KENTUCKY COUNTIES

Many Kentucky genealogical resources are filed by county. Over the years, Kentucky's 120 counties  have been carved from earlier parent counties, dateng back to the original three counties—Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln—in 1780. To locate early records, researchers may find it useful to check materials from parent counties. If you are consulting county court records, you should check the following list for local disasters that may have destroyed original resource materials.

KY MAP SHOWING COUNTIES

 

County

Formed

Parent County

County Seat

Disaster

Records Destroyed

Adair

1802

Green

Columbia

-

-

Allen

1815

Barren, Warren

Scottsville

1902

most

Anderson

1827

Franklin, Mercer, Washington

Lawrenceburg

1859/1915

yes

Ballard

1842

Hickman, McCracken

Wickliffe

1880

yes

Barren

1799

Green, Warren

Glasgow

-

-

Bath

1811

Harlan, Knox

Owingsville

1864/1964

many

Bell

1867

Harlan, Knox

Pineville

1918/1976

some

Boone

1799

Campbell

Burlington

1880

some

Bourbon

1786

Fayette

Paris

1872

some

Boyd

1860

Carter, Greenup, Lawrence

Catlettsburg

-

-

Boyle

1842

Lincoln, Mercer

Danville

1860

some

Bracken

1797

Campbell, Mason

Brooksville

1848

some

Breathitt

1839

Clay, Estill, Perry

Jackson

1866/1873

most

Breckinridge

1800

Hardin

Hardinsburg

1869/1958

some

Bullitt

1979

Jefferson, Nelson

Shepherdsville

-

-

Butler

1810

Logan, Ohio

Morgantown

-

-

Caldwell

1809

Livingston

Princeton

1864

some

Calloway

1821

Hickman

Murray

1906

most

Campbell

1795

Harrison, Mason, Scott

Alexandria, Newport

-

-

Carlisle

1886

Ballard

Bardwell

1980

some

Carroll

1839

Gallatin, Henry, Trimble

Carrollton

-

-

Carter

1838

Greenup, Lawrence

Grayson

-

-

Casey

1807

Lincoln

Liberty

-

-

Christian

1797

Logan

Hopkinsville

1864

most

Clark

1793

Bourbon, Fayette

Winchester

-

-

Clay

1807

Floyd, Knox, Madison

Manchester

-

-

Clinton

1836

Cumberland, Wayne

Albany

1865/1890

some

Crittenden

1842

Livingston

Marion

1865/1870

yes

Cumberland

1799

Green

Burkesville

1865/1933

yes

Daviess

1815

Ohio

Owensboro

1865

some

Edmonson

1825

Grayson, Hart, Warren

Brownsville

-

-

Elliott

1869

Carter, Lawrence, Morgan

Sandy Hook

1966

some

Estill

1808

Clark, Madison

Irvine

1964

some

Fayette

1780

Kentucky (Virginia)

Lexington

1803

yes

Fleming

1798

Mason

Flemingsburg

-

-

Floyd

1800

Fleming, Mason, Montgomery

Prestonsburg

1808

some

Franklin

1795

Mercer, Shelby, Woodford

Frankfort

-

-

Fulton

1845

Hickman

Hickman

-

-

Gallatin

1799

Franklin, Shelby

Warsaw

-

-

Garrard

1797

Lincoln, Madison, Mercer

Lancaster

-

-

Grant

1820

Pendleton

Williamstown

-

-

Graves

1824

Hickman

Mayfield

1864/1896

some

Grayson

1810

Hardin, Ohio

Leitchfield

1864/1896

some

Green

1793

Lincoln, Nelson

Greensburg

-

-

Greenup

1804

Mason

Greenup

-

-

Hancock

1829

Breckinridge, Daviess, Ohio

Hawesville

-

-

Hardin

1793

Nelson

Elizabethtown

1864

some

Harlan

1819

Knox

Harlan

1863

some

Harrison

1794

Bourbon, Scott

Cynthiana

1851

some

Hart

1819

Hardin, Barren

Munfordville

1927

some

Henderson

1799

Christian

Henderson

-

-

Henry

1799

Shelby

New Castle

1804

yes

Hickman

1821

Caldwell, Livingston

Clinton

-

-

Hopkins

1807

Henderson

Madisonville

1829

yes

Jackson

1827

Clay, Estill, Laurel, Owsley, Madison, Rockcastle

McKee

1827

yes

Jefferson

1780

Kentucky (Virginia)

Louisville

-

-

Jessamine

1799

Fayette

Nicholasville

-

-

Johnson

1843

Floyd, Lawrence, Morgan

Paintsville

-

-

Kenton

1840

Campbell

Independence, Covington

-

-

Knott

1883

Breathitt, Floyd, Letcher, Perry

Hindman

-

-

Knox

1800

Lincoln

Barbourville

-

-

Larue

1843

Hardin

Hodgenville

1865

yes

Laurel

1826

Clay, Knox, Rockcastle, Whitley

London

-

-

Lawrence

1822

Floyd, Greenup

Louisa

-

-

Lee

1870

Breathitt, Estill, Owsley, Wolfe

Beattyville

-

-

Leslie

1878

Clay, Harlan, Perry

Hyden

-

-

Letcher

1842

Perry, Harlan

Whitesburg

-

-

Lewis

1807

Mason

Vanceburg

-

-

Lincoln

1780

Kentucky (Virginia)

Stanford

-

-

Livingston

1798

Christian

Smithland

-

-

Logan

1792

Lincoln

Russellville

-

-

Lyon

1854

Caldwell

Eddyville

-

-

McCracken

1825

Hickman

Paducah

-

-

McCreary

1912

Pulaski, Wayne, Whitley

Whitley City

-

-

McLean

1854

Daviess, Muhlenberg, Ohio

Calhoun

1908

yes

Madison

1786

Lincoln

Richmond

-

-

Magoffin

1860

Floyd, Johnson, Morgan

Salyersville

1857

yes

Marion

1834

Washington

Lebanon

1863

yes

Marshall

1842

Calloway

Benton

1888/1914

yes

Martin

1870

Floyd, Johnson, Lawrence, Pike

Inez

1892

yes

Mason

1789

Bourbon

Maysville

-

-

Meade

1824

Breckinridge, Hardin

Brandenburg

1974

some

Menifee

1869

Bath, Montgomery, Morgan, Powell, Wolfe

Frenchburg

1911

some

Mercer

1786

Lincoln

Harrodsburg

-

-

Metcalfe

1860

Adair, Barren, Cumberland, Green, Monroe

Edmonton

1867

yes

Monroe

1820

Barren, Cumberland

Tompkinsville

1863/1887

yes

Montgomery

1797

Clark

Mt. Sterling

1863

some

Morgan

1823

Bath, Floyd

West Liberty

1862/1925

yes

Muhlenberg

1799

Christian, Logan

Greenville

-

-

Nelson

1785

Jefferson

Bardstown

-

-

Nicholas

1800

Bourbon, Mason

Carlisle

-

-

Ohio

1799

Hardin

Hartford

1864

yes

Oldham

1824

Henry, Jefferson, Shelby

LaGrange

-

-

Owen

1819

Franklin, Gallatin, Scott, Pendleton

Owenton

-

-

Owsley

1843

Breathitt, Clay, Estill

Booneville

1919/1967

yes

Pendleton

1799

Bracken, Campbell

Falmouth

-

-

Perry

1821

Clay, Floyd

Hazard

1885/1911

yes

Pike

1822

Floyd

Pikeville

1977

none

Powell

1852

Clark, Estill, Montgomery

Stanton

1864

yes

Pulaski

1799

Green, Lincoln

Somerset

1871

yes

Robertson

1867

Bracken, Harrison, Mason, Nicholas

Mt. Olivet

1871

yes

Rockcastle

1810

Knox, Lincoln, Madison, Pulaski

Mt. Vernon

1874

many

Rowan

1856

Fleming, Morgan

Morehead

1864

none

Russell

1826

Adair, Cumberland, Wayne

Jamestown

1976

none

Scott

1792

Woodford

Georgetown

1837

yes

Shelby

1792

Jefferson

Shelbyville

-

-

Simpson

1819

Allen, Logan, Warren

Franklin

1882

most

Spencer

1824

Bullitt, Nelson, Shelby

Taylorsville

1865

yes

Taylor

1848

Green

Campbellsville

1864

yes

Todd

1820

Christian, Logan

Elkton

-

-

Trigg

1820

Caldwell, Christian

Cadiz

1895/1920

yes

Trimble

1837

Gallatin, Henry, Oldham

Bedford

1953

yes

Union

1811

Henderson

Morganfield

-

-

Warren

1797

Logan

Bowling Green

1864

yes

Washington

1792

Nelson

Springfield

1814

yes

Wayne

1801

Cumberland, Pulaski

Monticello

1898

yes

Webster

1860

Henderson, Hopkins, Union

Dixon

-

-

Whitley

1818

Knox

Williamsburg

1930

yes

Wolfe

1860

Breathitt, Morgan, Owsley, Powell

Campton

1886/1915

yes

Woodford

1789

Fayette

Versailles

1965

none