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.
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 |