidson | Reed, Jerry 3/20/1937 - 8/31/2008 Woodlawn Memorial Park |
Musician, Songwriter, Actor. Born Jerry Reed Hubbard, he caught the eye of Chet Atkins and was signed by RCA records after a failed attempt with Capitol Records, a stint in the United States Army and another failed attempt with Columbia Records. |
| Davidson | Robbins, Marty 9/26/1925 - 12/8/1982 Woodlawn Memorial Park |
Singer/Songwriter/Race Driver. Began writing songs while in the Navy during World War II. |
| Davidson | Scruggs, Earl Eugene 1/6/1924 - 3/28/2012 Spring Hill Cemetery |
Earl Eugene Scruggs was an American country music musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style (now called Scruggs style) that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. Although other musicians had played in 3-finger style before him, Scruggs shot to prominence when he was hired by Bill Monroe to fill the banjo slot in the "Blue Grass Boys". |
| Davidson | Snow, Hank 5/9/1914 - 12/20/1999 Spring Hill Cemetery |
Country Music Singer, Composer. Hank Snow was a Canadian who achieved country music notoriety far from the American area that developed and shaped this musical form. |
| Davidson | Thruston, Gates Phillips 6/11/1835 - 12/9/1912 Mount Olivet Cemetery |
Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. Served in the Civil War first as a Captain on the 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. |
| Davidson | Tubb, Ernest 'Texas Troubadour' 2/9/1914 - 9/6/1984 Hermitage Memorial Gardens |
Musician, Songwriter. He was a farm boy born near Crisp, Texas, to sharecropper parents. |
| Davidson | Wagoner, Porter 8/12/1927 - 10/28/2007 Woodlawn Memorial Park |
Musician. For over five decades, he was known as the image of country music for his showmanship and rhinestone suits. |
| Davidson | Wynette (Pugh), Tammy (Virginia Wynette) 5/5/1942 - 4/6/1998 Woodlawn Cross Mausoleum |
Country Singer. Known as the "First Lady Of Country Music", she recorded several number one hits, such as "Stand By Your Man" and "Divorce. |
| Fentress | York, Alvin Cullum 12/13/1887 - 9/2/1964 Wolf River Cemetery |
World War I Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Born in Pall Mall Tennessee, the third of 11 children, as a youth he became an expert marksman in the back woods around Pall Mall. |
| Greene | Crockett, David 8/17/1786 - 3/6/1836 Davy Crockett Birthplace State Historic Site |
Famous frontiersman, Tennessee statesman, and defender of the Alamo. He was born at the confluence of Limestone Creek and Nolichuckey River in the State of Franklin, which a few years later became Greene County, Tenn. , August 17, 1786. |
| Hamilton | Doss, Desmond T. 2/7/1919 - 3/23/2006 Chattanooga National Cemetery |
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose tenets forbid bearing arms. |
| Knox | Bonnyman Jr. , Alexander 5/10/1910 - 11/22/1943 Highland Memorial Cemetery |
World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II as 1st Lieutenant and Executive Officer for the Second Battalion Shore Party, Eighth Marines, Second Marine Division. |
| Lewis | Lewis, Meriwether 8/18/774 - 10/11/1809 Pioneer Cemetery |
Explorer. Born on a plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia, he and his family moved to Georgia when he was ten but by thirteen he was sent back to Virginia for an education by private tutors. |
| Madison | Jones, John Luther 'Casey' 3/14/1863 - 4/30/1900 Mount Calvary Cemetery |
American Folk Figure. He was killed in train wreck (Illinois Central Train #1, The Cannonball Express) at Vaughan, Mississippi, April 30, 1900 at 3:52 a. |
| Maury | Polk, James Knox 11/2/1795 - 6/15/1849 Polk Memorial Gardens |
11th President of the United States. This is a cenotaph. |
| McNairy | Pusser, Buford Hayse 12/12/1937 - 8/21/1974 Adamsville War Memorial Park |
Folk Figure. He was the Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, and subject of the movie "Walking Tall" (1973), in which his unusual methods of law enforcement brought him popular renown. |
| Moore | Daniel, Jack 9/5/1850 - 10/10/1911 Lynchburg City Cemetery |
Whiskey Magnate. |
| Rutherford | Stones River Battlefield and Monuments - Stones River National Cemetery |
One of the fiercest battles of the Civil War took place at Stones River, just northwest of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from Dec. 31, 1862 to Jan. 2, 1863. The Confederate forces of Gen. Braxton Bragg withdrew after the battle, allowing Union forces, commanded by Gen. William Rosecrans, to occupy much of Middle Tennessee. |
| Shelby | Forrest, Nathan Bedford 7/13/1821 - 10/29/1877 Forrest Park |
Confederate General. Millionaire civil war private-confederate general, raider. |
| Shelby | Hayes, Isaac 8/20/1942 - 8/10/2008 Memorial Park Cemetery |
Musician, Composer, Actor. A legendary artist of soul music during the 1970s, he is best known for the Oscar and Grammy Award winning score "Theme From Shaft" (1971). |
| Shelby | Presley, Elvis Aaron 1/8/1935 - 8/16/1977 Graceland Mansion Estates |
Rock Singer, Actor. His career reached such acclaim that he is now universally known as "The King of Rock and Roll". |
| Shelby | Presley, Elvis Aaron 1/8/1935 - 8/16/1977 Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown |
Rock Singer, Actor. His career reached such acclaim that he is now universally known as "The King of Rock and Roll". |
| Shelby | Robinson, James H. - 7/26/1864 Memphis National Cemetery |
Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He enlisted in the Union Army at the age of 18, and was mustered in as a Private in Company B, 3rd Michigan Volunteer Cavalry. |
| Shelby | Thomas (Jacobs), Danny (Amos) 1/6/1912 - 2/6/1991 Saint Jude Hospital Grounds |
Actor, Singer, Producer. His career began as a nightclub comedian with a brief fling in the movies. |
| Sumner | Cash, Johnny 2/26/1932 - 9/12/2003 Hendersonville Memory Gardens |
Country Singer, Musician, Actor, Entertainer. Legendary Country Music Singer and songwriter who was known as "The Man in Black" for his trademark wearing of all black clothing. |
| Sumner | Cash, June 6/23/1929 - 5/15/2003 Hendersonville Memory Gardens |
Country Singer, producer, author, actress. Born in Maces Springs, Virginia, on June 23, 1929, as Valerie June Carter, she was a member of the famous singing Carter Family. |
| Sumner | Twitty, Conway 9/1/1933 - 6/5/1993 Sumner Memorial Gardens |
Musician. Born Harold Lloyd Jenkins in Friars Point, Mississippi. |
| Warren | Ray, David Robert 2/14/1945 - 3/19/1969 Mount View Cemetery |
Vietnam Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. He was born on February 14, 1945, at McMinnville, Tennessee. |
| Warren | West (Marsh), Dottie (Dorothy Marie) 10/11/1932 - 9/4/1991 Mount View Cemetery |
Country Singer. She has been credited as being one of the most gifted, talented and classy pioneers of modern country music. |
| Williamson | Pearl (Cannon), Minnie (Sara Ophelia Colley) 10/25/1912 - 3/4/1996 Mount Hope Cemetery |
Country Music Commedienne/Icon. Born in Centerville, Tennessee, Sarah Colley's parents had debutante balls and college in mind for their daughter, who'd been stage-struck with a love for vaudeville and drama since an early age. |
Tennessee Cemeteries
Tennessee Cemeteries & Graveyards Links
- Tennessee, Deaths and Burials Index, 1874-1955
- Tennessee Marriage and Bible Records
- Tennessee Records: Bible Records and Marriage Bonds
- Tennessee Records: Tombstone Inscriptions and Manuscripts
- Orena V. Grant genealogical collection (marriages and cemetery records)
- Find a Grave - Tennessee Cemeteries
- The Tennessee Political Graveyard
- Terminology & Meanings of Tombstone Symbols
- Tennessee Cemetery Books at Amazon.com
