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About Us

The Tennessee Room houses a non-circulating special collection devoted to genealogical and local historical research.
In addition to over 5,000 books, there are over 1,945 microfilm rolls containing Madison County Records, Tennessee Census schedules (1810-1930), Jackson, TN newspapers (various dates beginning in 1823), Tennessee Death Indexes (1908-1957), Tennessee Death Certificates (1908-1957), and other records .

The collection includes maps, Jackson city directories, funeral records, vertical files, special collections, and photographs.

The Tennessee Room also serves to pay tribute to Emma Inman Williams (1906-1992), teacher, writer, editor, historian, and the first Tennessee Room librarian (1972-1986). "Miss Emmy", as she was often called, served as Madison County historian for many years. Her book, Historic Madison was published in three editions (1946, 1972, 1986) and still serves as the primary introduction to Madison County's early history.

The Tennessee Room maintains a close working relationship with the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society and has a complete set of back issues of their publication, Family Findings.

From the Vault - Tennessee Room Blog

Exploring Black History Part II: Exploring Our Roots

by Lisa Maholmes - Library Staff Member - 02/18/2025

This month, we are introducing a series that focuses on the history of African-Americans in observance of Black History Month. Looking back on the past leads to both celebratory benchmarks and painful ones.  There will be more Black History Month blog posts to come throughout February, even featuring some guest bloggers. We hope to shine a light on figures and systems that may seem far forgotten, yet still remain close to our hearts and minds. Understanding and learning from the past is an essential part of healing the scars from our past.

This past year as we were going through staff changes, Lisa Maholmes stepped in to the role of Tennessee Room Librarian. Working in the Tennessee Room can require a bit of extra knowledge when it comes to genealogy, so to feel more comfortable helping patrons, Lisa decided to go and discover her own family roots!  

Willis and Cornelia Robinson and their children c.1943-1944
Lisa's Grandparents

Willis and Cornelia Robinson and their children c.1943-1944
Lisa's Grandparents

Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce - Past Presidents- c.1980

Willis and Cornelia Robinson marriage certificate 12/26/1922
Lisa's Grandparents

About her own journey through genealogy Lisa says that "Early this year, I was asked to work in the Tennessee Room in the Jackson-Madison County Library, and I was amazed with all the resources that this archive provides. After helping patrons start their genealogy journey, I decided to start investigating my own family history. I knew very little about my grandparents, so I decided to start with my maternal grandfather, Willis Robinson (top)."

"First, I asked my mother about my grandfather, and she told me stories and found photographs for me to use in my research. Second, I explored Ancestry.com and microfilm available for free in the Tennessee Room to find any information on my grandfather, and I discovered marriage licenses (left) and obituaries. I even tracked my maternal great-grandparents to Haywood County using census records (left) . I still have more family history to discover, but I learned a lot and discovered things that have made me eager to continue exploring my roots."

Whether you're just getting started or have been at it for what seems like forever, come visit us in the Tennessee Room for tips and exclusive resources to better help discover your family's whole story!

Blog Archive

Exploring Black History Part I: Sallie Lackey and the Post-War Struggle for Equality
February 18th, 2025
From the Vault - Tennessee Room Blog......
The Golden Age of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce
February 4th, 2025
While processing the Harvey Proctor Collection, I came across this awesome picture (left) of past presidents of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce that includes the years 1940 to 1974 . What is special about the picture is that it lists all their names. These were the movers and shakers who led and served Jackson during twenty-four important years. Bankers, businessmen, engineers, entrepreneurs,...
Ushering in a New Year!
December 31st, 2024
Happy Holidays!Welcome 2025! "Out with the old; in with the new."As the saying goes, a New Year is definitely a time to look ahead with anticipation.Off course, the Tennessee Room isn't so hasty to discard the past. We organize and archive!Here are some examples pertaining to New Year festivities. Elizabeth Bond, a Jackson High School student, filled the pages of her senior scrapbook titled The Gi...

Submit Your Research Inquiries

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Genealogy & Local History Holdings

Photographs

The Tennessee Room has a collection of photographs and postcards pertaining to Jackson's past.  The  photographs are mostly copy prints provided by various donors.
A selection of photographs from the Jackson Business History Collection can be viewed here.

Obituary Index

The index, beginning with 1936, follows the most consistent sequence of The Jackson Sun publication dates. Issues prior to 1936 have been indexed in other sources.
This index was conceived by Jimmy Wilkins, Tennessee Room volunteer and part-time employee, who spent countless hours reading The Jackson Sun over many years. 
1936-1939
1940-1944
Learn More About the Index
1945-1949
1950-1954
Request a Copy of an Obituary

NEWSPAPERS

To see a full  listing of our Newspaper Inventory Click Here
Once there, you can search for a certain year or newspaper by pressing Ctrl + F on your keyboard to bring up a search box. Once you have the search box you are able to type in the year or title of the newspaper you are looking for.

Records

Click Here for a list of our Federal census records from 1790-1950
Click Here for a List of our Jackson City Directory Records
Click Here for a List of our Jackson-Madison Co. school yearbook inventory
Click Here for a List of our  Local Funeral Home Records

Genealogy Related Websites

Full Access Genealogy Sites Available for Free Use in the Tennessee Room

  • Ancestry Library Edition: Unlock centuries of history with Ancestry Library Edition, available without a subscription inside the Tennessee Room Enjoy full, free access to billions of records, including census data, military records, immigration documents, and more—right from our private reading room!

  • FamilySearch: Looking for a completely free way to explore your ancestry?  One of the oldest cooperative databases available, FamilySearch began as the Genealogical Society of Utah in 1894. It has gorwn to become the largest of its kind and offers access to millions of historical records, family trees, and genealogy resources—all with no subscription required. Start building your family history today in the Tennessee Room today. 


  1. TNGenWeb Project 
    • We, the volunteers of the TNGenWeb Project, are committed to maintaining and enhancing this FREE online genealogy project for the benefit of the public good. All Tennessee counties will have an area for you to post queries and to access county information. Additionally, we will offer related Tennessee historical information and also, some historical information relative to adjoining states.
  2. US GenWeb Project  
    • We are a group of volunteers working together to provide free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. This Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free genealogy access for everyone. Organization is by county and state, and this website provides you with links to all the state genealogy websites which, in turn, provide gateways to the counties. The USGenWeb Project also sponsors important Special Projects at the national level and this website provides an entry point to all of those pages, as well.
  3. World GenWeb Project 
    • The WorldGenWeb Project is divided into 11 World Regions. Each region is divided up by countries and each country is divided into individual provinces, states, or counties (terms vary depending on administrative divisions).
  4. RootsWeb
    • More than 10 billion historical records and more than 136 million photographs, scanned documents and written stories have been uploaded
  5. Family Search 
    • Records span billions of names across hundreds of collections—including birth, marriage, death, probate, land, military, IGI extracted, and more.
  6. Cyndi's List 
    • Cyndi's List has been a trusted genealogy research site for more than 15 years. Cyndi's List is free for everyone to use and it is meant to be your starting point when researching online.
  7. GenForum 
    • Over 14,000 online forums devoted to genealogy, including surnames, U.S. states, countries, and general topics.
  8. Steven Morse's One Step Portal for Genealogy Searching 
    • In the “old days” genealogical research was done by traveling great distances and then going through dusty archives or using microfilm readers. But the advent of the World Wide Web has changed that. Today much of the data useful to genealogists has been put on websites and can be accessed from the comfort of home.
  9. Tennessee Vital Records 
    • The Shelby County Register of Deeds website provides indexes to Tennessee vital records, including a death records index 1949-2014, a divorce records index 1980-2014, and a marriage records index 1980-2014.
  10. Helm's Genealogy Toolbox 
    •  Helm's Genealogy Toolbox is the oldest comprehensive genealogy and local history index, first appearing in 1994. The links on this site point to other resources available on the World Wide Web to assist your research.
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