Fayette County, Kentucky Genealogy

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



Description
The County was named for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. The County has Lexington as its seat and the County was created 1780. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Fayette County Courthouse 162 E Main Street Lexington, KY 40507-1363 Phone: 859.253.3344 Fayette County Website

Populated Places
On 1 January 1974, Fayette County and the City of Lexington consolidated their governments into one single entity with a chief executive. Since the formation of the Lexington-Fayette County Government, residents of cities in Fayette county also became citizens of the newly expanded Metro. However, none of the incorporated places dissolved in the process. Therefore, several "cities within a city" exist today in Fayette County. 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 Jefferson County:

Historically black hamlets
 * Bracktown
 * Cadentown
 * Jimtown
 * Smithtown
 * Little Georgetown
 * Pralltown

History Timeline
Additional Information

The county is named after Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834).

Biographies

 * KY Biographies

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Fayette county cemeteries.


 * Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
 * The Old Union Church Cemetery inscriptions and images for Fayette County.
 * Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
 * Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project
 * ePodunk list of Fayette County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.
 * Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington National Cemetery, 1868-2010 at Ancestry ($)

Census Records
1790 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.


 * Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
 * Census Images, USGenWeb
 * KY Census Online, Links to online census records

Church Records

 * The Old Union Church Cemetery inscriptions and images for Fayette County.
 * Kentucky Christian Church Directory, ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
 * Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville

Court Records

 * Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases, KYGenWeb
 * Kentucky Court of Justice Research &amp; Reference

Directories

 * Polk's Lexington (Kentucky) city directory, 1931-32 : vol. XVI : containing an alphabetical directory of business concerns and at Ancestry ($)
 * Inventory of the county archives of Kentucky: Fayette County at Ancestry ($)

African Americans

 * African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records available
 * The African American Griots Project
 * Kentucky Minorities has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
 * Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900
 * Garrison, Gwendolyn. Black Marriage Bonds of Fayette County, Kentucky. 11866-1876. - Lexington, Ky.:Kentucky Tree-Search. 1985. - 59 p. FHL 976.947 V2g. F457.F2 G37 1985

Genealogies

 * [Allen] Bauman, William A. Harry Raymond and Ethel May (McHatton) Allen of Fayette County, Kentucky and a Genealogy of Their Ancestors Including the Allen, Boone, Bryan, Craig, Embry, Gayheart, Goodwin, Graves, Grimes, Hager, Massie, McHatton, McNamara, Murphy, Reynolds, and Stinnett Families. Winter Park, Fla.: W.A. Bauman, 2002.
 * [Arnold] McNamara, Elizabeth W. Weakley, Scearce, Arnold Families of Kentucky, Their Descendants and Ancestral Families. Baltimore, 1980..
 * [Asbury] Holtzclaw, B.C. "Asbury of Westmoreland County, Virginia," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1967):55-65; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):77-87; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1968):10-26. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Ball] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Beeler] Pappas, Carolyn H. "Christopher Beeler, 1705-1775," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1999):243-255; Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2000):18-30; Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2000):115-125. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Berry] Garrett, Pamela Hutchison. Ancestors and Descendants of Doctor Reuben Bell Berry, Fayette County, Kentucky. Oklahoma City, Okla.: P.H. Garrett, 2003..
 * [Bird] Wylie, William Bird. Bird Genealogy. St. Louis, Mo.: W.B. Wylie, 1903. Digital version at ;.
 * [Blackwell] Ridenour, Melvin Otho. Brown and Related Families: Family History Data and Lineage Chart. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.: M.O. Ridenour, 1991..
 * [Bryan] Cooper, J.R. Bryan County [Family] of Fayette County, Kentucky. Typed transcript of a series of ten articles published in the Lexington Herald, Lexington, Kentucky, beginning Sunday, February 27, 1927, Allen County Public Library, Ft. Wayne, Ind. Microfilmed 1971: another version, found at the National Library, D.A.R., Washington, D.C. Microfilmed 1971:
 * [Cary] Harrison, Fairfax. The Virginia Carys. New York: De Vinne Press, 1919. Digital version at Internet Archive - free;.
 * [Catlett] Peters, Norman R. "Benjamin Robinson of Caroline County, VA. But Not the Clerk!" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2004):57-75; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2004):120-139. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * [Clay] Smith, Zachary F. and Mary Rogers Clay. The Clay Family. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Company, 1899. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Coleman] Curtis, Oscar F. Colman--Fitzpatrick Research File. MSS. Microfilmed 1989:.
 * [Craven] Craven, Patricia. The Craven Clan of Southwestern Pennsylvania and Various Kentucky Counties Nelson, Washington, Marion, Boone, Fayette, Jessamine, Henry. Chicago, Ill.: P. Craven, 1988..
 * [Eads] Kademan, Janet Money and Alvis Money Magill. The Families of Johnathan Eads (1753-1806) of Harrison County, Kentucky and David Eads (1797-1872) of Davies County Missouri and Some of Their Descendants. Davenport, Iowa: J.M. Kademan, 1992..
 * [Eads] Kademan, Janet Money. Supplement to the Families of Jonathan Eads (1753-1806) of Harrison County, Kentucky, and David Eads (1797-1872) of Daviess County, Missouri: and Some of Their Descendants: Being a Continuation of Chapters Three through Seven (with Index). Davenport, Iowa: J.M. Kademan, 1993..
 * [Flournoy] Rivers, Flournoy. "The Flournoy Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):81-90; Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1894):190-213; Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1895):318-327; Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):437-447; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1895):67-79; Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1896):414-416; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul. 1896):97-101. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
 * [Frye] Wylie, William Bird. Bird Genealogy. St. Louis, Mo.: W.B. Wylie, 1903. Digital version at ;.
 * [Hart] Smith, Zachary F. and Mary Rogers Clay. The Clay Family. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Company, 1899. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Henderson] Nichols, Elizabeth L. and Melanie Marie Springer. White, James (1754-1817) and His Wife Jeney/Jane McHatton (1768-1850) and Their Family with Emphasis on Their Second Daughter, Margaret (Peggy) White (1786-1860), Who Married 17 Mar 1807 in Fayette County, KY to James Henderson (1786-1862), Who are Ancestors to the Compilers; and Their Eldest Son, John McHatton White (1793-1866), Who Married 3 Sept 1816 in Greene County, OH to Tabitha McFarland (1797-1874), Daughter of Joseph McFarland and Margaret White. Salt Lake City, Utah: E.L. Nichols, 2005. Digital version at - free;.
 * [Horn] Fuhlhage, Dorothy V. Horn, Eaton-Powell, Smothers-Meadows. MSS. Microfilmed 1994:.
 * [Hurst] Pappas, Carolyn H. "Christopher Beeler, 1705-1775," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1999):243-255; Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2000):18-30; Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2000):115-125. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Ireland] Reed, Beatrice Moore Caffey and Mary A. Browning. Genealogies of the Caffey, Iseley &amp; Ireland Families of Rockingham, Guildford &amp; Almance counties in North Carolina. High Point, N.C.: B.M.C. Reed, 1981..
 * [Johnson] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Keen] Moore, Robert P. Keen/Keene of Virginia and Kentucky. Lexington, Ky.: R.P. Moore, 1996. {{FHL|835256|item|disp=FHL Film
 * [McDonald] McDonald Family, Fayette County, Kentucky. Typescript. Microfilm: {{FHL|353528|item|disp=FHL Film 165997}}
 * [McHatton] Bauman, William A. Harry Raymond and Ethel May (McHatton) Allen of Fayette County, Kentucky and a Genealogy of Their Ancestors Including the Allen, Boone, Bryan, Craig, Embry, Gayheart, Goodwin, Graves, Grimes, Hager, Massie, McHatton, McNamara, Murphy, Reynolds, and Stinnett Families. Winter Park, Fla.: W.A. Bauman, 2002.
 * [McKee] Hoffman, David R. Samuel McKee and His Family Notes on the Life of Samuel McKee Who Died in Fayette County, Kentucky, in 1813, on His Children, and on the Descendants of His Sons William, David and Samuel McKee, Jr. and His Daughter Jane McKee Story. Harrisburg, Pa.: D.R. Hoffman, 2006. {{FHL|1346009|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 M194hd}}
 * [McKinnie] The Descendants of Lewis McKinnie. Typescript, 1940s. {{FHL|242816|item|disp=FHL Film 1405248}}.
 * [Mansell] [George Mansell] Court Records, Fayette County, Kentucky. {{FHL|424153|item|disp=FHL Film 165997}}.
 * [Muir] Vallentine, John F. and John Douglas Roberts. The Roberts-Orme Ancestry. 2 vols. Dunedin, New Zealand: J.D. Roberts, 1994-. Digital version (Vol. 1 only) at {{FSbook|226522}} - free; {{FHL|708602|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 R541v v. 1-v. 2}}.
 * [Owens] Sone, Guy M. Genealogy of Rogers, Peyton, Owens, Sone, Marrs, Jennings, Jouett and Allied Families. Jefferson City, Mo.: G.M. Sone, 1958. {{FHL|301540|item|disp=FHL Film 875358 Item 4}}
 * [Robinson] Peters, Norman R. "Benjamin Robinson of Caroline County, VA. But Not the Clerk!" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2004):57-75; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2004):120-139. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * [Sageser] Knouf, Osee Johnson and John Russell Sageser. Sageser Genealogy: Descendants of Jacob Sageser, Whose Will was Probated on August 6, 1821 in Fayette County, Kentucky. Decorah, Iowa: Anundsen, 1978. {{FHL|15805|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 Sa18k}}
 * [Shipp] Sanders, Walter R. The Shipp Genealogy from Essex, Caroline, Faquier Counties, Virginia, to Green, Taylor, Woodford, Jefferson, Fayette, Christian, Bourgon, Scott, Owen, Counties, Kentucky, and Johnson Counties, Indiana. Typescript. Microfilmed 1971. {{FHL|34455|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 Sh64s; FHL Film 875372 Item 5}}
 * [Stone] Calhoun, Logan E. John and Janetta Moore Stone of Fayette Co. Kentucky. Utica, Ky.: McDowell Publications, 1900, 2000. {{FHL|971724|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 St71cLe}}
 * [West] Andrews, Ella Smith Johns. The Family of Edward West and Sarah Browne. Sarasota, Fla.: E.S.J. Andrews, 1983. {{FHL|78256|item|disp=FHL Book 929.273 W52ae}}.
 * [White] Nichols, Elizabeth L. and Melanie Marie Springer. White, James (1754-1817) and His Wife Jeney/Jane McHatton (1768-1850) and Their Family with Emphasis on Their Second Daughter, Margaret (Peggy) White (1786-1860), Who Married 17 Mar 1807 in Fayette County, KY to James Henderson (1786-1862), Who are Ancestors to the Compilers; and Their Eldest Son, John McHatton White (1793-1866), Who Married 3 Sept 1816 in Greene County, OH to Tabitha McFarland (1797-1874), Daughter of Joseph McFarland and Margaret White. Salt Lake City, Utah: E.L. Nichols, 2005. Digital version at - free;.
 * [Winn] Winn, James French. Winn Memoirs: Jesse Durrett Winn, His Family and Descendants. Cynthiana, Ky.: Hobson Press, 1942. {{FHL|296498|item|disp=FHL Film 1421482}}.

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office
 * Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Fayette County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Record Book 1: 1794-1796


 * Michael L. Cook, C.G. and Bettie A. Cumming Cook, C.G., Fayette County Kentucky Records Vol 2 (Evansville, Indiana : Cook Publications, 1985) FHL US/CAN Book 976.947 P2c. District Court Deed Book from 1803 to 1807.

It is of note that Fayette County has County Court Deed Books AND District and Circuit Court Deed Books. "The recording period of the Fayette District Court began in 1794, and continued until in 1802. The District Court was abolished, and replaced by the Fayette Circuit Court."

Local Histories

 * The Archives of Appalachia

Maps and Gazetteers

 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site

Military Records

 * Military Resources, Revolutionary War through Civil War
 * Revolutionary War pensions of soldiers who settled in Fayette County, Kentucky at Ancestry ($)

War of 1812
Online Records
 * 42nd Militia of 1811 Kentucky Pioneers ($)
 * Paymaster Records from War of 1812 Kentucky Pioneers ($)
 * 42nd Militia of 1813 Kentucky Pioneers ($)

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 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

Confederate Soldiers
 * - 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. Companies A, C, E, and G.
 * - 9th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry. Companies A, C, E, and G.

Union Soldiers
 * - 23rd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 27th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company G.
 * - 16th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company F.
 * - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies B and C.
 * - 11th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies B and C.
 * - 12th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Company G.
 * - 13th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies A and L.
 * - 14th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies F, G, H, I, K, L and M.
 * - 1st Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies B, C, H and I.
 * - 24th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I.
 * - 30th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company K.
 * - 37th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company K.
 * - 40th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company C and K.
 * - 4th Regiment, Kentucky Mounted Infantry (Union), Companies B, D and I.
 * - 53rd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies G and H.
 * - 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Company A.
 * - 7th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Company D.

World War I

 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

Korean War

 * Korean War Memorial, Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb

Newspapers

 * USNPL, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
 * World-Newspapers, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
 * Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm

Obituaries

 * Kentucky Footsteps Archives, KYGenWeb
 * Kentucky Obituary Sources, KYGenWeb
 * Links to research and locate obituaries
 * Browning Genealogy Database, Compiled by Charles Browning.
 * Kentucky Obituaries, USGenWeb
 * Afrigeneas, African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
 * Obituary Depot, Kentucky Newspaper Citations
 * Obituary Daily Times, Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries (Ancestry)

Other Records

 * Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records

 * 1819-1824, 1881-1894 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
 * Fayette County, Kentucky Wills 1794-1818 at Ancestry.com ($)

'''Online Probate Records


 * 1774–1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1793-1808 Kentucky Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, Bk A
 * 1809-1813 Kentucky Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, Bk B

Tax Records

 * 1787 - Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1787 personal property tax list of Fayette County.]
 * 1787 - Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Fayette County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * 1788 - Stewart, Robert Armistead. "Personal Tax List of Fayette County (Kentucky), 1788," The Researcher: A Magazine of History and Genealogical Exchange, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Jul. 1927):239-241. Available at . [Only part of the list was published.]
 * 1789 - Heinemann, Charles B. "First Census" of Kentucky 1790. Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1940. 1981 reprint: ; digital version at Kentucky Kinfolks. [Includes "5 volumes of 1789, with some duplication of names."]
 * 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Fayette County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)

Birth

 * 1839-1960 - Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1861 - Fayette County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1911-1912 - Searchable KY Birth Index

Marriage

 * 1609-2016 - Kentucky, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1785-1979 - Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979 at FamilySearch
 * 1795-1801 - Kentucky Pioneers ($) Marriages - Book 1
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1803-1814 - Fayette County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1803-14 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1803-1850 - Kentucky Pioneers ($) Marriages - Book 1
 * 1820-1841 - Kentucky Pioneers ($) Marriages - Misc
 * 1854-1861 - Fayette County Marriage Index 1854-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1973-2000 - Searchable KY Marriage Records
 * 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973-2000

Death

 * 1843-1970 - Kentucky Deaths and Burials, 1843-1970 at FamilySearch
 * 1911-1965 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1911-2000 - Searchable KY Death Index
 * The Social Security Death Index - Searchable
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates

Divorce

 * 1973-1993 - Kentucky Divorces 1973-1993, University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Lexington Kentucky Family History Center

Societies

 * Fayette County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 8113 Lexington, KY 40533-8113 Website


 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Websites

 * Fayette County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Fayette County KYGenWeb
 * Fayette County USGenWeb Archives
 * KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
 * State of Kentucky Website
 * USGenWeb Kentucky Archives
 * The USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Fayette County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Fayett County Photos
 * Fayette County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
 * . 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