Bell County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
Bell 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:

Bible Records

 * 1806-1837 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Bell County Family Bible Records at KyKinFolk

Biographies

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

Court Records

 * 1867-1903 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1875-1901 (*); Circuit 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
 * Kentucky Minorities has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
 * Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

Funeral Homes

 * Cawood Funeral Home in Middlesboro.
 * Green Hills Funeral Home in Middlesboro.
 * Shumate Funeral Home in Middlesboro.
 * Arnett & Steele Funeral Home Inc. in Pineville.
 * Brooks- Durham Funeral Home in Pineville.

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * History of Bell County, Kentucky. 2 volumes. 1947. By Henry Harvey Fuson. New York, New York : Hobson Book Press. Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library; . Volume 1 is the history of the county.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 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 — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 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 - How to Use this Collection


 * - 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


 * 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
'''Online Probate Records


 * 1774–1989 Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1798-1943  at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1869-1920 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1874-1921 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Wills, Probates, Land, Tax and Criminal at Ancestry ($)

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.

Birth

 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1874 - Bell County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch.
 * 1875 - Bell County Birth Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch
 * Searchable KY Vital Records, Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages
 * 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 — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1875 - Bell County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1876-1878 - Bell County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch
 * Searchable KY Vital Records, Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages
 * 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Death

 * 1843-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1911-1965 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — 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
 * - How to Use this Collection

Divorce

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

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Website

FamilySearch Centers

 * Corbin Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Whitley City Kentucky FamilySearch Center
 * Breathitt County Library - an affiliate library.

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

Websites

 * 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