Kentucky Research Tips and Strategies

Kentucky Research Strategies
Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Kentucky


 * Kentucky Online Genealogy Records
 * How to find Kentucky Birth Records
 * How to find Kentucky Marriage Records
 * How to find Kentucky Death Records

Kentucky Research Tips
These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Kentucky.


 * Birth information: Statewide registration of births began in 1911 in Kentucky with general compliance by 1917. A helpful substitute record to find birth information is a death record. However, date and place of birth on a death record is considered secondary information, as it was not recorded at the time of the birth event. The birth information should be corroborated with other substitute records to improve accuracy.
 * Finding Parents: Statewide registration of deaths began in 1911 in Kentucky with general compliance by 1917. They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search Kentucky death records
 * Look in all censuses: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.

Kentucky Record Finder
This Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research.

To look for more Kentucky records, go here

Further Kentucky Research
For more research on Kentucky, including research at the county level, visit the Kentucky page on the Research Wiki.

Search all of the Kentucky record collections at FamilySearch.

Bettie Cummings. Genealogical Research in Kentucky. National Genealogical Society Quarterly 97 #1 (March 2009): 39-72. FHL 973 B2ng