Step-by-Step Kentucky Research, 1850-1910

Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :


 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History at ThoughtCo.com
 * Creating Oral Histories at FamilySearch Wiki

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.



Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Kentucky Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.

Example of a death index entry.



Death Indexes

 * 1787-1854 Kentucky, U.S., Obituaries, 1787-1854 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1843-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1852-1965 Kentucky, U.S., Death Records, 1852-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1911-1967 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1911-2000 Kentucky, U.S., Death Index, 1911-2000 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1935-2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($); Picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off by providing information filed in the application or claims process
 * 1962-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * Kentucky Death Index Search at TheBookPlace — index
 * Online Kentucky Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
 * Where to Write for Kentucky Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at


 * 1935-2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($); Picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off by providing information filed in the application or claims process
 * 1962-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituaries

 * 1787-1854 Kentucky, U.S., Obituaries, 1787-1854 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Kentucky Genealogy Data at GenealogyBuff — index
 * Kentucky Obituaries at ObitsArchive.com — index & images ($)
 * Kentucky Obituary Sources at KYGenWeb — index

Cemeteries

 * 1933-1990 U.S., Tennessee Valley Cemetery Relocation Files, 1933-1990 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * BillionGraves — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Findmypast ($)
 * FindaGrave — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * Kentucky Cemeteries at I Dream of Genealogy — index
 * Kentucky Cemeteries at USGenWeb Tombstones — index
 * Kentucky Cemeteries Database at Kentucky Historical Society — index & images
 * Kentucky Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy — index
 * Kentucky Cemetery Records at LDS Genealogy — index
 * Kentucky Death Records and Kentucky Cemetery Records at Interment.net — index
 * Online Kentucky Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index

For more information, see Kentucky Obituaries and Kentucky Cemeteries.



Step 4: Search for county birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1911. Prior to that the individual counties kept some records. The starting dates of those records vary from county to county, depending on when the county was formed.'''

Online Records
Births (and Deaths)
 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1847-1911 Kentucky, U.S., Birth Records, 1847-1911 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1911-1999 Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911-1999 at Ancestry — index & images ($); Also at: MyHeritage ($)

Marriages


 * 1700-1909 Kentucky, Wills, Deeds, and Marriages, 1700-1909 (Published 1929) at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1781-1865 Kentucky Marriage Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1785-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1795-1850 Northern Kentucky Marriages, 1795-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1797-1865 Kentucky Marriages, 1797-1865 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1797-1954 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1802-1850 Kentucky, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1802-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1851-1900 Kentucky, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1851-1900 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1852-1914 Kentucky, U.S., Marriage Records, 1852-1914 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage — index ($)
 * 1973-1999 Kentucky, U.S., Marriage Index, 1973-1999 at Ancestry — index ($)

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Kentucky Counties.

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Kentucky, see How to Find Kentucky Birth Records, How to Find Kentucky Marriage Records, and How to Find Kentucky Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card.

- Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Kentucky Military Records.
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Step 6: Look for church records.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.

 * 1785-1979 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1818-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1843-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

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 * For help with church records kept in Kentucky, see Kentucky Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * 1700-1909 Kentucky, Wills, Deeds, and Marriages, 1700-1909 (Published 1929) at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1727-1990 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1774-1989 Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * (*) Junie Estelle Stewart King at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * Kentucky Will Index : Vol. 2, by Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry. Chillicothe, Missouri : E.P. Ellsberry, n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: (*)
 * Online Kentucky Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Kentucky county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Kentucky Counties

For more information, see Kentucky Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Kentucky Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records


 * 1500-Onward All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry — index & images; includes those with destination of Kentucky ($); Also at: MyHeritage ($)
 * 1850-1895 (*) Lucy Rearden Bender at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage — index & images; includes those with destination of Kentucky ($)
 * 1895-1960 U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1904-1944 U.S., Index to Alien Arrivals at Canadian Atlantic and Pacific Seaports, 1904-1944 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Cultural Groups

 * 1812 British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Kentucky
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage  — index ($) ; includes those with destination of Kentucky
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Kentucky
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage — index ($); includes those with destination of Kentucky

Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)

Kentucky Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records


 * 1906-1991 Kentucky, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1906-1991 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

For more information, see Kentucky Emigration and Immigration and Kentucky Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * 1700-1909 Kentucky, Wills, Deeds, and Marriages, 1700-1909 (Published 1929) at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1773-1780 Early Kentucky Land Records, 1773-1780 at Genealogy Trails — index
 * 1782-1924 Kentucky, U.S., Land Grants, 1782-1924 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1850-1880 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1934-1953 U.S., Tennessee Valley, Family Removal and Population Readjustment Case Files, 1934-1953 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Kentucky Court and Other Records, Vol. I at Ancestry — index & images ($); Also at: 
 * Kentucky Court and Other Records, Vol. II at Ancestry — index & images ($); Also at: 


 * The Kentucky Land Office has information and links to many land record collections. Select Land Office from menu, then Military Registers & Land Records and Non-Military Registers & Land Records. Some of these collections with additional links are also listed below under Land Grants.

For more information, see Kentucky Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Kentucky; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"


 * Google Books. Use keywords "Kentucky" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * County and Town Histories
 * Internet Archive. Use keywords "Kentucky" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Kentucky and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * 1800-1899 Kentucky Biographical Encyclopedia, 19th Century at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1896 Kentucky Biographical Dictionary, 1896 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians, by E. Polk Johnson. Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1912. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust
 * A Sesqui-Centennial History of Kentucky, by Hambleton Tapp. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: Historical Record Association, n.d. Online at: HathiTrust
 * Collins Historical Sketches of Kentucky, History of Kentucky, by Lewis Collins and Richard H. Collins. Covington, KY: Collins and Co., 1874. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust
 * County and Town Histories, Kentucky at LearnWebSkills — index & images
 * History of Kentucky, by William Elsey Connelley and E. M. Coulter. Chicago and New York: American Historical Society, 1922. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust; Vol. 4 - HathiTrust; Vol. 5 - HathiTrust
 * Notable Men of Kentucky at the Beginning of the 20th Century (1901-1902), by Ben LaBree. Louisville, KY: Geo. G Fetter Printing Co., 1902. Online at: HathiTrust

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Kentucky, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Kentucky, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Kentucky Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Kentucky Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Kentucky Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Kentucky Online Genealogy Records

Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Kentucky.
This article focused more on Kentucky state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Kentucky. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.