Kentucky Descendancy Research

Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.

For more information on census records, see Kentucky Census and United States Census.

Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
Government records, known as civil registration or vital records, were kept in Kentucky effectively statewide beginning in 1910. Kentucky law required counties to record births, marriages, and deaths as early as 1852. Unfortunately, this law was repealed in 1862. Registration was again attempted from 1874 to 1879 and sporadically from 1892 to 1910. Although compliance with the early registration laws was inconsistent, the records which do exist are a good resource for genealogists. They are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names. They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept. Coverage in the earlier years can be incomplete however. In some states, church records were gathered to provide earlier certificates.

Births
 * 1839-1960: at FamilySearch; index only
 * 1847-1911: Kentucky Birth Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1911-1999: Kentucky Birth Index at Ancestry - index only ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)

Marriages
 * 17thc-20thc: US Marriages - Kentucky at Findmypast; index & images ($)
 * 1700-1909: Kentucky Wills, Deeds, and Marriages at Findmypast; index only ($)
 * 1783-1965: Kentucky County Marriages Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1785-1979: at FamilySearch; index only
 * 1795-1850: Northern Kentucky Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1797-1865: Kentucky Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1797-1954: at FamilySearch; index & images
 * 1802-1850: Kentucky Compiled Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1851-1900: Kentucky Compiled Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1852-1914: Kentucky Marriage Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1960-1993: Kentucky Marriages at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1973-1999: Kentucky Marriage Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * Kentucky Marriage Records at Ancestry - index only ($)

Deaths 
 * 1787-1854: Kentucky Obituaries at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1843-1970: at FamilySearch; index only
 * 1852-1965: Kentucky Death Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1900-1999: Kentucky Deaths at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1911-1965: at FamilySearch; index & images
 * 1911-2000: Kentucky Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1935-2014: US Social Security Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1936-2007: US Social Security applications and Claims Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
 * 1962-2014: at FamilySearch; index only ($)
 * Kentucky Death Index at Boyd County Library

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Kentucky, see How to Find Kentucky Birth Records, How to Find Kentucky Marriage Records, and How to Find Kentucky Death Records.

Step 3: '''Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before 1910. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers. - Obituaries
 * 1787-1854 Kentucky Obituaries, 1787-1854 ($)
 * Rootsweb Kentucky Counties Obituary Index
 * Genealogy Buff Obituary Files Scroll down to databases
 * Kentucky Obituary Sources
 * ObitsArchive.com Kentucky
 * 1899-2012 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Cemeteries
 * Find-A-Grave
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * Kentucky Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * Kentucky Cemetery Records at Interment
 * Kentucky Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
 * Online Kentucky Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
 * Jewish Cemeteries in Kentucky at Find-A-Grave
 * Hebrew Cemeteries in Kentucky at Find-A-Grave
 * Kentucky Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project

For more information, see Kentucky Obituaries and Kentucky Cemeteries.

Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Kentucky, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Kentucky, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Step 5: Search any other online records listed in Kentucky Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Kentucky Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Kentucky Online Genealogy Records