Hopkins County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Biographies

 * KY Biographies

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

 * Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases, KYGenWeb
 * Kentucky Court of Justice Research & Reference

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

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:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 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


 * - 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

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
 * Links to research and locate obituaries
 * 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


 * 1774-1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1800-1930 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

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 - Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 at FamilySearch
 * 1852-1861 - Hopkins County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1874 - Hopkins County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free
 * 1874-1876 - Hopkins County Birth Index 1874-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free
 * 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 - Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979 at FamilySearch
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1852-1861 - Hopkins County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free
 * 1875 - Hopkins County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free
 * 1876-1878 - Hopkins County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 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 - Kentucky Deaths and Burials, 1843-1970 at FamilySearch
 * 1911-1965 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1911-2000 - Searchable KY Death Index
 * 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * The Social Security Death Index - Searchable
 * 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

Family History Centers

 * Madisonville Kentucky Family History Center

Societies

 * Hopkins County Genealogical Society 14 Court Street Madisonville,KY 42431 Telephone: 270-327-1876 E-mail: [mailto:hcgs_ky@yahoo.com hcgs_ky@yahoo.com] Website
 * Hopkins County Genealogical Society 31 South Maint St above the library PO BOx 51 Madisonville, KY 42431-0051 Website
 *  Historical Society of Hopkins County 107 Union St Madisonville, KY 42431-2529 Telephone: 270-821-3986 Website
 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Websites

 * Hopkins County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * 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