Nelson County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Nelson County Kentucky Courthouse


Nelson County Courthouse 113 E Stephen Foster Ave; Bardstown, KY 40004 Phone:. 502.348.1820

Parent County
1784--Nelson County was created 18 October 1784 from Jefferson County. County seat: Bardstown

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Kentucky county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Kentucky County Boundary Maps" (1776-1939) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Anderson
 * Bullitt
 * Hardin
 * Larue
 * Marion
 * Spencer
 * Washington

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
The following web sites have additional information on Nelson county cemeteries.


 * Interment.net Kentucky cemetery records by county.


 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions


 * Naming the Forgotten ~ Naming the Forgotten - The Eastern State Hospital Project


 * Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness Local volunteers may take photographs of headstones found in county cemeteries.


 * ePodunk list of Nelson 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.

Census
1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Nelson County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Kentucky Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes.

See Kentucky Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.

1790 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.


 * 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

 * Abstracts of Early KY Court Cases Abstracts of Early Supreme Court Cases ~ KYGenWeb Special Project
 * Kentucky Court of Justice Research &amp; Reference

Genealogy
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

 * Sterner, Pauline L. The Ancestry of the Families in Hancock County, Ohio of Alge, Beck, Schaller, Sterner and Weitz and Batcheldor, Clark, Cole and Lilly in Nelson County, Kentucky. Findlay, Ohio: P.L. Sterner, 1976.

Land

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * ~ The Archives of Appalachia

Maps

 * Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site

Military

 * Military Resources ~ Revolutionary War through Civil War

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — 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 — index and images

Confederate soldiers
 * - 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry, Company I.
 * - 9th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry, Company I.

Union soldiers
 * - 1st Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry, Companies A, B, E and I.
 * - 1st Regiment, Kentucky Veteran Cavalry (Wolford's Cavalry), Company A.
 * - 15th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * - 28th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry, Companies B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I.

World War I

 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY ~ Fallen Soldiers in WWI from Kentucky

Korean War

 * Korean War Memorial Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY ~ KYGenWeb

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
Online Probate Records


 * 1774 – 1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1727 – 1990 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1785-1926 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Nelson 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: 1785-1790, Will Book 1A: 1790-1801
 * 2) Will Books B-C: 1802-1828

Taxation

 * 1785-1796 - Schroeder, Margaret Johnson and Carl A. Schroeder. Residents of Nelson County, Virginia (now Kentucky) Recorded in Tithable and Tax Lists. [1785-1796] 4 vols. Bardstown, Ky.: Schroeder, 1988. . Volume 1 (1785-1791) is online at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1787 - 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. Available at . [Sources for this publication are 1787 personal property tax lists and 1787 tithable lists. Nelson County is included in Vol. 2.]
 * 1792 - Heinemann, Charles B. "First Census" of Kentucky 1790. Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1940. 1981 reprint: ; digital version at Kentucky Kinfolks. ["1 volume of 1792 was used." (p. 2)]
 * 1800 - 1800 Tax List of is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).

Vital Records
See also How to order Kentucky Vital Records

Birth

 * 1839-1960 - KY Births and Christenings ~ Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 Family Search
 * 1852-1861 - Nelson County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1874 - Nelson County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875 - Nelson County Birth Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Marriage

 * 1609-2016 - Kentucky, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1783-1979 - KY Marriage Records ~ KY Marriages 1783 - 1979 ~ Family Search
 * 1785-1815 - Nelson County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1785-1815 at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1852-1861 - Nelson County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875-1876 - Nelson County Marriage Index 1875-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1876-1878 - Nelson County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973 - 2000  ~ Kentucky Marriage Records - 1973 - 2000
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Death

 * 1843-1970 - KY Deaths and Burials ~ KY Deaths and Burials 1843 - 1970
 * 1911-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project Transcriptions of and Images of KY Death Certificates - A Work in Progress ~ The KY Vital Records Project
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages
 * The Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index - Searchable

Divorce

 * 1973-1993 - KY Divorces 1973 - 1993 ~ Kentucky Divorce Records 1973 - 1993 ~ University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases

Nelson County Kentucky Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Nelson County Genealogical Roundtable PO Box 409 Bardstown, KY 40004 Website

Ancestral Trails Historical Society PO Box 1796 Elizabethtown, KY 42702-1796 Telephone: 270-982-0881


 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Nelson County Kentucky Genealogy Websites

 * Nelson County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
 * State of Kentucky 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.
 * Nelson County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Nelson County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
 * Nelson County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)