Search Blount County Genealogy Records

Blount County Genealogy research has one of the deepest local trails in East Tennessee. The county seat is Maryville, but the records stretch into Townsend, Cades Cove, and the older settlement lines that shaped the county long before statehood. Blount County has courthouse fires, a long land record run, a strong archive, and an active public library system, so the family trail can move through several offices at once. If you are tracing a Blount County family, the key is not finding one record. It is connecting the deed, the court, the will, and the local history source in the right order.

Blount County Genealogy Records

Blount County was formed on July 11, 1795 from Knox County, before Tennessee statehood. That early start matters because Blount County Genealogy can reach well back into the first state period and even earlier settlement patterns. The county seat is Maryville. The county also faced courthouse fires in 1879 and 1934, and some early will books and census schedules were lost. Even so, the county still offers a deep record base, especially in land and court material.

The county clerk records marriages and probate from 1795. The register of deeds keeps land records from 1795 forward, deed books from 1794 to 1881 on TSLA microfilm, and a deed index from 1794 to 1868 and 1869 to 1891. That land trail is one of the best in the region. It can take you from one early family to the next and often tells you more than a census line can.

Blount County also has an online court records portal at blountrecords.us. The portal covers records filed from August 1, 2019 to the present and lets you search by case number, party name, or citation number. For recent family court or probate questions, that portal is a major local tool. For older family history, the county archives and TSLA remain the stronger path.

Blount County Genealogy sources to start with include:

• Marriage and probate records from the county clerk
• Land books and deed indexes from the register of deeds
• County archives court minutes, wills, and tax lists
• TSLA microfilm for early books and abstracts
• Local library and historical society materials

Blount County Genealogy at the Courthouse

The county clerk is at 349 Court Street, Maryville, TN 37804, and the phone number is (865) 273-5800. The clerk's office keeps marriage and probate records from 1795. The register of deeds is Phyllis Crisp, also at 349 Court Street, Maryville, TN 37804, with phone (865) 273-5880. Those two offices give you the county's two most important family history lanes: people and property.

The county archives are located at the Blount County Courthouse, 385 Court Street, Maryville, TN 37804, with phone (865) 273-5900. The archives hold most historical records, including court minutes, wills, marriage bonds, tax lists, and school records. That makes the archives a true anchor for Blount County Genealogy. If the clerk or register of deeds gives you a name, the archives can often give you the story behind it.

The first Blount image source comes from the Blount County Records Portal at blountrecords.us. It is the best local visual cue for the county's modern court access path.

That portal helps with recent cases, but it also shows how strong the county's online access has become.

The county's record history is uneven at the edges because of the fires, but the land and probate run is still broad enough to support solid family reconstruction. When the older book is missing, the archive and the deed index can usually keep the search moving.

Blount County Genealogy Online

Blount County Genealogy online work is unusually strong for an East Tennessee county. The county court records portal covers recent court material, while the TNGenWeb page offers transcriptions, biographies, cemetery listings, church records, slave schedules, and deed indexes. The county research also notes that Blount County includes Cades Cove and TVA removal material, which gives the online trail a local depth that goes beyond simple name lists. The second image source is the Blount County TNGenWeb page at tngenweb.org/blount.

That page is one of the fastest ways to see whether a family line is tied to a church, a burial ground, or an early deed abstract. The third image source comes from the Tennessee Genealogical Society county data page at tngs.org/resources/Site/Custom_HTML_Files/TCD/County/Blount.html.

That combination of local portal, TNGenWeb, and society data makes Blount County one of the easier counties to test online before you travel. State tools still matter. The Tennessee State Library and Archives has the microfilm that preserves the older books, and the Tennessee Virtual Archive can help with digitized material.

Blount County Genealogy in Libraries

The Blount County Public Library is at 508 N. Cusick St., Maryville, TN 37804, and the genealogy collection holds more than 800 volumes. The library also keeps microfilm, local newspapers, and census schedules. That makes it a strong stop for Blount County Genealogy because it gives you books and copies in the same place. The Mary E. Tippitt Memorial Library in Townsend adds another local history source for the southern part of the county.

East Tennessee Historical Society in Knoxville is also important. The research notes that it holds extensive archives for the entire East Tennessee region, and earlier source material ties Blount County families to ETSH holdings through regional records and published histories. The county also has a rich published record base, including deeds, marriage records, will books, the county history volume, and Cades Cove material.

Blount County Genealogy in libraries works well because the county has both depth and reach. One library can point you to a local newspaper, a court record, or a family book that gives the next clue. That broader East Tennessee context often matters as much as the county book itself.

Getting Copies and Research Help

Blount County Genealogy copy work is usually straightforward once you know which office holds the record. The county clerk handles marriage and probate records, the register of deeds handles land, and the archives hold a wide set of historical material. If you need a recent court item, the online records portal is the fastest path. If you need an older item, the courthouse or archive is the better path.

Because the county had fire loss, use multiple sources for the same family when you can. A deed may confirm a name. A will may confirm a child. A cemetery record may confirm the same line again. That repetition is useful, not wasteful. It gives you proof from more than one angle.

Blount County Genealogy is strong enough to support a full family reconstruction if you use the county offices, archive, library, TNGenWeb, and TSLA together. That is the right way to work a county with deep records and a few major gaps.