This 323-page publication is an abstract of the Stewart County, Tennessee Circuit Court Minute Books for the period 1850-1861. The Stewart Circuit Court met every 6 months at the courthouse in Dover from 1809-1836, and every 4 months beginning in 1836, and was presided over by a Judge from one of the Judicial Circuits of the state. The Court heard law cases where guilt or innocence had to be determined, including cases of debt, divorce, assault, theft, gambling, fighting, land disputes and contested wills, to name a few. Petitions for naturalization and citizenship are also found in Circuit Court Minutes.The Court heard both Civil cases (disputes between private citizens) and State cases (cases in which a crime had been committed, and the State was the plaintiff in the case). The steps taken in these cases were summarized by the Court Clerk into Minute Books. The details of these cases, including summons, pleadings and depositions, were contained in the Loose Papers of the case, most of which survive and are held at the Stewart County Archives in Dover.