Woodford County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

Description
Woodford County was named for William Woodford. The county is located in the northeast-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Woodford County Courthouse 103 S Main Street Versailles, KY 40383 Phone: 859.873.3421 Woodford 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

 * Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries
The following web sites have additional information on Woodford 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
1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Woodford 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.


 * 1790 - Lost, but a substitute is available, see Taxation.
 * 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

Baptist
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Glen's Creek. Church minutes (1801-1868) exist.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1789-1929 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1790-1853 (*); Circuit Court and County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1889-1937 (*); Fiscal 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

 * 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

 * [Ashby] Crozier, William Armstrong. The Buckners of Virginia and the Allied Families of Strother and Ashby. New York: The Genealogical Association, 1907. Digital version at Google Books - free.
 * [Blackburn] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Blanton] Peters, Norman R. "Benjamin Robinson of Caroline County, VA. But Not the Clerk!" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2004):57-75; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2004):120-139. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * [Buford] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Dale] Daniels, Almon E. A Workbook on the Dale Families of Virginia: With Particular Reference to the Branch Which Moved from the Northern Neck of Virginia to Woodford County, Kentucky and with Notes on the Related Families of Dodson, Goad, Hanks, Phillips, Sydnor, etc. Arlington, Va.: A. E. Daniels, 1958.
 * [Dawkins] Prewitt, Lela Wolfe. The Dawkins and Stewart Families of Virginia and Kentucky. [Fairfield, Iowa: Prewitt], 1968..
 * [Flournoy] Rivers, Flournoy. "The Flournoy Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):81-90; Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1894):190-213; Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1895):318-327; Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):437-447; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1895):67-79; Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1896):414-416; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul. 1896):97-101. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
 * [Holman] Utermohlen, William J. The Holman Family of Kent County, Maryland and Woodford County, Kentucky: A Preliminary Study. Alexandria, Va.: W.J. Utermohlen, 1993.
 * [Hughes] Miller, Margaret Hardwick and Fredna Tweedt Irvine. Rowland Hughes (1756-1809); Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Woodford and Logan counties, Kentucky. Typescript, Mendocino County Historical Society, Ukiah, Calif. Microfilmed 1990:.
 * [Lee] Hall, Newman Arnold. "Allerton of Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1988):83-92; Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1988):171-178; Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1988):287-296; Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1989):13-18; Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1989):94-102; Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1989):175-180. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * [McCord] McCord Collection of Family Papers (Woodford Co., Ky Families) McCord &amp; Related Families. MSS., Woodford County Historical Society, Versailles, Ky. Microfilmed 1990:
 * [Minter] Harper, Lillie DuPuy VanCulin. Colonial Men and Times: Containing the Journal of Col. Daniel Trabue, Some Account of His Ancestry, Life and Travels in Virginia and the Present State of Kentucky During the Revolutionary Period; the Huguenots, Genealogy, with Brief Sketches of the Allied Families. Philadelphia, Pa.: Innes &amp; Sons, 1916. Digital version at Internet Archive;.
 * [Pittman] Harper, Lillie DuPuy VanCulin. Colonial Men and Times: Containing the Journal of Col. Daniel Trabue, Some Account of His Ancestry, Life and Travels in Virginia and the Present State of Kentucky During the Revolutionary Period; the Huguenots, Genealogy, with Brief Sketches of the Allied Families. Philadelphia, Pa.: Innes &amp; Sons, 1916. Digital version at Internet Archive;.
 * [Robinson] Peters, Norman R. "Benjamin Robinson of Caroline County, VA. But Not the Clerk!" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2004):57-75; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2004):120-139. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
 * [Shipp] Sanders, Walter R. The Shipp Genealogy from Essex, Caroline, Fa[u]quier Counties, Virginia, to Green, Taylor, Woodford, Jefferson, Fayette, Christian, Bourbon, Scott, Owen, Counties, Kentucky, and Johnson Counties, Indiana. 1946.
 * [Stevenson] Stevenson, Margaretta. Stevenson Family History: From the Eastern Shore of Maryland (Old Somerset, Renamed Worcester County) to Woodford County, Kentucky to Putnam County, Indiana with Allied Families. New York: Margaretta Stevenson, 1985.
 * [Strother] Owen, Thomas McAdory, "William Strother of Virginia and His Descendants," Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Apr. 1898):149-173. Digitized by Internet Archive.
 * [Strother] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009..
 * [Sublett] Harper, Lillie DuPuy VanCulin. Colonial Men and Times: Containing the Journal of Col. Daniel Trabue, Some Account of His Ancestry, Life and Travels in Virginia and the Present State of Kentucky During the Revolutionary Period; the Huguenots, Genealogy, with Brief Sketches of the Allied Families. Philadelphia, Pa.: Innes &amp; Sons, 1916. Digital version at Internet Archive;.
 * [Taylor] Hall, Newman Arnold. "Allerton of Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1988):83-92; Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1988):171-178; Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1988):287-296; Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1989):13-18; Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1989):94-102; Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1989):175-180. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($)..
 * [Taylor] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009..
 * [Trabue] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Violett] Dean, H. Clark. "Thornton Violett: Two Men or One?" National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 91 (March 2003):31-39.
 * [Wilson] McCrary, Patti Sue. Wilson Families in Cumberland County, Virginia, and Woodford County, Kentucky: With Correspondence and Other Papers, 1785-1849. Westminster, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 2005.
 * [Witherspoon] Witherspoon, Martinette Viley. My Ancestors: A Brief Account of the Ancestry of Lister Witherspoon and His Wife Martinette Viley of Woodford County, Kentucky. Washington, D.C.: C.H. Potter, 1922.

Land and Property Records

 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories

 * History of Woodford County. 1928. By William Edward Railey. Frankfort, Kentucky : Roberts Printing Co.  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($);.

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 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 ($) — index and images
 * 1798-1943  at FamilySearch  - How to Use this Collection
 * 1789-1815 Kentucky Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates, Distributions, Inventories, Guardianships, Bk A
 * 1796-1807 Kentucky Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates, Distributions, Inventories, Guardianships, Bk B
 * 1806-1812 Kentucky Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates, Distributions, Inventories, Guardianships, Bk C
 * 1812-1815 Kentucky Pioneers ($) Images of Wills, Estates, Distributions, Inventories, Guardianships, Bk D
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records at Ancestry ($)

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.

Tax Records

 * 1790 - Heinemann, Charles B. "First Census" of Kentucky 1790. Washington, D.C.: n.p., 1940. 1981 reprint: ; digital version at Kentucky Kinfolks. ["2 volumes of 1790 were used." (p. 2)]
 * 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Woodford County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
 * Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records at Ancestry ($)

Birth

 * 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1852-1861 - Woodford County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874 - Woodford County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1875-1876 - Woodford County Birth Index 1875-1876. 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
 * 1788-1851 - Record of Marriages, Woodford County, Kentucky for the Period of Years 1788 to 1851 Inclusive. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;  index and images
 * 1852-1862 - Woodford County Marriage Index 1852-1862. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1874-1876 - Woodford County Marriage Index 1874-1876. Batch at FamilySearch
 * 1876-1877 - Woodford County Marriage Index 1876-1877. 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- index
 * 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
 * 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1911-2000 Searchable KY Death Index
 * - How to Use this Collection
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates

Divorce

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

Archives
Archives of Appalachia East Tennessee State University Website

Family History Centers

 * Bardstown Kentucky Family History Center
 * Lexington Kentucky Family History Center
 * The Kentucky Historical Society Library - an affiliate library.
 * Lexington Public Library - an affiliate library.
 * Nelson County Public Library - Main Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Woodford County Library 115 North Main Street Versailles, KY 40383 Phone: 859-873-5191 Website Multiple locations

Societies
Woodford County Historical Society 121 Rose Hill Ave Versailles, KY 400383 Phone: 859-873-6786 Email: [mailto:woodford@qx.net woodford@qx.net] Website

Websites

 * KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
 * State of Kentucky Website
 * USGenWeb Kentucky Archives
 * Linkpendium
 * Woodford 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