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Kentucky Public Records
| How
To Search Public and Vital Records -
Vital records are records of life events important enough that
some level of government acquires, organizes, and preserves
them. While the term "vital records" is often applied
to a wide variety of life events... Read
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Kentucky Vital Records
Statewide vital records registration was first enacted in 1852 for
the state of Kentucky. Compliance was minimal and the legislation
was only in place for ten years. Sporadic maintenance was also performed
between 1872-1910. Mandatory registration was again enacted as of
January 1, 1911 for births and deaths. Marriage records have been
kept on a county basis since the formation of each county, with some
pre-dating official formation. State registration was required beginning
in 1958. An every name index to births and deaths after 1911 exists
at the Office of Vital Statistics.
For birth and death records prior to 1911, write:
Public Records Division, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives,
300 Coffee Tree Road, P.O. Box 537, Frankfort, KY 40602-0537
For birth and death records after 1911, and marriage
records after 1958, write:
Department for Health Services, Office of Vital Statistics, 375
East Main Street, Frankfort, KY 40601
For marriage records prior to 1958, write to the
clerk of the county in question.
Kentucky Land Records
Kentucky is a state-land state. Lands were generally acquired from
the state or from other individuals. Original surveys, patents,
warrants and grants from the state, with indexes, are filed in the
Secretary of State's Office. The Kentucky Historical Society and
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives have microfilm copies
of these records, as does the FHL. Lands were also given by the
state of Virginia in the form of military bounty lands for the French
and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. Once county jurisdiction
was established, land was to be surveyed and recorded at the county
clerk's office. In most cases, original county land and property
records are maintained by the respective current county clerk's
office. Microfilm copies are available at most genealogical repositories.
Brookes-Smith, Joan E. Master Index: Grants which Were in What is
Now Kentucky. Frankfort: Kentucky Historical Society, 1975.
Taylor, P. F. A Calendar of the Warrants for Land in Kentucky for
Service in the French and Indian War. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Co., 1967.
Jillson, Willard Rouse. The Kentucky Land Grants: A Systematic Index
to All of the Land Grants Recorded in the State Land Office at Frankfort,
Kentucky, 1782–1924. 2 vols. 1925. Reprint. Baltimore: Genealogical
Publishing Co., 1971.
———. Old Kentucky Entries and Deeds: A Complete Index
to All of the Earliest Land Entries, Military Warrants, Deeds and
Wills of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 1926. Reprint. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987.
Kentucky Court Records
Court records entail probate records, guardianship, naturalization,
and a wide variety of other sources. All contain information about
individuals within the area. It should be remembered that there
are different levels of jurisdiction for courts in the United States,
all of which should be considered for research under various circumstances.
Court of Common Pleas, Orphan's Court, Probate Court, District Court,
Superior Court, Supreme Court, and other titles are among those
encountered. To study more about court records in general, see:
"Research in Court Records" by Arlene H. Eakle, found
in Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, eds., The
Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City:
Ancestry, 1997).
Kentucky Military Records
As with other states, many types of military records—service,
pension, and bounty land—are maintained by the National Archives
in Washington, D.C., and its regional centers. The Military Records
and Research Branch, Division of Veteran's Affairs, Pine Hill Plaza,
1121 Louisville Road, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, maintains military
service records from the Revolutionary War to the present. Civil
War rosters for Kentuckians who served in the Union and Confederate
armies have been indexed and are available at the Kentucky Department
for Libraries and Archives. Kentucky also provided its Confederate
veterans and widows with pensions which can be located through various
repositories on microfilm.
Quisenberry, Anderson C. Revolutionary Soldiers in Kentucky. Baltimore:
Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968.
Simpson, Alice. Index of Kentucky Confederate Pension Applications.
Frankfort: Division of Archives and Records Management, Department
for Libraries and Archives, 1978.
Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and
State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc., 1994.
Burns, Annie Walker. Abstracts of Pension Papers of Soldiers of
the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Indian Wars Who Settled
in Kentucky. 20 vols. Washington, DC: the author, 1935–present.
Additional Sources
Filson, John. The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucky.
Wilmington, DE: James Adams, 1784.
Schweitzer, George K. Kentucky Genealogical Research. Knoxville:
the author, 1983. (Contains a good discussion of Kentucky military
records in addition to helpful information for statewide research.
Also includes partial county inventories.)
Coleman, John Winston. A Bibliography of Kentucky History. Lexington:
University of Kentucky Press, 1949. (Kentucky histories written
prior to 1949 are listed in this bibliography.)
Hogan, Roseann Reinemuth. Kentucky Ancestry: A Guide to Genealogical
and Historical Research. Salt Lake City: Ancestry Incorporated,
1992.
Kentucky Vital Records:
Event: Birth
Cost of copy: $10.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Department for Health Services
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621
Remarks: State office has had records since January
1911.
Check or money order should be made payable to Kentucky
State Treasurer. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current
fees, the telephone number is (502) 564-4212.
Search All Kentucky Records
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Event: Death
Cost of copy: $6.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Department for Health Services
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621
Remarks: State office has had records since January
1911.
Check or money order should be made payable to Kentucky
State Treasurer. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current
fees, the telephone number is (502) 564-4212.
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Event: Marriage (State)
Cost of copy: $6.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Department for Health Services
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621
Remarks: Records since June 1958.
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Event: Marriage (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Clerk of County Court in county where license
was issued.
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Event: Divorce (State)
Cost of copy: $6.00
Address:
Office of Vital Statistics
Department for Health Services
275 East Main Street
Frankfort, KY 40621
Remarks: Records since June 1958.
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Event: Divorce (county)
Cost of copy: Varies
Address: See remarks
Remarks: Clerk of County Court in county where
license was issued.
Search All Kentucky Records
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