Register of Deeds Marc Gravitt said all the Hamilton County deed records - including one going back to 1796 - are set to be digitized.
He said one employee in his office has been working on scanning the mass of deed records part-time, but it was calculated that it would take 20 years to get them all done at that rate. "It's a monument job for one person," he said.
Mr. Gravitt said he plans to hire a firm that specializes in county records to do the job much more quickly. U.S. Imaging says it can complete the remaining 1,400 unscanned county books with over 750 pages each in just 68 weeks. So far, county deeds have been scanned back to the early 1960s.
He said, "They will bring in their large scanners and special equipment to the county records storage building on Dayton Boulevard."
Mr. Gravitt said the firm also will crop the records and index them.
He said U.S. Imaging has the ability to convert very old records that sometimes have black pages with white font to white pages with black font that are much more readable.
The register said having all the county deeds available in a digital format will be especially helpful to those involved in title searches as well as historians and genealogists.
The records will be online for a $50 monthly fee to be accessed by a company or individual. There is no charge to come to the office at the old County Courthouse and inspect them.
Mr. Gravitt said the cost to get the entire job done will be $705,426. He said that amount will be covered by American Rescue Plan funds if approved by the County Commission.
He said, "I saw an opportunity to fast track this work without direct cost to local taxpayers."
There were several bidders, including one that asked $1.2 million. He said the U.S. Imaging bid was not the lowest, but was the best.
Mr. Gravitt said the deed from 1796 was from Greene County, N.C. and referenced 600 acres in the section that became Hamilton County, Tn.