Early Settler of Washington County, Tennessee Certificates

Washington County in northeast Tennessee was established in 1777 as part of North Carolina. This vast area was designated as the Washington District.  During the early years settlers arrived and politics changed, so did the size and name of the district. It became known by various names including the State of Franklin, the Southwest Territory and in 1796 as part of the new state called Tennessee.  Jonesborough was established as the county seat and the area flourished.  

To celebrate and honor those who came to the area prior to 1840 the Jonesborough Genealogical Society is proud to offer a commemorative certificate to eligible persons.

Eligibility:  To qualify for a Jonesborough Genealogy Society's EARLY SETTLER CERTIFICATE, the applicant must directly descend from an ancestor (male or female) who settled in, or was born, married or died in Washington County prior to December 31, 1840.  The applicant must prove descent from the ancestor through official or approved records for each generation.  We also invite you to submit a story of 500 words or less about your ancestor’s life in Washington County, Tennessee. These stories, with your permission will be published on our website. Please read the instructions for more information.

There is a non-refundable fee of $20.00 for each applicant, which must be sent with each application. If family members (brother, sister, children, grandchildren) of the applicant wish to apply at the same time as the applicant the fee is $10.00 for each additional person.  Each additional person must submit a separate application at the same time, proving a relationship to the applicant. The application fee includes membership in the Jonesborough Genealogical Society for those who are not currently a member.  Another way to qualify for the certificate is for the applicant to prove a relationship through proper documentation to someone who has been established as an early settler and accepted in our Early Settler Certificate program. 

Instructions:  If you have more than one qualifying ancestor, please submit a completed application for each person. Only one name will be included on each certificate. All information must be typed or clearly printed in ink and legible. Each page of submitted information must include the applicant’s name and the qualifying ancestor's name. 

• • • Do not send original documents! Any information submitted will not be returned and will become the property of the Jonesborough Genealogical Society and will be housed at the Washington County Public Library - Jonesborough Branch's archive room of the History and genealogy Collection, which is a locked area. The files in this room are available for viewing by request when visiting the library. 

    • Please write all dates as:  4 June 1997 not as 6/4/97 to avoid confusion. If an exact date is unknown, use c1997 or leave blank.

    • Please use maiden names for all female lines. 

Proof of Lineage:

• • • Acceptable forms of proof are:  Vital records (birth/marriage/death) land, court, tax, military, church, cemetery and county or state/federal/county census.  In addition, other records or sources may be acceptable if submitted with appropriate information.

    • Bible records must have a copy of the title page with publication date.   

    • Obituaries and newspaper articles must include the name of the paper, page if known and date published. 

    • Cemetery tombstones must have a clear photograph and include the person’s name, dates of birth and death, and location of cemetery or tombstone with address and/or GPS coordinates if known. 

If you DO NOT wish to correspond with anyone about the submitted family lines, please mark the appropriate box on the application. 

Application Checklist, please return:

1. Completed application form from the Jonesborough Genealogical Society.

2. Photocopies of your documentation.

3. Non-refundable application fee of $ 20.00

4. If applicable, additional applicant’s fee of $10.00 for each and their application with documentation.

5. Ancestor story if you are submitting one.  Indicate if you wish it to be published in our newsletter.

Checks should be made payable to: The Jonesborough Genealogical Society

Mail to:  Early Settlers of Washington County TN Project

             Jonesborough Genealogical Society

                 c/o 200 Sabin Drive

                 Jonesborough, TN 37659