Mercer County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
Mercer County was named for Hugh Mercer. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Mercer County Courthouse 235 S Main Street PO Box 426 Harrodsburg, KY 40330-1696 Phone: 859-734-6310 Mercer 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

 * Bible Records of Mercer County Families at Harrodsburg Historical Society ($)
 * Kentucky Bible Records at Access Genealogy
 * Kentucky Bible Records at Kentucky Genealogy
 * Kentucky Bible Records—Mercer County at JStor
 * Mercer County, Kentucky Bibles at USGenWeb Archives
 * Mercer County Kentucky Family Bibles at Genealogy Trails
 * (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Biographies

 * Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Mercer 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
 * The Centennial Celebration and Other Interesting Facts Concerning Old Mud-Meeting House near Harrodsburg, Ky., August 25, 1900. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Baptist
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Shawnee Run. Minutes 1799-1907 are available online.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1780-1934 (*); Court of Quarter Sessions, Circuit and County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1786-1801 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1789-1792 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1789-1798 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1789-1800 (*); District Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1789-1904 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1796-1819 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1830 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Abstracts of Sharp Deeds from Mercer County, Kentucky at Ancestry ($)
 * 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.


 * Kentucky Court of Justice at KYCourts.gov
 * Mercer County, Kentucky: Marriages (1786-1800) and Wills (1786-1801) at Ancestry ($)

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

 * Alexander & Royalty Funeral Home in Harrodsburg.
 * Ransdell Funeral Chapel in Harrodsburg.
 * Sims Funeral Services in Harrodsburg.

Genealogies

 * [Finley] Finley, Carmen J. "John and Mary Finley of Montgomery (Wythe) County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1990):243-255. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * [Finley] Finley, Carmen J. "John Finley of Montgomery/Wythe County, Virginia: Additional Children Identified," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):3-22; Vol. 39, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1995):94-103; Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1995):202-212; Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1995):282-294. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * [Letcher] 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.
 * [McDowell] 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.
 * [Maccoun] Smith, Zachary F. and Mary Rogers Clay. The Clay Family. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Company, 1899. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [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.
 * [Robertson] 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.
 * [Rowland] Petersen, Carol Rowland. Descendants of John Rowland, Son of William Rowland: (Botetourt Co., Va.). Belton, Mo.: C.R. Petersen, 1999. Digital version at.
 * [Taylor] de Graffenried, Thomas Pritchett. History of the de Graffenried Family from 1191 A.D. to 1925. Binghampton, N.Y.: Vail-Ballou Press, 1925. Digital version at Internet Archive - free;.
 * [Taylor] Dennstedt, Albert Marjorie. "Richard and Ann Taylor's Descendants in Maryland and Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1996):29-38; Vol. 40, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1996):134-145; Vol. 40, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1996):199-211; Vol. 40, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1996):282-293. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * [Timmons] Corum, Frank. Captain George Timmons, Fact and Fiction. Hanson, Ky., 1990..
 * [Warner] Reynolds, Lyman Foster. Peter Warner Born Maryland - Fredrick County: Revolutionary War Soldier (with George Washington in Capture of Trenton) to Lincoln County Kentucky 1780's, Children Settled in Kentucky; Lincoln, Garrard, Boyle, Mercer &amp; Washington Counties; Indiana Putnam County. Louisville, Ky.: L.F. Reynolds, 2007.

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * History of Mercer and Boyle Counties. 1924. By Maria T. Daviess. Harrodsburg, Kentucky : Harrodsburg Herald. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust;.
 * Historical Sketch of Mercer County, Ky. (Illustrated). 1904. By A.B. Rue. Harrodsburg, Ky.: Rue. Digital version at University of Kentucky.

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

French and Indian War
 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies a Mercer County veteran; see William Shepherd, page 242.

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


 * - 19th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, 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 ($) — index and images
 * 1784-1808 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1786-1801 Mercer County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1786-1800 : Will Records, 1786-1801. By Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather. Mercer County, Kentucky : Mercer County, Kentucky, n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1786-1923 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1786-1946 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1795 Abstract of the Will of John Berry; Berry Bulletin : A Quarterly Newsletter Dedicated to Berry Surname Genealogical Research - V.12, No.3 Jul/Aug/Sep 1997. By Berry, John; Moore, Gaynelle Jenkins. n.p. : n.p., 1997. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1799-1872 Kentucky Genealogy and Images of Old Wills, Estates, Inventories, Annual Returns, Marriages at Kentucky Pioneers ($)
 * 1812-1826 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1818-1826 Mercer County, Kentucky Will Records : Will Book 7, 1818-1824, Will Book 8, 1825-1826. By Mercer County, Kentucky. Chillicothe, Missouri : E.P. Ellsberry, n.d. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1818-1826 Mercer County, Kentucky Wills 1818-1826 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1865-1916 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

School Records

 * Stephenson, Martha. Education in Harrodsburg and Neighborhood Since 1775. Harrodsburg, Ky.: Harrodsburg Herald, n.d. Digital version at University of Kentucky.

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
Kandie Adkinson's "Researching Early Kentucky Tax Lists: 1792-1840" is a must read. The beginning tax list researcher will find the second half of her article especially helpful and for the serious researcher, she covers the legislation involved in the tax process. She continues her work to 1880 in the 2011 editions of the periodical Kentucky Ancestors.


 * 1787-1790 - 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. . [Sources for this publication are: remnants of the 1787 personal property tax list, 1787 tithable lists, 1787-c1790 insolvent and removed lists, 1786 tobacco inspection petition, 1786-1788 tax list substitutes, and the 1789 personal property tax list. Mercer County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * 1789 - 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 1789 was used." (p. 2)]
 * 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Mercer 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
 * 1852-1859 - Mercer County Birth Index 1852-1859. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874 - Mercer 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
 * 1786-1800 Mercer County, Kentucky: Marriages (1786-1800) and Wills (1786-1801) at Ancestry ($)
 * 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1800-1830 Mercer County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1800-1830 Vol. II-III at Ancestry ($)
 * 1852-1859 - Mercer County Marriage Index 1852-1859. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 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
 * Mercer County, Kentucky Obituary and Death Notices Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. From various funeral homes in the Harrodsburg, Burgin, Bondville, Cornishville, and Salvisa areas.

Divorce

 * 1962-2005 Kentucky, U.S., Divorce Records, 1962-2005 at Ancestry - index ($)

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Sherrod Library, Room 422 344 J L Seehorn Rd Johnson City, TN 37614 Phone: 423-439-4338 Email: [mailto:archives@etsu.edu archives@etsu.edu] Facebook Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Bardstown Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Lebanon Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Lexington Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * The Kentucky Historical Society Library - an affiliate library.
 * Lexington Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Nelson County Public Library - Main Branch - an affiliate library.

Societies
The Harrodsburg Historical Society 220 South Chiles St PO Box 316 Harrodsburg, KY 40330 Phone: 859-325-9028 Email: [mailto:info@harrodsburghistorical.org info@harrodsburghistorical.org] Website

Websites

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