NASHVILLE (AP) — Records of Tennessee Supreme Court cases that were previously only available by visiting Nashville can now be requested online.

The Tennessee State Library and Archives said the new online ordering system allows researchers to order cases dating back to the early 1800s in hard copy or digital scans.

The system allows the user to search for names of ancestors or topics.

A news release said the records were once stored in the attic of the state Capitol and arrived in the hands of the Library and Archives needing to be restored. The archival technical staff has worked for more than a decade to preserve the records of more than 50,000 cases. The project is continuing.

Cases currently at the Library and Archives range from the beginning of the 19th century to around 1950.