Ballard County, Kentucky Genealogy

Guide to Ballard County, Kentucky ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.



Description
The County was named for Bland Ballard. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

County Courthouse
Ballard County Courthouse 132 4th Street Wickliffe, KY 42087 Phone: 270-335-5168 Ballard County Website

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Bible Records

 * Ballard Co. KYGenweb Church Records includes Bible records and some church histories.
 * Kentucky Bible Records

Biographies

 * All of the family biographies from the 1885 History of Ballard County, Kentucky by Battle, Perrin, and Kniffin are available free online on My Genealogy Hound
 * Kentucky Biographies Project

Census Records
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Ballard County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Kentucky Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes.

See Kentucky Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Ballard Co. KYGenweb Church Records includes Bible records and some church histories.
 * Baptist Roots at Rootsweb has many records.
 * "A Few Ballard County Churches" contains numbers on church affiliations and some photos of Ballard County churches.
 * Baptist History Homepage, transcribed Baptist documents
 * Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
Ballard County Courthouse 132 North 4th Street Wickliffe, KY 42087 Phone: 270-335-5168
 * 1842-1899 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1842-1902 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1842-1963 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1857-1861 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1863-1943 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1867-1892 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1868-1910 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1875-1891 (*); Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1880-1927 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1880-1963 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1893-1903 (*); Fiscal Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1896-1900 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Clerk Circuit Court has divorce and probate records.
 * Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. 2002. Draper, Utah : Everton Publishers. ; Also at:

African Americans

 * The KY African American Griots Project
 * Ballard Co. Kentucky African American Griots has more information about the kinds of records available.
 * Kentucky Minorities has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
 * Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

Land and Property Records

 * Indexes to Deeds, KYGenWeb: After the courthouse fire in 1880, many land transactions were re-recorded. Many are indexed and extracted here.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Ballard County KYGenWeb 1880 Map with post offices (includes Carlisle Co.)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Ballard County KYGenWeb Military Records &amp; Sources, List of sources

Civil War
'''Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (Free)
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry— index (Free)
 * 1912-1950 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection


 * - 12th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate), Company D

Korean War

 * Kentucky Casualties in Korean Conflict NARA - see what National Archives holds

Vietnam War

 * Kentucky Casualty/MIA/POW Vietnam NARA - see what National Archives holds

Newspapers

 * The Advance Yeoman
 * Ballard Weekly

Other Records

 * Ballard County, KY: medical account book of Dr. W.A. Moffitt of Kevil, KY, by Don Simmons. Publisher Simmons Historical Publications, 1993.

Probate Records
'''Online Probate Records


 * 1774–1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1798-1943  at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1842-1921 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1878-1969 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1879-1924 at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1879-1924 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1880-1900 (*); Clerk of the County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1880-1923 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1880-1927 (*); Clerk of the County Court and County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1880-1942 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1880-1963 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1880-1983 (*); Clerk of the County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Extraction of Wills at KYGenWeb

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

 * Tax Record Transcriptions, KYGenWeb

Birth

 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1852-1859 - Ballard County Birth Index 1852-1859. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874 - Ballard County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1875 - Ballard County Birth Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1911-1999 Kentucky Births, 1911-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriage

 * 1609-2016 Kentucky, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
 * 1785-1979 at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection
 * 1797-1954 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1853-1859 - Ballard County Marriage Index 1853-1859. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1875 - Ballard County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1876-1878 - Ballard County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1843-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1852-1953 KY Deaths from 1852-1953 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1911-1965 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1911-2000 KY Death Records, Index to Kentucky deaths
 * 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * - How to Use this Collection

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Website

Family History Centers

 * Murray Kentucky Family History Center
 * Paducah Kentucky Family History Center
 * Graves County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Paducah Kentucky Family History Center - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Ballard-Carlisle County Public Library 257 North Fourth Street Wickliffe, KY 42087 Phone: 270-335-5059 Facebook

Societies
Ballard-Carlisle Historical and Genealogical Society PO Box 279 257 4th Street Wickliffe, KY 42087 Phone: 270-642-2187 Website Facebook

Websites

 * Ballard County KYGenWeb project. Pages of photos, maps, family research, links.
 * Ballard County KY Kindred Trails. No information but lots of links
 * BallardCounty, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Ballard County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
 * Ballard County Kentucky Ancestry and Genealogy
 * Kentucky Explorer Magazine
 * Kentucky Genealogical Society Bluegrass Roots(back issues)
 * PERSI (largest index of genealogical periodicals
 * Local History and Genealogy Reading Room from the National Government
 * . Free - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records