Additional information
by Harald Reksten (Author), Reba Boyer (Author)
The authors' intent was to create a single volume which includes all of the pre-1840 tax lists for McMinn County, Tennessee; one can think of this book as a supplement to the 1830 and 1840 census records. The county's earlier tax lists (1829 through 1832) were recorded alphabetically by militia company; the 1836 list was recorded alphabetically by district (the first tax list so alphabetized, and thus a big help to researchers). This book begins with a few brief indexes which reflect the original arrangement: for the years 1829 to 1832, alphabetical listings of captains of military companies are provided; for 1836, a listing arranged numerically by district is provided; all with page references to original sources. Then, the main index of the book, comprising some sixty-two pages, is an every-name index of names from all lists (1829 to 1832 and 1836), which directs the researcher to page numbers in the original sources. Also contained in this book is a partial transcription of the 1836 tax list. For each of seventeen districts, there is an alphabetical listing of all taxpayers. Some of the original documents' accompanying information has been omitted, but provided in these transcriptions for each entry are: full name, total acres of land owned (not including school land), dollar value of the land, total acres of school land owned, dollar value of the school land, number of slaves between the ages of twelve and fifty, number of white poles, and the total tax assessed. Finally, totals are given for each district summarizing the number of taxpayers and slaves in each, plus the total taxes collected. Not until the 1860 census was the county broken into districts for recording purposes; thus the 1836 tax lists included here will be a boon to researchers. This book can also be used in conjunction with the 1830 and 1840 census records, to show migration in and out of the county.
