Polk County, Tennessee Records

Polk County, Tennessee (Map It) was created on November 28, 1839 from Bradley County and McMinn County. This Polk County was named in honor of U.S. President James K. Polk (1795–1849).

Polk County is bordered by Monroe County (northeast), Cherokee County, North Carolina (east), Fannin County, Georgia (southeast), Murray County, Georgia (southwest), Bradley County (west) and McMinn County (northwest) .

Polk County Cities and Towns include Benton, Copperhill, Ducktown .

A Map of Polk County, Tennessee contains detailed information about roads and boundaries, these maps may include rural communities, churches, and cemeteries.

Polk County, Tennessee Courthouse Records

The Polk County Courthouse is located in Benton, Tennessee. The Clerk's Office DOES NOT DO RESEARCH. Most staff will assist people in finding the materials, but it is up to the individual to do the research.

The following dates indicates what vital, land, probate, and court records are in Polk county or in the Tennessee State Library & Archives. The date listed for each record is usually the earliest registration filed. The date does not indicate that there are alot records for that year and does not mean that all such events were actually filed with the clerk.

There were fires at the Polk County courthouse in 1895 and 1935.

• Polk County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1894 and Probate Records from 1873.
• Polk County Register of Deeds has Land & Deed Records from 1894.
• Polk County Clerk of Circuit Court has Chancery Court Minutes from 1866, Circuit Court Minutes from 1866 and County  Court Minutes 1840.
• Polk County Property Assessor has Tax Records from 1861 (voter list), 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899-1900 and are located at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Tax lists can be used to locate families, document historic properties and study community history. Early tax lists generally include all white males over 21 and indicate whether they owned land or slaves.
• Polk County Health Department issues birth certificates and death certificates (deaths which occurred in that county within the past three years, and a few county health departments keep death records for longer periods of time).

Polk County, Tennessee Census Records

• Learn More: State of Tennessee Census Records
• U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragmented), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
• U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules: 1850 and 1860
• U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
• Selected U.S. Federal Census Agriculture Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
• Selected U.S. Federal Census Industry Schedules: 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880
• Union Veterans Schedules: 1890

Polk County, Tennessee Vital Records

• Learn More: State of Tennessee Vital Records
• Birth Records: from January 1914 to present, also for Nashville since June 1881, for Knoxville since July 1881, and for Chattanooga since January 1882
• Marriage, Divorce and Death Records: from the past 50 years to present.
• Locations: Tennessee Office of Vital Records, Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Vital Records Online: USAVital or Social Security Death Index
• Vital Records by Mail: Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate  Applications.
• In Person:  Tennessee Office of Vital Records, 1st Floor, Central Services Building, 421 Fifth Avenue, North, Nashville, TN 37243; PH: 615-741-1763

Polk County, Tennessee Resources

• State of Tennessee Archives and Societies
• Polk County Historical and Genealogical Society
• RAOGK Volunteers for Tennessee
• Polk County, Tennessee Message Boards
• Genealogical "Fact Sheets" About Polk County

Polk County, Tennessee External Links

• Tennessee Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
• Historical Newspapers from Tennessee (1795 - 1929 )
• Tennessee Newspaper List by County and City
• Polk County, Tennessee Books - Amazon
• Tennessee Real Estate Assessment Data Property Search
• Polk County Records on Microfilm - Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels
• Early Polk County Records Available on Interlibrary Loan
• Polk Co., Tennessee - FindaGrave
• Polk County History and Culture
• Polk County, Tennessee Links - Cyndi's List
• Polk Co. TNGenweb
• Polk County, Tennessee Ancestry Database Collections
• Polk Co. D.O.T. County Highway Map
• Polk County, Tennessee Military Records