Hopkins County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
Hopkins County was named for Samuel Hopkins. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hopkins County Courthouse 10 S Main Street PO Box Drawer 737 Madisonville, KY 42431-2064 Phone: 270-821-7361 Hopkins County Website

County Pronunciation

 * Hear it spoken

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

 * Hopkins County, Kentucky Bible Records at Kentucky Genealogy
 * Kentucky Archives Project, Hopkins County at USGenWeb Archives- Kentucky

Biographies

 * Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Hopkins 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

 * Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
 * Census Images, USGenWeb
 * KY Census Online, Links to online census records

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Kentucky Christian Church Directory, ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
 * Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1807-1904 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 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.


 * Deed Book No. 1, 1808-1816, Oder Book No. 1-A, 1807-1808, Hopkins County, Kentucky. 1977. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook and McCulley, Lalla F. Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Hopkins County, Kentucky Marriages; Harris Newsletter - V.1, No.1 (April 1976). 1976. By Walker, Elaine. Post Falls, Idaho : Genealogical Reference Builders. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Hopkins County, Kentucky Minute Book, 1816-1818. 1961. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook and McCulley, Lalla F. Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Hopkins Cunty, Kentucky records : Minute Book 1816-1818. 1976. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook and McCulley, Lalla F. Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Hopkins County, Kentucky Wills, Administrations, and Guardians - 1807-1829, Court Orders - July-Dec., 1815. 1961. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook and McCulley, Lalla F. Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Kentucky Court of Justice at KYCourts.gov

African Americans

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

Funeral Homes

 * Bandy Funeral Home in Nortonville.
 * Barnett Strother Funeral Home in Madisonville.
 * Beshear Funeral Home in Dawson Springs.
 * Elliott Mortuary in Madisonville.
 * Harris Funeral Home in Madisonville.
 * Mason & Sons Funeral Home in Madisonville.
 * Reid-Walters Funeral Home in Earlington.

Genealogies

 * [Anderson] Mills, Elizabeth Shown. "A Case Study in Family Reconstruction Within a 'Burned County,'" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1983):3-19, Vol. 30, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1986):174-187; Vol. 30, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1986):263-273; digital versions at American Ancestors ($); Historic Pathways; reprinted in Genealogy: A Publication of the Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society, No. 78 (July 1983):1-10 (available for free online at Historic Pathways). Digital version also at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Ashby] Ashby, Stephen. Ashby Family, Ky. Wills and Marriages of Hopkins County, Ky. Typescript, 1949.
 * [Baker] Chapman, Peggy Brown. Bakers of Logan, Christian, Muhlenberg, Livingston, Henderson, Hopkins, Caldwell, Union, Todd, Trigg, Crittenden, Lyon, McLean and Webster Counties & Jackson Purchase, Kentucky. Lubbock, Texas: P.B. Chapman, 1995.
 * [Crow] Hecathorn, Ann Austin and Catherine Dulany Austin and Mary Louise Garner. John S. Crow and Nancy W. Hutcheson of Mecklenburg County, Virginia and Hopkins County, Kentucky: A Compliation of Collected Materials Pertaining to Their Ancestors, Their Lives and Their Descendants. [Earlville, Ill.]: A.A. Hecathorn, 1992.
 * [Hampton] Corum, Frank. "The Benefit of an Unusual Name: Charles Chester Colson Hampton," Tidewater Virginia Families: A Magazine of History and Genealogy, Vol. 4, No. 1 (May/June 1995):3-11. . [Discusses Virginia origin of the Hampton family of Hopkins County, Kentucky.]
 * [Henry] Austin, Catherine Dulany and Ann Austin Hecathorn. Joseph Henry and Alvira Crow Henry of Hopkins County, Kentucky and Jefferson County, Illinois. [Earlville, Ill.]: A.A. Hecathorn, 1990.
 * [Rudd] Corum, Frank. The Rudd Family of Hopkins County, Kentucky. Hanson, Ky.: F. Corum, 1991.
 * [Southard] Dugger, Gary D. The Southard Family of Hopkins County, Kentucky. Utica, Ky.: McDowell Publications, 2001. ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * [Timmons] Corum, Frank. Captain George Timmons: Fact and Fiction. Madisonville, Ky.: F. Corum, 1990.
 * [Tunstall] Morris, Whitmore. The First Tunstalls in Virginia, and Some of Their Descendants. San Antonio, Texas: W. Morris, 1950.

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * Early History of Hopkins County. 1958. By Maurice K. Gordon, edited by Helen Baker Pearce. N.p: n.p.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.
 * History of Hopkins County. 1978. By Maurice K. Gordon. [Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County Genealogical Society (Kentucky)]. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library;.

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

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


 * - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Companies I and K.
 * - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Johnson's) (Confederate), Companies I and K
 * - 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Diamond's) (Confederate), Companies I and K

World War I

 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

World War II

 * Historical Society of Hopkins County ; J. Harold Utley, editor, WW II veterans, Hopkins County, Kentucky : biographies and listing. Madisonville, Kentucky : Sprint SP Print, 2005? FS Library 976.9823 M2w

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


 * 1800-1829 Records of Hopkins County, Kentucky : Marriages and Wills in Alphabetical Order, 1800-1829. By Jones, Kathleen Paul and Gandrud, Pauline Myra Jones. Hopkins County, Kentucky : Hopkins County, Kentucky, 1931. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; Also at: 
 * 1800-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1800-1930 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1807-1829 Hopkins County, Kentucky, First Wills and Administrations, 1807-1829, Court Orders, July-December 1815. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook. Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County Genealogical Society, 1971. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1807-1829 Hopkins County, Kentucky Wills, Administrations, and Guardians - 1807-1829, Court Orders - July-Dec., 1815. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook. Madisonville, Kentucky : Hopkins County, Kentucky, 1961. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
 * 1846-1932 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Hopkins County, Kentucky Records. By Cox, Evelyn May Cook and McCulley, Lalla F. Hopkins County, Kentucky : Hopkins County, Kentucky, 1961. Online at:

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

 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)

Birth

 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1852-1861 - Hopkins County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874 - Hopkins County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874-1876 - Hopkins County Birth Index 1874-1876. 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
 * 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1852-1861 - Hopkins County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1875 - Hopkins County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1876-1878 - Hopkins County Marriage Index 1876-1878. 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
 * 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1911-2000 Searchable KY Death Index
 * 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * - How to Use this Collection
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates

Divorce

 * Kentucky Divorces 1973-1993, University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Hopkinsville Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Madisonville Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Morgantown Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Daviess County Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Graves County Public Library - an affiliate library.

Societies
Historical Society of Hopkins County 107 Union St Madisonville, KY 42431-2529 Phone: 270-821-3986 Website Hopkins County Genealogical Society 14 Court Street Madisonville, KY 42431 Phone: 270-327-1876 Email: [mailto:hcgs_ky@yahoo.com hcgs_ky@yahoo.com] Website

Websites

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