Bell County, Kentucky Genealogy

Guide to Bell 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 Joshua Fry Bell. The County is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Bell County Courthouse Courthouse Square, Floor 1 PO Box 156 Pineville, KY 40977 Phone: 606-337-6143 Bell 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

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Bell county cemeteries.


 * Cemeteries in Kentucky database gives directions to cemeteries in Bell county.
 * Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
 * Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project

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


 * 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
 * History of the Bell County Association of Baptists: Over a Quarter of a Century of Growth, 1896-1922

Court Records

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

African Americans

 * The KY African American Griots Project
 * Kentucky Minorities has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
 * Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * The Archives of Appalachia

Maps and Gazetteers

 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site

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


 * - 1st Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles (Confederate). Company E.
 * - Fields' Company, Kentucky Partisan Rangers (Confederate), Company E

World War I

 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

Korean War

 * Korean War Memorial, 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
 * Middlesboro Daily News (Middlesboro, Kentucky) at Ancestry ($)

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, (Ancestry) Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function
 * Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

 * Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records

 * 1869-1920 - has been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records at Ancestry ($)

'''Online Probate Records


 * 1774–1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images

Birth

 * 1839-1960 - Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960, at Family Search
 * 1874 - Bell County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875 - Bell County Birth Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Searchable KY Vital Records, Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Marriage

 * 1609-2016 - Kentucky, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1783-1979 - Kentucky Marriages 1783-1979 at Family Search
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1875 - Bell County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1876-1878 - Bell County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Searchable KY Vital Records, Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Death

 * 1843-1970 - Kentucky Deaths and Burials 1843-1970 at FamilySearch
 * 1911-1965 - at FamilySearch — index
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of KY Death Certificates
 * Searchable KY Vital Records, Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Divorce

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

Societies
Bell County Historical Society 207 North 20th Street Middlesboro, KY 40965 Telephone: 606-242-0005 Website

Websites

 * Bell County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Bell County TXGenWeb
 * KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
 * State of Kentucky Website
 * USGenWeb Kentucky Archives
 * Bell County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History(Linkpendium)
 * Bell 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