Harlan County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
Harlan County was named for Silas Harlan. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Harlan County Courthouse 205 Central Street PO Box 956 Harlan, KY 40831-0956 Phone: 606.573.3636 Harlan 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:

Bible Records

 * 1880 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Harlan County Bible Records at Kentucky Bible Archives

Biographies

 * Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Harlan 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, Church Angel
 * Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
 * Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1821-1839 (*); Circuit Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1829-1935 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & 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.


 * Kentucky Court of Justice at KYCourts.gov

African Americans

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

Funeral Homes

 * Anderson Laws & Jones Funeral Home in Harlan.
 * Bianchi Funeral Homes in Harlan.
 * Henson & Rich Funeral Home in Harlan.
 * Johnson Funeral Home in Lynch.
 * Mount Pleasant Funeral Home in Harlan.

Genealogies

 * [Bailey] Armstrong, Zella. Notable Southern Families. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Lookout Publishing Company, 1926. Vol. 3. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * Harlan County, Kentucky. 1934. By Elmon Middleton. Big Laurel, Va. : J. T. Adams & J.T. Adams, II. Online at: Ancestry ($);.
 * A History of Harlan County. c1962. By Mabel Green Condon. Nashville, Tennessee : Parthenon Press. 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

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


 * 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
 * Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

 * Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Periodicals

 * Harlan Mountain Roots. By Harlan Heritage Seekers, Inc. Harlan, Kentucky : Harlan Heritage Seekers, 1986-. ;

Probate Records
'''Online Probate Records


 * 1774-1989 Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1829-1935 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1850-1920 Harlan Co., KY - Index to Will Book 1 at USGenWebArchives
 * 1850-1920 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1866-1942 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1868-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1876-1913 (*); Clerk of the County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1888-1903 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1962-1989 (*); Clerk of the County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Index of KY Harlan Wills Book 1 at USGenWebArchives

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 ($)

Vital Records
Calendar of the Kentucky papers of the Draper Collection of Manuscripts at Ancestry ($)

Birth

 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1852-1861 - Harlan County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874-1875 - Harlan County Birth Index 1874-1875. 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 - Harlan County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1875 - Harlan County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1876-1878 - Harlan 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

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

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Website

Family History Centers

 * Bristol Virginia Family History Center
 * Corbin Kentucky Family History Center
 * Martin Kentucky Family History Center
 * Breathitt County Library - an affiliate library.
 * Washington County Public Library - Virginia (multiple locations) - an affiliate library.

Societies
Genealogical Society of Harlan County P.O. Box 1498 Harlan, KY 40831 Periodical Facebook Harlan Heritage Seekers P.O. Box 853 Harlan, KY 40831 Periodical Kentucky History and Genealogy Network Facebook

Websites

 * Harlan County KYGenWeb
 * Harlan County USGenWeb Archives
 * 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.
 * Harlan County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Harlan 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