Ministers and Officials Index Search


What is the Ministers and Officials Index?

One of the most commonly used research resources is the marriage record. In Montgomery County, except for a short period of time in the 1880s, the marriage bond, license, and return list only the groom, bride, bondsman or security, and the official, until well after 1900. The person performing the marriage ceremony becomes a person of interest since the couple most likely married close to home. If the official was a justice of the peace, it would be worthwhile to locate the district he represented and the time frame. If the official was associated with a religious group, it is important to identify that church, the location, and, possibly, the time the person served a particular church or congregation.

This index is to the ministers and officials that appear in the marriage records and can be searched using the following categories:

  • Surname
  • Given name
  • Title
  • Church: affiliation, if stated
  • Record date: stated as year-month-day. The date given is the earliest entry found for the Individual in the Montgomery County marriage books by year. Ministers from adjacent counties sometimes performed a ceremony in Montgomery County. The 1850 census which usually states a person’s occupation was also searched for individuals identified as a minister or clergyman. This list includes those so listed in the surrounding Tennessee counties of Stewart, Robertson, and Dickson, also Trigg, Christian, and Todd Counties, Kentucky
  • Reference: indicated the book and page number of the Montgomery County record. In the case of information from the census, the year of the census is stated and the appropriate page number.
  • Abbreviations used include:

    JPJustice of the Peace
    MGMinister of the Gospel
    L. Elder or L.E.Lay Elder
    DIDickson Co, TN
    RBRobertson Co, TN
    STStewart Co, TN
    TRTrigg Co, KY
    CHChristian Co, KY
    TOTodd Co, KY