Roane County was erected from Knox County in 1801, and most of its marriage records are preserved from that date at the county courthouse in Kingston. The records in Mrs. Whitley's Roane County book, however, are derived not from courthouse records but from the list of marriages appearing in Emma Wells's "History of Roane County." (Since most of the original bonds and licenses have disappeared from the courthouse, the Wells book is an essential back-up.) Altogether, the 1,500 marriages given here include the names of the bride and groom, the date of the marriage bond or license, and the names of the bondsmen.