Kentucky Census

Additional Information may be found on the United States Census Portal page.

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Census records can show the following information for each member of the household: name, age, state or country of birth, marital status, occupation, race, citizenship, and immigration information. They can give clues to marriage dates, death dates, migration patterns, previous residence, adoptions, and divorces. Parents or other relatives may have been living with a family when a census was taken. People listed in the census with the same surname may be related. Statewide indexes help to locate families when only their state of residence is known.

Federal Censuses

Population Schedules (1790–1930). Many federal census records are at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline provides detailed information regarding these records.

United States federal censuses of Kentucky were taken every ten years starting in 1790. The 1790, 1800, and 1890 censuses have been destroyed. Tax lists have been indexed and published as substitutes for the 1790 and 1800 censuses. The 1890 Union veterans schedule and index for most of the state is available. All other federal censuses 1930 and before are available to the public. Later censuses are expected to be available in the future based on federal guidelines.

Statewide indexes represent every household in the Kentucky censuses. For most families they index only the first person listed in each household; this person was usually the father or head of the house. Many families, however, had relatives or friends with a different surname living with them when the census was taken. In those cases, the first person of each surname in the household is included in the index.

Statewide surname indexes for the 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses have been published. There is a SOUNDEX (phonetic) index on microfilm for part of the 1880 census and all of the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses. The 1995 compact disc version of the 1850 census index omits the counties of Daviess and Owsley. The 1997 FamilyFinder Index and Viewer omits the county of Daviess in the 1850 census.

Countywide indexes to federal censuses often contain the names of every person in the household and may also include heads of households that were overlooked or whose names were misspelled in statewide indexes. Separate indexes of many Kentucky counties are available for the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses. These are listed in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY] - CENSUS - [YEAR]

Multi-state census indexes

Some of the statewide indexes mentioned previously are combined into composite master indexes of several census years, states, and census types:

FamilyFinder Index and Viewer. Version 4.0. Family Tree Maker Archives, index. [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1997. (FHL compact disc no.9 1997 index) This does not circulate to Family History Centers. This index can be searched by name but not by locality or record type. It is a single composite index to tax lists, 1800 to 1860 federal censuses, 1850 and 1860 slave schedules, and 1870 and 1880 mortality schedules. An Internet edition of this index is also available:

"Internet FamilyFinder" In FamilyTreeMaker.com [Internet site]. [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 21 July 1999 [cited 20 October 1999]. Available at http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/all-search.html. You can search the Internet FamilyFinder index for free. It displays the census year and state for each name matching the search. It may also list many vital records and genealogical collection citations. Once you know the census year and state, you must use the original index on compact disc, microfiche, or book to obtain enough data to find easily the name in the original census schedules. Similar index information is also available at the Internet site www.Ancestry.com for a subscription fee. The FamilyFinder Index includes the following Jackson indexes:

Jackson, Ronald Vern. AIS Microfiche Indexes of U.S. Census and Other Records. Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1984. (No FHL fiche number, but it is available on microfiche at many Family History Centers.) Census indexes for 1790, 1800, and 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, and 1860 are on searches 1 through 5. There is a composite index for the mortality schedules of 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 on search 8. For further instructions, see A I S Indexes to U. S. Censuses 1607-1906 (30970).

Census records for selected counties of many states have been combined in an index in compact disc format in:

Census Index: U.S. Selected States/Counties. Version 3.0 [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1995–1996. (FHL compact disc no.9 parts 34, 303, 310–319) This does not circulate to Family History Centers. The compact discs identified as parts 311 to 319 include Kentucky and index portions of the 1790 to 1870 censuses.

When census indexes are not available or they omit or incorrectly index a name, you can still look for the name in the original census schedules. In large cities it helps to first learn a person’s address. This can be done by searching city directories near the time of the census. Information for a directory was gathered quite some time before publication. Therefore, a directory for the year after the census may match the census better than the one published during the census year. (See the "Directories" section of this outline for more information.) Once the address of an ancestor is learned, search the original census schedules for that address.

Reference tools that help determine which census schedule and enumeration district to search for a specific address include:

Census Descriptions and Geographical Subdivisions and Enumeration Districts. National Archives Microfilm Publications, T1224 and T1210. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, 1977–1978. These describe the boundaries of the area covered by each census taker. The films for Kentucky are:


 * 1880 FHL film 1402860
 * 1900 FHL film 1303022
 * 1910 FHL film 1374004
 * 1920 FHL film 1842707

Maps are good tools to use with censuses because of the many boundary changes over the years. A publication that shows county boundary changes during census years in Kentucky is Thorndale and Dollarhide’s Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790–1920, cited in the "Maps" section of the United States Research Outline under the subheading "Locating Township and County Boundaries."

Slave Schedules (1850–1860)

Slave schedules for 1850 and 1860 list the names of slave owners but do not normally list the names of the slaves. The numbers of slaves, their sex, and their age ranges are given. Kentucky slave schedules at the Family History Library are cataloged with the population schedules.

Mortality Schedules (1850–1880)

The Kentucky State Archives has mortality schedules, which list persons who died during the 12 months before the 1850 to 1880 federal censuses were taken. In addition to providing the same information about the deceased person that the regular census schedules provided for the living, mortality schedules also state the month of death, cause of death, and the number of days ill. The Family History Library has copies of the schedules:

United States. Bureau of the Census. Federal Mortality Census Schedules and Related Indexes: Kentucky, 1850; 1860; 1870; 1880. National Archives Microfilm Publications, T0655. Washington, DC: National Archives and Record Service, 1962. (FHL films 422419–27)

Veterans Schedules (1840 and 1890)

In the 1840 federal census a listing was made of the Revolutionary War veterans, giving their ages, their residences, and the names of the heads of the household. The following index is available, listing these veterans for all states:

A General Index to a Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Service, 1840. Baltimore, Maryland.: Genealogical Publishing, 1965. (FHL book 973 X2pc 1965 index; fiche 6046771, film 899835) The book with the actual 1840 census information is:

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Service: With Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. Washington DC: Printed by Blair and Rives, 1841. (FHL book 973 X2pc 1840; film 1064759 item 3)

For a list of Kentucky pensioners, see:

Minix, Sharroll K. 1840 Special Federal Census of Kentucky Pensioners of Revolutionary or Military Service. [Salyersville, KY: Magoffin County Historical Society, 1983. (FHL book 976.9 X2mi) The names of the pensioners and heads of the household are listed by county.

In the 1890 census of Kentucky Union Army veterans of the Civil War, the census enumeration was destroyed for about half of the counties. For the remainder of the census, see:

United States. Census Office. 11th Census, 1890. Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0123. Washington, DC: National Archives, 1948. (On 118 FHL films, beginning with 338160) The films for Kentucky are FHL films 338160–2. Each schedule may contain the following information: the veteran’s name (or if he did not survive, the names of both the widow and her deceased husband); rank; company; regiment or vessel; date of enlistment and discharge; length of service in years, months, and days; post office and address; and disabilities incurred. The schedule also contains remarks necessary for a complete statement of his term of service. Many Confederate veterans were accidentally enumerated.

For an index to the 1890 veterans schedules, see:

Dilts, Bryan Lee. 1890 Kentucky Census Index of Civil War Veterans or Their Widows. Salt Lake City, Utah: Index Pub., 1984 (FHL book 976.9 X22d 1890; fiche 6331355) This does not circulate to Family History Centers. This index contains the name of the veteran or his widow, his county of residence, a supervisor’s district, and an enumeration district number.

Special Censuses

Many counties took school censuses at various times between 1888 and 1932 (mostly 1895 to 1910). These list every person in the household. As of June 1999 the Family History Library has copies of school censuses from 18 counties, such as:

Monroe County Kentucky. Clerk of the County Court. School Census, 1893–1903. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. (FHL film 589661) This school census lists the children’s name, age, sex, and parents’ names.

Census Substitutes

Records that identify a person’s place of residence are often used as substitutes for censuses, especially during colonial times, when censuses were not required or when censuses are missing. Some census substitutes include oaths of allegiance and lists of petitioners. Other substitutes for census records are city directories, tax lists, and voting records, which are described in the "Directories," "Taxation," and "Voting Registers" sections. These records may be published as statewide census indexes, which often provide only vague references as to the source of the information indexed.

Other Kentucky census sources can be found in the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

KENTUCKY- CENSUS- [YEAR]- INDEXES

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- CENSUS- [YEAR]- INDEXES

KENTUCKY- CENSUS- [YEAR]

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- CENSUS