Research in Kentucky Genealogy, Facts and Records Resources

Welcome to the Kentucky family history research page. Here you'll find record collection links, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your Kentucky ancestors.

Kentucky genealogy records can be the best way to trace the roots of your own family, or those of someone else's. This could be something you are interested in as a personal hobby or to pursue as a home based business. Whatever the reason you wish to research records for genealogy charts, you should be aware of the different records you can use to make your work as successful as possible. Learn these basics, and some tricks, and you can make the most of the effort you invest in completing your work.

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Adair, Allen, Anderson, Ballard, Barren, Bath, Bell, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Bracken, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Campbell, Carlisle, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Garrard, Grant, Graves, Grayson, Green, Greenup, Hancock, Hardin, Harlan, Harrison, Hart, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Hopkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Knott, Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Madison, Magoffin, Marion, Marshall, Martin, Mason, McCracken, McCreary, McLean, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Nicholas, Ohio, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Scott, Shelby, Simpson, Spencer, Taylor, Todd, Trigg, Trimble, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Whitley, Wolfe, Woodford

Kentucky Facts

The Allegheny Mountains kept settlers from moving west for a time, but they eventually did pass through those mountains and establish the first settlements to the west of them, which were in Kentucky. In 1774 Harrodsburg, the first permanent settlement in Kentucky, was founded by James Harrod. Daniel Boone explored the region in 1767 and then founded Boonesboro in 1775, after cutting a trail through Cumberland Gap, when was known as the Wilderness Trail.

Originally, Kentucky was considered to be part of Virginia. However, in 1792, it became a state of its own. In 1794 General Anthony Wayne was victorious against Native Americans in Ohio, at Fallen Timbers. That ended conflicts in the region with Native Americans and made the Kentucky frontier safe for settlers. See also Kentucky History Page for more Details

Kentucky was organized as territory on May 7, 1800 and entered the union as the 15th state on June 1, 1792. It has 120 Counties. The capital is Frankfort. and the official state website is www.kentucky.gov.

Kentucky is bordered by Illinois (northwest), Indiana (north), Missouri (west), Ohio (northeast), Tennessee (south), Virginia (east), and West Virginia (east). It has a land area of 40,411 square miles making it the 37th largest state. The 2010 population was 4,339,367 and the largest cities (2010) are Louisville, 1 566,503; Lexington-Fayette,2 295,803; Bowling Green, 58,067; Owensboro, 57,265; Covington, 40,640; Hopkinsville, 31,577; Richmond, 31,364; Florence, 29,951; Georgetown, 29,098 Henderson, 28,757.

Kentucky meaning is disputed, its from the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," which means "land of tomorrow", but some historians believe it means “meadowland. The State Nickname is "The Bluegrass State", which is derived from the famed bluegrass grown in pastures in central Kentucky. The State Motto is "United we stand, divided we fall".

Kentucky Genealogy Tips & Hints

Kentucky genealogy can be traced through cemetery records, court filings such as marriage certificates and even archived newspapers. Browsing through Kentucky records like bibles, birth certificates and letters, if available, is another way to glean missing information. Libraries are a good source to find books, periodicals, magazines and other printed material full of helpful information to help trace genealogy.  Unfortunately, some Kentucky counties have kept better records than others.  So, you may hit a few roadblocks along the way.  However, you shouldn't let that deter you, especially in this digital era.

Understanding Kentucky Genealogy - To understand the basics of genealogy, you first have to know what it is. Genealogy is a way to trace the ancestry of a family through the generations. It is a type of investigation to compile data so a family can see their own history. For many families, understanding their own heritage is very important. But, it can be difficult to get beyond the basics, to go back more than just a couple of generations. Without knowing how to conduct a proper genealogy search, there can be gaps or an incomplete family tree. So, it is a good idea to know what resources you can rely on to get the job done. Genealogical research in the state is aided by excellent research facilities and printed materials on Kentucky's early settlement.

Genealogy, or the study of one's own family history, is an important part of who we are as kentuckians.  We all would like to know exactly what are origins are.  Unfortunately, that is far easier for some people than for others.  If you are one of those others, you may need to do some serious genealogy research.  If that research point you to Kentucky, here are some things that could help you along the way. Chances are that you have some clue about your family history.  It might be a picture, a date, a last name, or even a love letter.  Whatever it is, use it to your advantage.  Take whatever material you have and share it with others.  There are many online forums devoted to Kentucky genealogical research.  The people in those forums will be glad to help you with your Kentucky ancestry research.

Finding The Lost Counties It is also important for you to know that there are two “lost counties” in Kentucky. As the state changed, two counties were eventually done away with entirely. Beckham County was dissolved on 29 Apr 1904, but the state still has some postal records and marriage records on file from that county. The other “lost county” isn't really lost at all. The name was simply shortened. It went from being called Josh Bell County to simply being called Bell County beginning on January 31, 1873.  The county was originally formed just after the Civil War, on February 5, 1867, from portions of Harlan and Knox Counties. So, if you are looking for records from its first 6 years, you should look under the full original name of Josh Bell County.

Paper Trails It would be fair to say that Kentucky is, in general, a little behind the times when it comes to genealogy. A lot of the Kentucky public records have not been digitized. However, that doesn't mean that they don't exist. You just have to follow the paper trails. Visit Kentucky libraries and historical societies and look for Bibles, Books, Newspaper Articles, Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, Court Documents or Land Deeds.

The DAR (Daughters Of The American Revolution) and the SAR (Sons Of The American Revolution) are huge organizations. They are devoted to helping descendants of those who helped to fight for freedom in America during and around the time of the Revolutionary War. There are both DAR and SAR chapters in Kentucky. So, if your ancestor may have had any connection to our founding fathers or to the military, you should definitely start there.

There are several websites which contain court records and other data where visitors can trace their Kentucky ancestry for free. The Internet is also a source to find Kentucky ancestry communities where people can perform Kentucky research and potentially create family trees or connect to relatives they didn’t know existed.

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