First Families of Tennessee (FFT) was established by the East Tennessee Historical Society in 1993 as a Tennessee Bicentennial project. Membership is open to anyone who can prove direct descent from a person or persons living in any part of what is now Tennessee before or by statehood in 1796.
With more than 15,000 members, representing every state and eight foreign countries, the FFT applications and proof of lineage comprise the largest collection of information on the state’s early settlers and their families.
The FFT Collection is housed in the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, where it provides a wealth of research materials for present and future historians and genealogists. Search this database to see if your family has been documented in the FFT Collection.