Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy
Guide to Owen County, Kentucky ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Owen County was named for Abraham Owen. The county is located in the north-central area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Owen County Courthouse
Madison & Seminary Street
PO Box 338
Owenton, KY 40359
Phone: 502-484-2213[3]
Owen County Website
Owen County, Kentucky Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1911 | 1819 | 1911 | 1819 | 1819 | 1819 | 1810 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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. |
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following web sites have additional information on Owen county cemeteries.
- Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
- Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
- Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1820 | 2,031 | — |
| 1830 | 5,786 | 184.9% |
| 1840 | 8,232 | 42.3% |
| 1850 | 10,444 | 26.9% |
| 1860 | 12,719 | 21.8% |
| 1870 | 14,309 | 12.5% |
| 1880 | 17,401 | 21.6% |
| 1890 | 17,676 | 1.6% |
| 1900 | 17,553 | −0.7% |
| 1910 | 14,248 | −18.8% |
| 1920 | 12,554 | −11.9% |
| 1930 | 10,710 | −14.7% |
| 1940 | 10,942 | 2.2% |
| 1950 | 9,755 | −10.8% |
| 1960 | 8,237 | −15.6% |
| 1970 | 7,470 | −9.3% |
| 1980 | 8,924 | 19.5% |
| 1990 | 9,035 | 1.2% |
| 2000 | 10,547 | 16.7% |
| 2010 | 10,841 | 2.8% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Owen County are available online. For tips on accessing census records online, see Kentucky Census. If you're having trouble finding your ancestors in online indexes, try checking printed indexes. Created by local experts familiar with the area's families, these indexes are often transcribed more accurately than online nationwide indexes.
See Kentucky Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book for more information about statewide printed indexes.
- Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
- Census Images, USGenWeb
- KY Census Online, Links to online census records
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Kentucky denominations, view the Kentucky Church Records wiki page.
- Kentucky Christian Church Directory, ChurchAngel
- Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
- Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville
Baptist[edit | edit source]
- Mountain Island. Church minutes (1801-1836) are available at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
- Mussel Shoals. Church minutes (1817-1874) are available at the Filson Club, Louisville, Ky.: Description.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases, KYGenWeb
- Kentucky Court of Justice Research & Reference
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African Americans[edit | edit source]
More information about African American resources in Kentucky can be found on the African American Resources for Kentucky and the United States African Americans Wiki pages.
- African American Genealogy (US) has more information about the kinds of records available
- The KY African American Griots Project
- Kentucky Cultural Groups has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
- Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
- [Adams] Miller, Lynne D. Owen County, Kentucky Families. Lincolnton, N.C.: L.D. Miller, 2000. FHL Book 929.273 Ad13m
- [Cobb] Morgan, Edgar L. and Mariam S. Houchens. The Cobbs of Owen County, Kentucky. Louisville, Ky.: E.L. Morgan & M.S. Houchens, 1961. FHL Book 929.273 C633m
- [Glass] McMurtry, Zelma Garrison McCord. William Glass of Virginia and Kentucky and His Descendants of Scott and Owen Counties, Kentucky. Lexington, Ky.: n.p., 1975. FHL Film 1598394 Item 2
- [Hammon] Hammon, Stratton Owen. The Saga of John Hammon, Revolutionary War Hero and Owen County, Kentucky Pioneer. Louisville, Ky.: The Pilgrim Press, 1979. FHL Book 921.73 H184h
- [Shipp] Sanders, Walter R. The Shipp Genealogy from Essex, Caroline, Fa[u]quier Counties, Virginia, to Green, Taylor, Woodford, Jefferson, Fayette, Christian, Bourbon, Scott, Owen, Counties, Kentucky, and Johnson Counties, Indiana. Typescript. Microfilmed 1971. FHL Book 929.273 Sh64s; FHL Film 875372 Item 5
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Kentucky Land and Property for additional information about early Kentucky land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section Kentucky Local Histories.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
- KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
- Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
- Military Resources, Revolutionary War through Civil War
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Online Records
- 1861-1865 - Kentucky Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1861-1865 - Kentucky Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; 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 - Kentucky Confederate Pension Applications 1912-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Regiments. Men in Owen County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:
- - 1st Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company B.
- - Fields' Company, Kentucky Partisan Rangers (Confederate), Company B.
- - 3rd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles (Confederate), Company E.
- - Jenkins' Company, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate), Company A.
World War I[edit | edit source]
Korean War[edit | edit source]
- Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- USNPL, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
- World-Newspapers, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
- Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
- Kentucky Footsteps Archives, KYGenWeb
- Kentucky Obituary Sources, KYGenWeb
- Browning Genealogy Database, Compiled by Charles Browning.
- Kentucky Obituaries, USGenWeb
- 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 Christian Advocate Death Abstracts
Other Records[edit | edit source]
- Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate records are held by the Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy Courthouse. Microfilmed records can be found online at Kentucky, Probate Records, 1792-1977 for Caldwell, Henry, Hickman, Russell and Trimble counties. See the wiki page Kentucky Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, and adoptions.
Online Probate Records
- 1774–1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
- 1798-1943 - Will Books 1 to 8 (1798-1943) FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1820–1917 Will Books A to G (1820-1917) by FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Taxes were levied on free white males over 21 and slaves aged 21 to 60. These persons are referred to as "polls." Tax listings, or digests, of a county generally list the taxable landowners and other polls and the amount of tax. The records for each county are divided by militia district. For more background information and state-wide resources see the wiki page Kentucky Taxation.
- Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital records consist of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Although Kentucky enacted a statute in 1852-1862 requiring registration of births and deaths,many counties did not comply. A second law was written in 1874-1879, and 1892-1910 but, again, was not always followed. By 1911, the law was more clearly defined and kept by 1920. Any existing births 1852-1960 and death records 1852-1953 can be accessed online. See How to Find Kentucky Birth Records and How to Find Kentucky Death Records for links to indexes and images.
Original marriage records are held at the office of the Owen County Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Owen County Circuit Court. For more information see How to Find Kentucky Marriage Records. For Kentucky divorce records see the wiki page Kentucky Vital Records.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1839-1960 – Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1852-1860 - Owen County Birth Index 1852-1860. Batch C517851 at FamilySearch[7]
- 1874 - Owen County Birth Index 1874. Batch C517852 at FamilySearch
- 1875 - Owen County Birth Index 1875. Batch C517853 at FamilySearch
- 1911-1912 - Searchable KY Birth Index
- 1911-1999 Kentucky Births, 1911-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1609-2016 - Kentucky, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
- 1785-1979 – Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1797-1954 - Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1852-1859 - Owen County Marriage Index 1852-1859. Batch M517851 at FamilySearch
- 1973-2000 - Searchable KY Marriage Records
- 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973-2000
- 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage ($) — index
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1843-1970 - Kentucky Deaths and Burials, 1843-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection index
- 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
- 1911-1965 - Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1911-2000 - Searchable KY Death Index
- The Social Security Death Index How to Use this Collection
- The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1973-1993 - Kentucky Divorces 1973-1993, University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Owen County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Kentucky Archives and Libraries.
Archives of Appalachia
East Tennessee State University
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Lexington Kentucky Family History Center
- Louisville Kentucky Family History Center
- Shawnee Kentucky Family History Center
- The Kentucky Historical Society Library - an affiliate library.
- Lexington Public Library - an affiliate library.
- National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Owen County. For state-wide library facilities, see Kentucky Archives and Libraries.
Owen County Public Library
118 North Main Street
Owenton, KY 40359
Phone: 502-484-3450
Museums[edit | edit source]
Owen County Historical Society Museum
206 N Main Street
Owenton, KY 40359
Phone: 502-484-2529
Email: owencohistory@yahoo.com
Website
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Owen County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Kentucky Societies.
Owen County Historical Society
206 N Main Street
Owenton, KY 40359
Phone: 502-462-0092
Email: owencohistory@yahoo.com
Website
Facebook
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Owen County KYGenWeb
- Owen County USGenWeb Archives
- KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
- State of Kentucky Website
- USGenWeb Kentucky Archives
- The USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Owen County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
- FamilySearch Catalog . Free - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kentucky. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Owen County, Kentucky" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_County,_Kentucky."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Owen County, Kentucky page 274, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Owen County, Kentucky. Page 268-276 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 251-254.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kentucky. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Owen County, Kentucky," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_County,_Kentucky, accessed 7 September 2018.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/7/75/Igikentuckymz.pdf.
