Blount County, Tennessee Chancery Court Records, Book 1, Part II, 1866-1869

This book is Part II of the Blount County, Tennessee, Chancery Court records in Minute Book 1. The records contained in this continuation volume cover chancery court records for Blount County (1866-1869), and Monroe County, Tennessee. The chancery court in Monroe County held jurisdiction over chancery court claims arising in Blount County for the years 1832-1852. In addition, this book contains Blount County divorce proceedings (1860-1937). "This book begins in December 1866, and ends in December 1869. These were years of increased activity for the Court considering few cases were settled through the Civil War years 1861-1865 when Tennessee was a Confederate state. A huge backlog of claims from as early as 1858 were reactivated for settlement following the war. These, with grievances unaddressed during the war constituted a formidable challenge for the Court to consider." Lawsuits filed and listed in these records are primarily of a personal nature. The entries describe what transpired in court, how the case was handled by the chancellor, the duties of the clerk and master of the court, and the responsibilities of the parties involved in carrying out the decision of the court. In some cases, along with the names of the individuals and businesses filing suit, the following names are included: spouses, children, slaves, solicitors, sureties, attorneys, agents, and administrators and executors of estates. Divorce proceedings were held in the Blount County chancery court from 1860 to 1937. All of the records and most of the files were saved from the courthouse fire of July 28, 1906. The divorce material copied to this book was copied in the following sequence: name of husband and whether he was in Blount County, or a nonresident, case number assigned to the suit, date it was filed with the clerk, site or location of marriage, date of marriage, name of wife (maiden name if given), and date of final decree. Minor children were listed (when given) with ages. A full-name index completes this work.