Mason County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
Mason County was named for George Mason. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mason County Courthouse 219 Stanley Reed Street Maysville, KY 41056-0234 Phone: 606-564-3341 Mason 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

 * Kentucky Bible Records at Kentucky Genealogy
 * KYGenWeb Mason County Kentucky at KyKinFolk
 * (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Mason County, Kentucky Family Bibles at Kentucky Genealogy Trails
 * Mason County, KY Bibles at USGenWeb Archives

Biographies

 * Kentucky Biographies Project

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


 * Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
 * Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
 * Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project

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

 * Kentucky Christian Church Directory, ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
 * Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville

Baptist
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Mayslick. Church records (1805-) are available at the University of Kentucky.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1789-1870 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1792-1806 (*); Court of Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1793-1802 (*); Court of Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1796-1802 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1803-1874 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1803-1919 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — imdex & images
 * Cases Heard Before the Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky 1785-1792 at KYKinFolk.com
 * Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases


 * Commonwealth of Kentucky, State Board of Elections at KY.gov
 * Contact information for all Kentucky County Court Clerks. Scroll down or use index at top of page to find desired county.


 * Deposition of Simon Kenton, 1815, Mason County, Kentucky; The Kentucky Genealogist - V. 26, No. 1 (Jan/Mar 1984). 1084. By Bentley, James R. Louisville, Kentucky : Bentley, James R. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Kentucky Court of Justice at KYCourts.gov
 * (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Mason County Kentucky Court Records : Ministers' Bonds. By Boss, Lula Reed. Mason County, Kentucky : Mason County, Kentucky. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

African Americans

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

Funeral Homes

 * Brell & Son Funeral Home in Maysville.
 * Knox Brothers Funeral Home in Maysville.
 * Moore and Parker Funeral Home in Maysville.
 * Palmer Funeral Home & Crematory in Mays Lick.

Genealogies

 * [Anderson] Black, William. "Stokes-Anderson of Lunenburg County," in John Bennett Boddie, ed., Historical Southern Families, Vol. 2 (Redwood City, Calif., 1958), 217-225.
 * [Anderson] Darnel, Michael R. "Which James Anderson Married Elizabeth Ligon?" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1995):163-170. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * [Asbury] Holtzclaw, B.C. "Asbury of Westmoreland County, Virginia," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1967):55-65; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):77-87; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1968):10-26. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [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 by NEHGS ($)..
 * [Bell] Ball, Helen A. Bell Family: The Bells of Mason County, Kentucky, Charles Bell and Daniel Bell, Including Descendants and Some Related Families. East Lansing, Mich.: H.A. Ball, 1981.
 * [Collier] Boss, Lula Reed. Captain Thomas Collier of Charlotte County, Virginia, Including Records of Mason County, Kentucky. MSS. Microfilmed 1956.
 * [Day] DeVerter, Ruth Hendricks. The Day and Hendrix(cks) Families: Including Poe and Allied Lines: Bucks County, Pennsylvania; Baltimore and Cecil Counties, Maryland; Bracken and Mason Counties, Kentucky; Brown and Clermont County, Ohio; Wayne and Hendricks Counties, Indiana. Multi-volume. Baytown, Texas: R.H. DeVerter, 1963.
 * [Flinn] Taylor, Evelyn M. The Family of John Flinn (abt 1793) - Rebecca Reeves (abt 1795) of Mason County, Kentucky and Putnam County, Indiana. Salt Lake City, Utah: Taylor, R.J.Jr. Foundation, 1997..
 * [Heflin] Heflin, Donald L. Reuben Heflin of Somewhere in Virginia to Mason, Fleming &amp; Mason counties, KY, 1785-1863. Georgetown, Ky.: D.L. Heflin, 1995.
 * [Levi] Pearson, Spencer. Of Turkeys and Eagles. Corpus Christi, Texas: S. Pearson, 1998.
 * [McCracken] Everett, Jeanne McCracken. McCracken Family Records: Descendants of John McCracken and Elizabeth Wood 1784-1984: John McCracken &amp; Elizabeth Wood were Married 1784 in Frederick, Maryland; Resided 1788-1817 in Mason County, Kentucky; and after 1817 in Daviess County, Indiana. Typescript. Microfilmed 1990..
 * [Marshall] 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.
 * [Marshall] Prewitt, John Marshall. Marshall of King George Co., Va. and Mason Co., Ky: Berry -- Kercheval -- Roy and Connected Families. Cincinnati, Ohio: J.M. Prewitt, 2002.
 * [Matthews] Matthews, Mitchell Dudley. Walter Matthews (1845-1930) of May's Lick, Mason County, Kentucky and His Descendants. 1968.
 * [Owens] Owens, David Hatfield. Owens Family of Virginia (Richmond, King George, Stafford, Prince William, Fauquier Counties) and Kentucky (Mason, Lewis, Fleming, Bracken, Mercer, Boyle Counties). Ann Arbor, Mich.: D.H. Owens, 1991.
 * [Prichard] Prichard, Paul Preston. The Prichard Family: History and Genealogy of the Descendants, Antecedents and Collateral Relatives of Harmon and Nancy Purcell Prichard of Mason County, Kentucky. El Paso, Texas: P.P. Prichard, 1976.
 * [Randolph] Randolph, Blanche Willie Grace and Deborah Ann Kraemer Small. The Randolphs of Prince William County, Virginia. Little Rock, Arkansas: B. Randolph, 1979.
 * [Randolph] Small, Deborah Ann Kraemer and Blanche Willie Grace Randolph. The Randolphs of Prince William County, Virginia, Volume II. Winter Park, Florida: D. Small, 1989.
 * [Randolph] Raski, Arma, James Randolph, and Glenita Guthrie. Additions &amp; Corrections to Vol. II, the Randolphs of Prince William Co., VA by Deborah K. Small.
 * [Reeves] Taylor, Evelyn M. The Family of Samuel Reeves, Sr. (1770/1780) - 1850: of Mason County, Kentucky and Putnam County, Indiana. Salt Lake City, Utah: E.M. Taylor, 1997.
 * [Robinson] Robinson, John Bunyan. The Adin Robinson Family and Collaterals. Libertyville, Ill., 1904. ; digital version at Google Books.
 * [Rust] Rust, Ellsworth Marshall. Rust of Virginia: Genealogical and Biographical Sketches of the Descendants of William Rust, 1654-1940. Washington, D.C.: Rust, 1940..
 * [Tarvin] Torrey Alice Ellenor Herndon and Ronald Brennan. Tarvin Family Connections: Including Cowgill and Cracraft Families of Mason County and Campbell Co., Ky. Wilder, Ky.: R. Brennan, 1977.
 * [Walton] Walton, Matt Savage. Chart, Direct Line of Descent and Other Documents Pertaining to the Walton Family of Mason County and Lexington, Kentucky. Typescript, 1940s.
 * [Walton] Walton, John. "Job Walton of Fleming County, Kentucky," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Mar. 1964):15-24. 973 B2ng v. 52

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * History of Maysville and Mason County. 1936. By Garrett Glenn Clift. Lexington, Kentucky : Transylvania Printing Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Military Resources, Revolutionary War through Civil War

Civil War
'''Online Records
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; 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  - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * - 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Company H.
 * - 9th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Company H.
 * - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies A, D, F, G, I, K and L.
 * - 14th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Company C.
 * - 16th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, G, H, I and K.

World War I

 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

Korean War

 * 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
 * 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 including interactive search function
 * Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

 * Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records
'''Online Probate Records


 * 1774-1989 Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1790-1801 Will and Probate Records, Mason County, Kentucky, 1790-1801. By Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather. Mason County, Kentucky : Mason County, Kentucky, n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: 
 * 1791-1823 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1791-1924 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1791-1924 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1793-1802 (*); Court of Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1799-1872 Kentucky Genealogy and Images of Old Wills, Estates, Inventories, Annual Returns, Marriages at Kentucky Pioneers ($)
 * 1803-1919 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

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

 * 1790 - Heinemann, Charles B. "First Census" of Kentucky 1790. Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1940. 1981 reprint: FS Library US/CAN 976.9 X2ph 1981; digital version at Kentucky Kinfolks. ["1 volume of 1790 was used." (p. 2)]
 * 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Mason 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 – at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1852-1861 - Mason County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874 - Mason County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1911-1912 Searchable KY Birth Index
 * 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 - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1789-1805 - Mason County Marriage Index 1789-1805. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1804-1860 Mason County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1804-60 Vol. II-VI at Ancestry ($)
 * 1806-1819 - Mason County Marriage Index 1806-1819. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1820-1837 - Mason County Marriage Index 1820-1837. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1855 - Mason County Marriage Index 1852-1855. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1860 - Mason County Marriage Index 1852-1860. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1861 - Mason County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1859-1864 - Mason County Marriage Index 1859-1864. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1864-1866 - Mason County Marriage Index 1864-1866. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1866-1872 - Mason County Marriage Index 1866-1872. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1866-1897 - Mason County Marriage Index 1866-1897. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1866-1949 - Mason County Marriage Index 1866-1949. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1872-1879 - Mason County Marriage Index 1872-1879. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1879-1885 - Mason County Marriage Index 1879-1885. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1885-1892 - Mason County Marriage Index 1885-1892. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1892-1896 - Mason County Marriage Index 1892-1896. Batch at FamilySearch
 * Marriage Bonds, Mason County, Kentucky. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1973-2000 Searchable KY Marriage Records
 * 1973-2000 Kentucky Marriage Records 1973-2000
 * 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1843-1970 – at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1911-2000 Searchable KY Death Index
 * - How to Use this Collection
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates

Divorce

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

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Cherry Grove/ Eastgate Ohio Family History Center
 * National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
 * Northern Kentucky Family History Center
 * Campbell County Historical and Genealogical Society - an affiliate library.
 * Kenton County Library - an affiliate library.

Museums
Kentucky Gateway Museum Center 215 Sutton St Maysville, KY 41056-1186 Phone: 606-564-5865 Email: [mailto:masonmuseum@maysvilleky.net masonmuseum@maysvilleky.net] Website

Societies
Mason County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 266 Maysville, KY 41056 Mason County Historical Society 319 West Third Street Maysville, KY 41056-1016

Websites

 * Mason County KYGenWeb
 * 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.
 * Mason County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Mason 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