Become a Member of First Families of Tennessee
Membership in First Families of Tennessee is open to anyone who can prove direct descent from a person living in any part of what is now Tennessee before or by the time of statehood in 1796. Residence of the ancestor and each generation of direct descent must be proved by acceptable records. There is a one-time membership fee for each application submitted.
To join, applicants must complete a two-page application form and line of descent chart and submit acceptable documentation to prove an ancestor's residence and generation-by-generation descent from the ancestor. There is a one-time application fee of $25. FFT members will receive a handsome certificate featuring the state seal, along with the applicant's name and the name of the applicant's pioneer ancestor. The information furnished by applicants as proof of lineage is housed in the McClung Historical Collection (Knoxville, Tennessee), a department of the Knox County Public Library. This valuable documentation of the state's early residents and their families, along with information included in the ETHS Civil War Families of Tennessee program, provides a wealth of research materials for present and future historians and genealogists. To join FFT today, download a copy of the application form and mail it, along with your application fee and copies of your documentation, to If you cannot download the application form and would like to have one mailed to you, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the address above. For additional information or questions about FFT, e-mail (Note: ETHS cannot process email queries or perform research assistance.)
c/o ETHS
PO Box 1629
Knoxville, TN 37901-1629