Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogy

Guide to Muhlenberg County, Kentucky ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Muhlenberg County was created as Kentucky’s 34th county from Logan and Christian Counties on 14 December 1798 with the county seat in Greenville. With a total area of 479 square miles, Muhlenberg County is located in the Southwest area of Kentucky, near the Tennessee border. Importantly, Lake Malone and Green River provide the main sources of water to the county. Of great importance economically, there has been a significant amount of coal in the area. Additionally the Great Awakening, an early-American Christian revival movement, swept through Kentucky during the early 1800s.

Muhlenberg County Kentucky Courthouse
Muhlenberg County Courthouse 100 S Main Street PO Box 525 Greenville, KY 42345-0525 Phone: 270.338.1441

Parent County
1798--Muhlenberg County was created 14 December 1798 from Logan and Christian Counties. County seat: Greenville

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Kentucky county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Kentucky County Boundary Maps" (1776-1939) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

County Pronunciation

 * Hear it spoken

Variant Spellings

 * Muhlenbergh
 * Muhlenburg
 * Muhlenburgh

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Butler
 * Christian
 * Hopkins
 * Logan
 * McLean
 * Ohio
 * Todd

African American Research
The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:


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

Biographies

 * KY Biographies ~ Jeff Murphy's Kentucky Biographies Project

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


 * Interment.net Kentucky cemetery records by county.


 * Cemetery Junction ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions


 * Naming the Forgotten ~ Naming the Forgotten - The Eastern State Hospital Project


 * ePodunk list of Muhlengerg County cemeteries gives the names of the cemeteries in the county with a link to more information such as address, phone number, and web site.
 * Marion Hammers published a 4-volume comprehensive survey of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky cemeteries in the 1970s: , Vols. 1-4.

Census
When searching for your ancestors in the census:

1. Search for variances in the spelling of given names and surnames.

2. Search for the family in surrounding counties and when needed, broaden the search to another state.

3. Search for the individual in EVERY census that would have occurred during their lifetime. For a broader search to collect more information, try searching for their siblings, parents, and children in every census in which they could appear.


 * USGenWeb Census Project ~ Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850 - 1930
 * The USGenWeb Census Images ~ The USGenWeb Census Images Project
 * Kentucky Census Transcriptions ~ The USGenWeb Census Project
 * Census Online ~ Census Online

Church

 * Kentucky Christian Church Directory ~ ChurchAngel
 * Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
 * Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville

Court
Records of several courts are available at the Muhlenberg County Courthouse. Some of these records have been microfilmed and are available through the Family History Library, while others have been published.

County Court Orders

A transcription of Volume 1 of the Court Order Books is online at U.S. Genweb. Click here.

Brenda Collier Doss has published and indexed the first two County Court Order Books: and. Marion Hammers' genealogical abstracts of county court orders appear as serial articles in the Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogical Society's journal. Journal volumes are individually indexed.

Circuit Court Orders

Brenda Collier Doss has published and indexed the first Circuit Court Order Book:.


 * Abstracts of Early KY Court Cases Abstracts of Early Supreme Court Cases ~ KYGenWeb Special Project
 * Kentucky Court of Justice Research &amp; Reference
 * Administrators and Guardian Settlements, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, 1834-1909.

Bankruptcy

A few residents of Muhlenberg (also spelled Muhlenburg) County appear on the Bankruptcy Act of 1841 list for Kentucky, see: The National Archives at Atlanta.

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General
Muhlenberg County Libraries Local History Annex   in Greenville, Kentucky ph# 270-338-5388 has many published histories of local families. In addition, a unique collection of family files regarding local families (arranged by surname), is available for public searches.

Many genealogies appear in the footnotes of Otto Rothert's A History of Muhlenberg County, see Local Histories.

The following books cover many Muhlenberg County families:


 * Jaggers, Michael and Melinda Jaggers. A New Country: Lewis, Tipton, Bruce, Lee, Williams, Walker and Associated Families Berry, Duvall, Earle, Gardner, Gill, Highley, Kincheloe, Oates, Randolph, Shank, Thompson, Wickliffe and Many Others. n.p.: M. Jaggers, 1990s.
 * Muhlenberg County Genealogical Society. Muhlenberg County, Kentucky History and Families, 1799-1996. Paducah, Ky.: Turner, 1996.
 * Murphy, Nathan W. Early Families of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky: Vincent, Wright, McElwain, Wilkins and Jarvis; Historical Information and Sources for More than 2,000 Descendants of Charles Vincent, William Wright, George McElwain, John Wilkins, and John Jarvis, Whose Numerous Progenitors [Descendants] Make Up a Large Portion of the Present Population of Muhlenberg County. Hanson, Ky.: David W. Murphy &amp; Associates, 1999.
 * Young, Laurie M. Family Notes on Keith, Lott, Sketoe, Donahoo and Arnold of Muhlenberg: Lear and Sheffield of Christian, Todd and Muhlenberg County, Kentucky; Smith and Beck, Spencer County, Indiana; Moffitt, Randolph County, North Carolina, Perry, Hickman and Humphries Co., Tn. Boise, Idaho: L.M. Young, 1990..

Land
The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Muhlenberg County land records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Deed Book 1: 1799-1807
 * 2) Deed Book 2: 1807-1814
 * 3) Deed Book 3: 1809-1813
 * 4) Deed Book 4: 1813-1817
 * 5) Deed Book 5: 1817-1823
 * 6) Deed Book 6: 1823-1828
 * 7) Deed Book 7: 1828-1832

Brenda Collier Doss has published abstracts of.


 * The KY Land Office

Local Histories
Otto Rothert's 1913 A History of Muhlenberg County is available online. The volume is indexed and can be keyword searched using Google Books search.


 * ~ The Archives of Appalachia


 * A History of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky at Ancestry.com (Free /$)

Maps

 * Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
 * KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
 * Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site

Military

 * Military Resources ~ Revolutionary War through Civil War

Revolutionary War
Two genealogical abstracts of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Revolutionary War Pensions have been published:

1. , Vol. 1 (1978).

2. Annie W.B. Bell,  (n.p.: n.p., n.d.).

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


 * - 11th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies B, H, I, and K
 * - 3rd Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies D, F
 * - 17th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union)
 * - 26th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union)
 * - 48th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union)

Fewer than 150 Muhlenberg County citizens joined the Confederate Army.

World War I

 * Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY ~ Fallen Soldiers in WWI from Kentucky

Korean War

 * Korean War Memorial Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY ~ KYGenWeb

Miscellaneous

 * Kentucky Postcards ~ The USGenWeb Archives Penny Postcard Project
 * The KYGenWeb Footsteps ~ The Kentucky Footsteps Archives ~ KYGenWeb Special Project

Newspapers
Dozens of issues of The Record (Greenville, Ky.) up to 1920 have been digitized by the Library of Congress - free. Also available on subscription site Newspapers.com.


 * Kentucky News -  Kentucky Newspaper Index with links
 * Another Kentucky Newspaper Index with links
 * Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm  -   Kentucky Newspapers Available On Microfilm

Obituaries

 * KY Footsteps Archives ~ KY Footsteps List Archives - thousands of obituaries here ~ KYGenWeb Project
 * KY Obituary Sources ~ Kentucky Obituary Sources ~ Compiled by the KYGenWeb Project
 * Links to research and locate obituaries
 * Browning Genealogy Database ~ The Browning Genealogy Database - A Collection of Obituaries Compiled by Charles Browning.
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project ~  Kentucky Obituary Project
 * 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 Advocate ~ Death Abstracts from the Nashville Christian Advocate

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1774 - 1999 - Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1801 - 1968 - Muhlenberg County Kentucky list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - free
 * 1727 – 1990 - at FamilySearch — images

Will Indexes and Abstracts

The organization Strictly By Name provides free online indexes to early Muhlenberg County probate records. They offer a record retrieval service to photocopy and transcribe microfilm copies of the original documents for a small fee. Available indexes:


 * 1) Will Book 1: 1801-1814
 * 2) Will Book 2: 1814-1829
 * 3) Will Book 3: 1831-1877

Marion Hammers' Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Abstracts of Wills and Administrations (1799-1877) covers probate records found in will books. Available at.

Administrations Abstracts

Marion Hammers' serial articles of genealogical abstracts of county court orders in the Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogical Society's journal  cover hundreds of probate administrations not found in will books. The journal volumes are individually indexed.

Taxation

 * 1800 - 1800 Tax List of is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
 * 1853- 1853 Tax List of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogy is available in microfilm at the Family History Library.

City Directory

City directories often list the adult residents or businesses in a city or county. They are often published yearly and thus provide directly useful information on the names and places of the residents in the city or county.
 * 1923 - Business Directory of Greenville and Some Other Information About Greenville and Muhlenberg County, Family History Library microfilm

Vital Records
See also How to order Kentucky Vital Records

Birth

 * 1839-1960 - KY Births and Christenings ~ Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 Family Search
 * 1852-1862 - Muhlenberg County Birth Index 1852-1862. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1874 - Muhlenberg County Birth Index 1874. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875 - Muhlenberg County Birth Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Marriage

 * 1783-1979 - KY Marriage Records ~ KY Marriages 1783 - 1979 ~ Family Search
 * 1797-1954 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1852-1862 - Muhlenberg County Marriage Index 1852-1862. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1875 - Muhlenberg County Marriage Index 1875. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1876-1878 - Muhlenberg County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973 - 2000  ~ Kentucky Marriage Records - 1973 - 2000
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages

Death

 * 1843-1970 - KY Deaths and Burials ~ KY Deaths and Burials 1843 - 1970
 * 1911-1963 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * The Kentucky Vital Records Project Transcriptions of and Images of KY Death Certificates - A Work in Progress ~ The KY Vital Records Project
 * Searchable KY Vital Records ~ Searchable databases of KY Births, Deaths and Marriages
 * The Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index - Searchable

Divorce

 * 1973-1993 - KY Divorces 1973 - 1993 ~ Kentucky Divorce Records 1973 - 1993 ~ University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases

Ancestry.com a subscription web site has Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records 1852-1953 indexed with images. Death records are complete for Muhlenberg County for the years 1911-1953 and many earlier years also survive.

Muhlenberg County Libraries Local History Annex  Greenville, Kentucky ph# 270-338-5388 has access to many Kentucky birth and death records as well as Muhlenberg marriages. Also much more. Library workers are glad to do look-ups for a fee. I can also do look-ups free but am not as competent as the workers. my e-mail address is: sandralatham@hotmail.com

Muhlenberg County Kentucky Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Muhlenberg County Genealogical Society 111 South Main Street Greenville KY 42345 Muhlenberg County Genealogical Society PO Box 758 Greenville 42345-0758


 * Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Muhlenberg County Kentucky Genealogy Websites

 * Muhlenberg County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Muhlenberg County KYGenweb
 * KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
 * State of Kentucky Website
 * USGenWeb Kentucky Archives ~ Kentucky in the USGenWeb Archives ~ Vital statistics, maps, obituaries, Bible records, tombstone transcriptions and many other records.
 * The USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Muhlenberg County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
 * Muhlenberg County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)