Madison County Archives

Our Work 

     The Madison County Archives is a department of the government of Madison County, Tennessee and is under the direct control of the County Mayor Jimmy Harris.  We develop and manage the county archives program, organize and preserve county historical records, and assist citizens and researchers in the use of the many fragile and important documents and bound volumes.  We work closely with elected officials and department heads to preserve the permanent records of their respective offices and advise the county mayor and the Madison County Public Records Commission on our performance.  Following the guidelines of the University of Tennessee County Technical Advisory Service, the permanent and historically significant records created by Madison County government offices and departments are transferred to the Madison County Archives based on a retention schedule.

     Links

     Please click the links below to learn more about us and our mission.

•  Our informational brochure

•  Letters of commendation

•  An article about us in our local newspaper The Jackson Sun

• A recently discovered document - a request sent to the Madison County Court in 1930 from The Society of Colonial Wars - that very succinctly iterates the need for county records' preservation

About Us

Archivist - Thomas L. Aud   taud@co.madison.tn.us

Monday & Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Wednesday, 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM

Assistant - Lorri Skelton lskelton@co.madison.tn.us

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Fax - (731) 664-8319

County Website - Madison County, TN Official Website

Latest News

• Madison County Historian Linda Higgins recently donated a poster of Tennessee Endangered Historic Places to the archives.  Tennessee History for Kids and the Tennessee Historical Commission have produced this new poster, which features photographs of 29 "Endangered Historic Places" such as the Sterick Building in Memphis, Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Rural Mount in Hamblen County, Henson Hall at the University of Tennessee and Washington College.  The Bemis Mill building in Jackson is also pictured.  The poster is exhibited in the research room of the archives - come by and see!
• Intern Patricia Dawson, senior History major at Union University, has completed 100 hours of working with us, sorting and processing records and learning about archival preservation of county records; she will continue volunteering with us until her graduation date in May.  We welcome our new intern from Union University's History department, Colby Benefield, on May 20; he, too, will work 100 hours with us for class credit this summer.
• We have new files on our Records page about the presence of the Civil War in Madison County government records; click on the links to view.

 Our Volunteers

     We currently have three dedicated volunteers who assist us with the processing of recently acquired records and who are also members of the Mid-West Tennessee Genealogical Society: Starla Dougan and Helen Johnson of Jackson, and Sandra Kelly of Henderson. We welcome more volunteers who are interested in preserving Madison County history; please contact archives assistant Lorri Skelton for more information on becoming a volunteer.

Rules of Use

     Records are maintained within the archives on special shelving and racks and in lockable cabinets.  Researchers sign in our register book in our reception area and make their requests known to the staff, who retrieve and oversee the use of the requested documents.  Patrons may be asked to wear provided white cotton gloves when handling fragile documents.  Photocopies can be made at $.25 per page.  Our staff also welcomes research inquiries by email or phone.

     Some records are confidential and are still under the control of the issuing county official or department until such time as they may be open for public scrutiny.  Permission from authorizing officials must be obtained before access to these records will be granted.

Recovering Lost or Stolen Public Records

     Information on Tennessee's Replevin law is below, courtesy of The Tennessee State Library and Archives.