Bedford County, Tennessee Will Book #1, 1858 - 1881
If the surname you are researching is listed below, you might have struck the proverbial genealogical ‘pot-of-gold.” This publication contains the COMPLETE TEXT of wills registered in Bedford County from 1847-1881 as compiled by WPA Workers **.
Along with the actual will, you will find names of children, spouses, brothers, sisters, aunts, nephews, slaves, aunts, uncles, and friends. No changes have been made ... the wills read exactly as written and bring you back to a different era of forethought, understanding, and love.
* * WPA Workers
During the Great Depression in the early 1900s, many Americans were given a "job" by the United States Government to support their family. One such "job" was transcribing early court, family, Bible, and cemetery records as well as other local records. Original versions were typed on onion skin paper with "x" number of carbon copies. Although the State Archives owns the vast majority of 'first' or typed copy, carbons have circulated for years but are now scattered. Often the typing is not the best and is difficult to read but these valuable records still constitute one of the best sources of information for Tennessee Counties. In many cases, these are all that remain of the original as many county records have been lost. WPA records are generally full text transcription: much larger in scope than an abstraction or summary.
paper, 67 pp.
101E-TN0863
