Old Search

1870 United States Federal Census

Original Images

This database contains images of original records.

Sample Forms
Download blank Census forms
You can fill out the form with information on your ancestor, or just use it to better read the column headings.

Handwriting Help
View a sampling of handwriting examples
The examples should help you read the text on the original images more easily.

Please choose a county in Tennessee:

Anderson Hancock Obion
Bedford Hardeman Overton
Benton Hardin Perry
Bledsoe Hawkins Polk
Blount Haywood Putnam
Bradley Henderson Rhea
Campbell Henry Roane
Cannon Hickman Robertson
Carroll Humphreys Rutherford
Carter Jackson Scott
Cheatham Jefferson Sequatchie
Claiborne Johnson Sevier
Cocke Knox Shelby
Coffee Lake Smith
Cumberland Lauderdale Stewart
Davidson Lawrence Sullivan
Decatur Lewis Sumner
Dekalb Lincoln Tipton
Dickson Macon Union
Dyer Madison Van Buren
Fayette Marion Warren
Fentress Marshall Washington
Franklin Maury Wayne
Gibson McMinn Weakley
Giles McNairy White
Grainger Meigs Williamson
Greene Monroe Wilson
Grundy Montgomery
Hamilton Morgan

Census Records - Counties

After separating the census records into groups by state, the federal government subdivided these records into county groups. Searching for an ancestor on the county level provides a smaller region for research if you remain uncertain about the specific township where your ancestor resided. Researchers should also be aware of boundary line or jurisdictional changes through time. These changes may affect where an ancestor was enumerated on the census, so it remains important to search the counties surrounding the area where your ancestor lived.