Bedford County, Tennessee Records

Bedford County, Tennessee (Map It) was created on December 7, 1807 from Rutherford County. This Bedford County was named for Revolutionary War officer Thomas Bedford, a large landowner in the area .Learn More About State of Tennessee History

Bedford County is bordered by Rutherford County (north), Coffee County (east), Moore County (southeast), Lincoln County (south) and Marshall County (west).

Bedford County Cities and Towns include Bell Buckle, Normandy, Shelbyville, Wartrace.

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

Bedford County, Tennessee Courthouse Records

The Bedford County Courthouse is located in Shelbyville, 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 Bedford 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 Bedford County courthouse in 1863 & 1934. There was a tornado at the courthouse in 1830. Most records were destroyed in 1863.

• Bedford County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1861 and Probate Records from 1861.
• Bedford County Register of Deeds has Land & Deed Records from 1808.
• Bedford County Clerk of Circuit Court has Chancery Court Minutes from 1830, Circuit Court Minutes from 1840 and County  Court Minutes 1848.
• Bedford County Property Assessor has Tax Records from 1812, 1814, 1836-1839, 1875-1900 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.
• Bedford 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).

Bedford County, Tennessee Census Records

• Learn More: State of Tennessee Census Records
• U.S. Federal Population Schedules: 1810 (part), 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragmented), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940
• U.S. Census Reconstructed Records: 1660-1820
• 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

Bedford 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

Bedford County, Tennessee Resources

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

Bedford County, Tennessee External Links

• Tennessee Historical Newspapers - Newspapers.com
• Historical Newspapers from Tennessee (1795 - 1929 )
• Tennessee Newspaper List by County and City
• Bedford County, Tennessee Books - Amazon
• Tennessee Real Estate Assessment Data Property Search
• Bedford County Records on Microfilm - Order County Microfilm Inventories and Reels
• Early Bedford County Records Available on Interlibrary Loan
• Bedford Co., Tennessee - FindaGrave
• Chestnut Ridge Cousins Chestnut Ridge Cousins is a genealogical organization, formed in 2002, committed to sharing family history with all our cousins. The Chestnut Ridge area is located in Middle Tennessee where the current Bedford, Lincoln, Marshall, and Moore counties all come together.
• Bedford County History and Culture
• Bedford County, Tennessee Links - Cyndi's List
• Bedford Co. TNGenweb
• Bedford County, Tennessee Ancestry Database Collections
• Bedford Co. D.O.T. County Highway Map
• Bedford County, Tennessee Military Records