A path to your enslaved ancestors
Research before 1865 requires a different approach. Begin with the state where your ancestors were held (from the first arrivals of the 1600s to Emancipation), then work backward from the 1870 census — the first to name formerly enslaved people.
Tennessee
Statehood 1796 · Upper South
Middle and West Tennessee cotton and tobacco farms depended on enslaved labour. Nashville and Memphis were major trading hubs, and the Natchez Trace carried coffles south. Tennessee abolished slavery by state amendment in February 1865.
Slavery Research Institutions
Where to Search Tennessee Records
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Key Records
- County court minutes, wills and inventories (TSLA microfilm)
- Deed books recording sales and gifts of enslaved people
- 1850 & 1860 Slave Schedules
- Memphis and Nashville slave-trader records and newspaper notices
- USCT service records (many Tennessee freedmen enlisted 1863–65)
Research Tips
- Use TSLA's county records inventory to see which volumes survive.
- USCT pension files are rich in family testimony about enslavement.
- Search the Natchez Trace corridor for sales from Nashville to Natchez.
National Resources, 1600s to Emancipation
Databases that cover every state, from the Atlantic crossings to the search for family after freedom.