Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Shelby County Kentucky Courthouse


Shelby County Courthouse 501 Main Street Shelbyville, KY 40065-1133 Phone: 502.663.4410

Shelby County Kentucky History


The county is named after Kentucky's First Governor Isaac Shelby (1750-1826).

Parent County
1792--Shelby County was created 23 June 1792 from Jefferson County. County seat: Shelbyville

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
 * Franklin
 * Henry
 * Jefferson
 * Oldham
 * Spencer
 * Bullitt
 * Owen

African American Research
The following have information concerning African American research.


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

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.


 * Kentucky Historical Society Cemetery Search can be searched by name, place and/or date. This database has hundreds of thousands of names transcribed from gravestones across Kentucky.
 * 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 Shelby County and links to the information for the individuals buried there,
 * Kentucky Cemeteries lists the national cemeteries in Kentucky with links to their websites. The first link under Online Kentucky Cemeteries goes to the Kentucky section of Interment.net
 * Shelby 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 FamilySearch Catalog lists . Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.
 * ePodunk list of Marion 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.
 * Tombstone Transcription Project ~ Partial transcription of cemetery tombstones ~ USGenWeb
 * 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

Census
1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Shelby 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.


 * 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

 * Baptist Church Records
 * Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
 * Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville
 * Kentucky Christian Church Directory

Court

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

Genealogy

 * [Boswell] Hasskarl, Eula Richardson. The Boswells of Shelby County, Kentucky. Ada, Okla., 1970..
 * [Bush] Skelley, Mildred. The John Bush Family of Washington County, Indiana. 1976..
 * [Cottrell] Edgeworth, M.J. Some Descendants of Rev. Reuben Cottrell, Shelby and Daviess Counties, Kentucky. Microfilmed 1968:.
 * [Figg] Figg, Edward Clarence. Sketches of the Figg Family From 1719 to 1921. Press of Moll &amp; Company, 120 South First Street, Louisville, KY, 1921. Archives.org - free.
 * [Flournoy] Rivers, Flournoy. "The Flournoy Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):81-90; Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1894):190-213; Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1895):318-327; Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):437-447; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1895):67-79; Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1896):414-416; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul. 1896):97-101. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
 * [Gilliland] Weedman, H.N. The Robert and Adam Gilliland Families of Shelby County, Kentucky. St. Louis, Mo.: H.N. Weedman, 1988, 1990..
 * [Graves] Erickson, Emma Louise Graves. Richard and Cynthia Goggins Graves Descendants, Shelby Co., Kentucky, Pulaski Co., Arkansas, Northern California: Side Line of Abraham and John Blue of Nelson Co., Ky., Washington Co., Miss., Chicot Co., Ark. Corvallis, Ore.: E.L. Erickson, 1982..
 * [Gregg] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. ; online bookstore.
 * [Hickman] Fay, Mary Smith. "The Three James Hickmans: Identifying Revolutionary War Veterans," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1997):52-54. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Hollingsworth] Stewart, J. Adger. Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Co., 1925. Digital version at - free.
 * [Holmes] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. ; online bookstore.
 * [Lane] Quackenbush, Nancy. "Some Northern Neck Lanes," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Nov. 1986):3-22. Digital version at Ancestry ($);.
 * [Lee] Scott, Hattie Marshall. Miscellaneous Records on the Lee Family of Shelby, Kentucky, 1798-1871. 2006. Digital version at - free.
 * [Miles] Miles, Samuel Robert. Record of Samuel and Sarah James Miles, about 1740, and Their Descendants. Typescript. Microfilmed 1967:.
 * [Snider] Franklin, James O. Descendants of Jonas Snider and Anna Hostutler Snider, Shelby and Spencer Counties, Kentucky. 1950; reprint 1990s. Digital version at - free.
 * [Truman] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. ; online bookstore.
 * [Young] Davis, Elsie Jean Spry. Descendants of Jacob Young of Shelby County, Kentucky: Including President Harry S. Truman. Coronado, Calif.: E.S. Davis, 1980. Digital version at - free.
 * [Young] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. ; online bookstore.

Land

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * Archives of Appalachia ~ Preserving the history of the people of Appalachia.
 * History of Shelby County, Kentucky at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

Maps

 * Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
 * Kentucky.gov for Current and Historical Maps

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

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

 * KY Postcards 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
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records ~  Ancestry.com  (subscription)
 * Shelby County, Kentucky Wills: 1794-1817 at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

Taxation

 * 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
 * 1852-1862 - Shelby County Birth Index 1852-1862. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1869, 1874-1875 - Shelby County Birth Index 1869, 1874-1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Marriage

 * 1783-1979 - KY Marriage Records ~ KY Marriages 1783 - 1979 ~ Family Search
 * 1795-1878 - Shelby County Marriage Index 1795-1878. Included on several batches at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1792-1800 - Shelby County, Kentucky Marriage Bonds: 1792-1800 at Ancestry.com (Free /$)
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 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
 * 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

Shelby County Kentucky Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Shelby County Historical Society 627 Main Street PO Box 444 Shelbyville KY 40066 Telephone: 502-844-2277 E-mail:[mailto:info@shelbykyhistory.org info@shelbykyhistory.org] Website


 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies
 * Links and address to Kentucky Public Libraries

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Shelby County Kentucky Genealogy Websites

 * Shelby 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.
 * Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Shelby County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
 * Kentucky Genealogy - Guide to Ancestry and Family Tree Records
 * Kentucky Genealogy - Guide to Ancestry and Family Tree Records