yesterday's tennessee

W.P.A. INDEX OF QUARTERLY COURT MINUTE BOOK 1860-1866

Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith

The recorded minutes of the Henderson County Quarterly Court were destroyed in the courthouse fire of 1895 but one minute book, that of September 3,1860-June 4,1866 (464 pages) somehow survived. It contains the minutes of the county's business (taxes, projects) as well as data regarding estates (probate, some estate litigations), appointment of guardians, providing for the indigent families of soldiers in the Confederate army. This excellent genealogical/local history source, the original minute book, 1860-1866,is kept in the archives of the Clerk and Master, Chancery Court, Henderson County in Lexington, Tennessee. The W.P.A. prepared a typescript of this minute book many years ago and is available for use in the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville. As the uncopyrighted W.P.A. index for the contents of this minute book is so comprehensive and as it is not easily available to many researchers it is duplicated fully herein.

The keeper and custodian of the court minutes was ALEXANDER HOLLEE RHODES (1819-1880), county court clerk from 1859 into 1876 except for the intervening term of LEVI McEWEN (September 1865-early 1871). RHODES had been sheriff of Henderson County, 1852-1858. He was for many years an active member of Constantine Lodge #64, Freemasons, Lexington; an attorney-at-Law by profession.

NOTE: The index not reproduced is a multiple generation copy, probably made from an original carbon copy. It was reduced for presentation. The entire index is 11 pages of three-column 7 point type.]

Other works by Jonathan K. T. Smith can be found at the Madison County Records Repository at TNGenWeb.