Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogy

United States &gt; Kentucky &gt; Muhlenberg County

Parent County
1798--Muhlenberg County was created 14 December 1798 from Logan and Christian Counties. County seat: Greenville

Variant Spellings

 * Muhlenburg
 * Muhlenburgh

Neighboring Counties

 * Butler
 * Christian
 * Hopkins
 * Logan
 * McLean
 * Ohio
 * Todd

African American Research
The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:


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

Biographies

 * KY Biographies ~ Jeff Murphy's Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries
Kentucky cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.


 * Muhlenberg Co. KY USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks.
 * The KY Historical Society’s Cemetery Database
 * African American Cemeteries Online ~ Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions
 * Naming the Forgotten ~ Naming the Forgotten - The Eastern State Hospital Project
 * Kentucky Cemeteries lists the national cemeteries in Kentucky with links to their web sites. The first link under Online Kentucky Cemeteries goes to the Kentucky section of Interment.net
 * Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness Local volunteers may take photographs of headstones found in county cemeteries.
 * Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried. Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.
 * Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Muhlengerg County and links to the information for the individuals buried there,
 * The Family History Library Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Muhlengerg County. Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.
 * ePodunk list of Muhlengerg County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.
 * Marion Hammers published a 4-volume comprehensive survey of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky cemeteries in the 1970s: Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Cemeteries, Vols. 1-4.

Census

 * USGenWeb Census Project ~ Kentucky Census Transcriptions  1850 - 1930
 * The USGenWeb Census Images ~ The USGenWeb Census Images Project
 * Kentucky Census Transcriptions ~ The USGenWeb Census Project
 * Census Online ~ Census Online

Church

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

Court
Records of several courts are available at the Muhlenberg County Courthouse. Some of these records have been microfilmed and are available through the Family History Library, while others have been published.

County Court Orders

A transcription of Volume 1 of the Court Order Books is online at U.S. Genweb. Click here.

Brenda Collier Doss has published and indexed the first two County Court Order Books: Vol. 1, 1799-1804 and Vol. 2, 1804-1815. Marion Hammers' genealogical abstracts of county court orders appear as serial articles in the Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogical Society's journal The Muhlenberg County Heritage. Journal volumes are individually indexed.

Circuit Court Orders

Brenda Collier Doss has published and indexed the first Circuit Court Order Book: Vol. 1, 1803-1807.
 * Abstracts of Early KY Court Cases Abstracts of Early Supreme Court Cases ~ KYGenWeb Special Project
 * Kentucky Court of Justice Research & Reference

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

Muhlenberg County Libraries Local History Annex in Greenville, Kentucky ph# 270-338-5388 has many published histories of local families. In addition, a unique collection of family files regarding local families (arranged by surname), is available for public searches.


 * Young, Laurie M. Family Notes on Keith, Lott, Sketoe, Donahoo and Arnold of Muhlenberg: Lear and Sheffield of Christian, Todd and Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; Smith and Beck, Spencer County, Indiana; Moffitt, Randolph County, North Carolina, Perry, Hickman and Humphries Co., Tn. Boise, Idaho: L.M. Young, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 K269y.

Bibliography


 * [Beadnell] Anderson, Bobby. Beadnell. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B358ab.
 * [Buchanan] Anderson, Bobby. Buchanan. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 B852a.
 * [Clark] Anderson, Bobby. The Sam Clark Family. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 C549ab.
 * [Davis] Anderson, Bobby. The Davises of Jesse and Charity. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D294a.
 * [Doss] Murphy, Nathan W. Descendants of Azariah Doss and His Wife Lydia (Ayres) Doss. Hanson, Ky.: David W. Murphy and Associates, 1998. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 D741m.
 * [Finley] Anderson, Bobby. The Finleys: Francis Yank and Tommy Reb. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 F496ab.
 * [Fleming] Anderson, Bobby. The Fleming Family. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 F629ab.
 * [Free] Anderson, Bobby. Free Family. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 6249.
 * [Greenwood] Anderson, Bobby. The Greenwoods of Muhlenberg County. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 G856a.
 * [Hoskinson] Anderson, Bobby. The Hoskinson Family. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 H793a.
 * [McClellan] Anderson, Bobby. McClellan-- The Longest Name?. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 6259; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.
 * [McFarland] Anderson, Bobby. McFarland. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 6258.
 * [Matherly] Anderson, Bobby. Matherly/Matherlee: The Family of John Woodford Matherly (1829-1894). Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 199-?. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 A1 no. 7812.
 * [Nanney] Anderson, Bobby. The Nanney Families. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 N155a.
 * [Penrod] Anderson, Bobby. The Penrod Family: The Family of Tobias Penrod of Mud River. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 P386a.
 * [Ryan] Anderson, Bobby. Ryan: Captain James Buckner Ryan. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 R955a.
 * [Skipworth] Anderson, Bobby Neil. Skipworth: A Genealogy, Backward and Forward, of the W.P. Skipworth Family with Related Carver Lines. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B.N. Anderson, 1990. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Sk36a.
 * [Sumner] Anderson, Bobby. Sumner. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 Su66ab.
 * [Whitney] Anderson, Bobby. Whitney. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W611a.
 * [Wood] Anderson, Bobby. Wood: The Family of Joseph Wood. Goodlettsville, Tenn.: B. Anderson, 1991. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 W85ab; digital version at BYU Family History Archives.

Land
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Muhlenberg County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Deed Book 1: 1799-1807
 * 2) Deed Book 2: 1807-1814
 * 3) Deed Book 3: 1809-1813
 * 4) Deed Book 4: 1813-1817
 * 5) Deed Book 5: 1817-1823
 * 6) Deed Book 6: 1823-1828
 * 7) Deed Book 7: 1828-1832

Brenda Collier Doss has published abstracts of Deed Books 1-14 (1798-1850).
 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories
Otto Rothert's 1913 A History of Muhlenberg County is available online. The volume is indexed and can be keyword searched using Google Books search.
 * ~ The Archives of Appalachia

Maps

 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site

Military

 * Military Resources ~ Revolutionary War through Civil War
 * Korean War Memorial Korean War Memorial for Soliders from KY ~ KYGenWeb
 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY ~ Fallen Soldiers in WWI from Kentucky

Two genealogical abstracts of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Revolutionary War Pensions have been published:

1. The Muhlenberg County Heritage, Vol. 1 (1978).

2. Annie W.B. Bell, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Pension Records: Abstracts of Pension Papers of Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Indian Wars Residing in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky (n.p.: n.p., n.d.).

Miscellaneous

 * Kentucky Postcards ~ The USGenWeb Archives Penny Postcard Project
 * The KYGenWeb Footsteps ~ The Kentucky Footsteps Archives ~ KYGenWeb Special Project

Newspapers

 * Kentucky News -  Kentucky Newspaper Index with links
 * Another Kentucky Newspaper Index with links
 * Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm  -   Kentucky Newspapers Available On Microfilm

Obituaries

 * KY Footsteps Archives ~ KY Footsteps List Archives - thousands of obituaries here ~ KYGenWeb Project
 * KY Obituary Sources ~ Kentucky Obituary Sources ~ Compiled by the KYGenWeb Project
 * Links to research and locate obituaries
 * Browning Genealogy Database ~ The Browning Genealogy Database - A Collection of Obituaries Compiled by Charles Browning.
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Kentucky Obituary Project
 * 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 Advocate ~ Death Abstracts from the Nashville Christian Advocate

Probate
Wills

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Muhlenberg County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Will Book 1: 1801-1814
 * 2) Will Book 2: 1814-1829
 * 3) Will Book 3: 1831-1877

Marion Hammers' Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Abstracts of Wills and Administrations (1799-1877) covers probate records found in will books. Available at FHL.

Administrations

Marion Hammers' serial articles of genealogical abstracts of county court orders in the Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogical Society's journal The Muhlenberg County Heritage cover hundreds of probate administrations not found in will books. The journal volumes are individually indexed.

Vital Records

 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project Transcriptions of and Images of KY Death Certificates - A Work in Progress ~ The KY Vital Records Project
 * KY Births & Christenings ~ Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 	Family Search
 * KY Deaths & Burials ~ KY Deaths & Burials 1843 - 1970
 * KY Marriage Records ~ KY Marriages 1783 - 1979 ~ Family Search
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths & Marriages
 * Kentucky Marriage Records 1973 - 2000  ~ Kentucky Marriage Records - 1973 - 2000
 * KY Divorces 1973 - 1993 ~ Kentucky Divorce Records 1973 - 1993 ~ University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases
 * The Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index - Searchable

Ancestry.com a subscription web site has Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1852-1953 indexed with images. Death records are complete for Muhlenberg County for the years 1911-1953 and many earlier years also survive.

Muhlenberg County Libraries Local History Annex Greenville, Kentucky ph# 270-338-5388 has access to many Kentucky birth and death records as well as Muhlenberg marriages. Also much more. Library workers are glad to do look-ups for a fee. I can also do look-ups free but am not as competent as the workers. my e-mail address is: sandralatham@hotmail.com

Societies and Libraries

 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Web Sites

 * Muhlenberg County KYGenweb
 * KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
 * State of Kencucky Website
 * USGenWeb Kentucky Archives ~ Kentucky in the USGenWeb Archives ~ Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records.
 * The USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog
 * Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)