Rowan County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
The County was named for John Rowan. The County has Morehead as its seat and the County was created 1856. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Rowan County Courthouse 627 E Main Street Morehead, KY 40351 Phone: 606-784-5212 Rowan County Website

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, Jeff Murphy's Kentucky Biographies Project
 * The Alexander Stewart Family of Rowan County Kentucky

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


 * Rowan 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, The Eastern State Hospital Project
 * 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
 * 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 Rowan County and links to the information for the individuals buried there,
 * ePodunk list of Rowan 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.
 * Access Genealogy-Rowan County Kentucky Cemeteries
 * KYGenWeb Archives Project-Rowan County Cemetery Records
 * Linkpendium-Rowan Co., Cemeteries
 * Rowan County Cemeteries
 * Kentucky Cemeteries

Census Records
1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Rowan 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.


 * Linkpendium Census Records &amp; Indexes- Rowan County Kentucky
 * Rowan County Census Records
 * Rowan County Genealogy Trails-1870 Census Index
 * Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
 * Census Images, USGenWeb
 * KY Census Online, Links to online census records

Church Records

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

Court Records

 * Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases, KYGenWeb
 * Kentucky Court of Justice Research &amp; Reference
 * Kentucky Court of Justice-Rowan County Office of the Circuit Court Clerk

African Americans

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

Genealogies

 * Rowan County Family Pages
 * Relatives of Truby Petitt &amp; Florence Hall of Rowan County, Kentucky
 * Sorted by Name, Rowan County, Kentucky

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * Rowan County Kentucky History Records
 * Wikipedia-Rowan County, Kentucky

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
 * 1895 U.S. Atlas- Rowan County Kentucky 1895

Military Records

 * Military Resources, Revolutionary War through Civil War
 * USGenWeb Archives Project-Rowan County Kentucky Military Records

Revolutionary War

 * List of Revolutionary War Pensioners

Civil War

 * 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

Korean War

 * Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb

Vietnam War

 * Rowan County Genealogy Trails Vietnam War Casualties

Newspapers

 * The Morehead News
 * Rowan County Bulletin
 * 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
 * 1853-1971 have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

Tax Records

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

Vital Records
KYGenWeb Archives Project-Rowan County Vital Records

Birth

 * 1839-1960 - at FamilySearch
 * 1856-1861 - Rowan County Birth Index 1856-1861. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1874-1875 - Rowan County Birth Index 1874-1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875-1876 - Rowan County Birth Index 1875-1876. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1911-1912 - Searchable KY Birth Index
 * Rowan County Births

Marriage

 * 1609-2016 - Kentucky, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1785-1979 - at FamilySearch
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1856-1859 - Rowan County Marriage Index 1856-1859. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875 - Rowan County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1876-1878 - Rowan County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1973-2000 - Searchable KY Marriage Records
 * 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973-2000
 * Kentucky Marriage Project-Rowan County
 * Rowan County Marriages

Death

 * 1843-1970 - at FamilySearch - index
 * 1911-1965 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1911-2000 - Searchable KY Death Index
 * - Searchable
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates
 * Rowan County Deaths

Divorce

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

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Libraries

 * Rowan County Public Library 185 East First Street Morehead, KY 40351 Phone: 606-784-7137

Societies

 * Rowan County Historical Society PO Box 60 Morehead, KY 40351 Website
 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Websites

 * Rowan County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Rowan County KYGenWeb
 * KYGenWeb Archives-Rowan County
 * 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.
 * KYGenWeb-Rowan County
 * Rowan County KY Genealogy Forum
 * Rowan County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Rowan 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