Family History Research
Did someone in your family live or work in the Coal Creek Valley? Many of our visitors are descendants of the miners of Coal Creek (now Rocky Top), Briceville, and Fraterville. The museum’s historian can help you look for miners, disaster victims, and local families in the records.
Start Your Family History
A two-page guide: what to gather at home, questions to ask relatives, how to record your sources, and where to look next. Download the starter guide (PDF)
Ancestral Chart
A printable four-generation chart for recording names, dates, and places. Print as many as you need to continue your tree. Download the printable chart (PDF)
Download the fillable chart (PDF) — type into it on your computer, save it, and email it to us
Printing tips: print the starter guide on regular letter-size paper. Print the ancestral chart in landscape (sideways) on letter-size paper. The chart file includes two copies of the chart, so you can start a second branch of your family, or print it double-sided.
How we can help
- Searching for miners and their families in the Coal Creek Valley
- Information about the victims of the Fraterville (1902) and Cross Mountain (1911) mine disasters
- Burial research, including the Master Alphabetical Burial Index of Anderson County, Tennessee (available in our gift shop)
- Pointing you to local libraries, records, and organizations for the next step
Before you contact us
The more you can tell us, the more we can help. Please gather:
- The full name of the person you are researching, including maiden names and nicknames
- Approximate dates of birth, marriage, and death, and where they lived
- Which mine, community, church, or cemetery the family was connected to, if known
- What you already know, and the one question you most want answered
How to ask for help
Email your question to info@coalcreekminersmuseum.com with “Family history request” in the subject line, or call (865) 630-5006. If you plan to visit, please contact us ahead of time so we can have materials ready when you arrive. Research is done by our historian as time allows, so please be patient with us.
You are also welcome to visit the museum Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.
Learn more about the valley
Read about the Coal Creek War and the Fraterville and Cross Mountain disasters, or take the self-guided Coal Creek Historical Trail driving tour (PDF).