Difference between revisions of "Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy"

Isaac Shelby.JPG

The county is named after Kentucky's First Governor Isaac Shelby (1750-1826).^[2]

Parent County

1792--Shelby County was created 23 June 1792 from Jefferson County.
County seat: Shelbyville ^[3]

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.

Record Loss

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

Shelby County Kentucky Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

• Anderson
• Franklin
• Henry
• Jefferson
• Oldham
• Spencer
• Bullitt
• Owen

Shelby County Kentucky Genealogy Resources

African American Research

The following have information concerning African American research. 

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

Biographies

• KY Biographies ~ Jeff Murphy's Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries

Kentucky cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.

• Kentucky Historical Society Cemetery Search can be searched by name, place and/or date.  This database has hundreds of thousands of names transcribed from gravestones across Kentucky. 
  
• Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried.  Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.
• Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Shelby County and links to the  information for the individuals buried there,
• Kentucky Cemeteries lists the national cemeteries in Kentucky with links to their websites. The first link under Online Kentucky Cemeteries goes to the Kentucky section of Interment.net
• Shelby Co. KY USGenWeb Tombstone Project usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks. 
• The FamilySearch Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Shelby County.  Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.
• ePodunk list of Marion 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.
• Tombstone Transcription Project ~ Partial transcription of cemetery tombstones ~ USGenWeb
• The KY Historical Society’s Cemetery Database
• African American Cemeteries Online ~   Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
• Cemetery Junction  ~  Links to cemetery transcriptions
• Naming the Forgotten ~ Naming the Forgotten - The Eastern State Hospital Project

Census

1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal population schedules of Shelby 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.

• 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

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.

• Baptist Church Records
• Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
• Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville
• Kentucky Christian Church Directory

Court

• Abstracts of Early KY Court Cases Abstracts of Early Supreme Court Cases ~ KYGenWeb Special Project
• Kentucky Court of Justice Research & Reference

Genealogy

• [Boswell] Hasskarl, Eula Richardson. The Boswells of Shelby County, Kentucky. Ada, Okla., 1970. FHL Collection.
• [Bush] Skelley, Mildred. The John Bush Family of Washington County, Indiana. 1976. FHL Book 929.273 B963sm.
• [Cottrell] Edgeworth, M.J. Some Descendants of Rev. Reuben Cottrell, Shelby and Daviess Counties, Kentucky. Microfilmed 1968: FHL Film 564126 Item 10.
• [Figg] Figg, Edward Clarence. Sketches of the Figg Family From 1719 to 1921. Press of Moll & Company, 120 South First Street, Louisville, KY, 1921. Archives.org - free.
• [Flournoy] Rivers, Flournoy. "The Flournoy Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Jul. 1894):81-90; Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1894):190-213; Vol. 2, No. 3 (Jan. 1895):318-327; Vol. 2, No. 4 (Apr. 1895):437-447; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jul. 1895):67-79; Vol. 3, No. 4 (Apr. 1896):414-416; Vol. 4, No. 1 (Jul. 1896):97-101. Digitized by JSTOR - free.
• [Gilliland] Weedman, H.N. The Robert and Adam Gilliland Families of Shelby County, Kentucky. St. Louis, Mo.: H.N. Weedman, 1988, 1990. FHL Book 929.273 G415w.
• [Graves] Erickson, Emma Louise Graves. Richard and Cynthia Goggins Graves Descendants, Shelby Co., Kentucky, Pulaski Co., Arkansas, Northern California: Side Line of Abraham and John Blue of Nelson Co., Ky., Washington Co., Miss., Chicot Co., Ark. Corvallis, Ore.: E.L. Erickson, 1982. FHL Collection.
• [Gregg] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. FHL Book 973 D2r 2009; online bookstore.
• [Hickman] Fay, Mary Smith. "The Three James Hickmans: Identifying Revolutionary War Veterans," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1997):52-54. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FHL Book 975.5 B2vg.
• [Hollingsworth] Stewart, J. Adger. Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth, Sr. Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Co., 1925. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
• [Holmes] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. FHL Book 973 D2r 2009; online bookstore.
• [Lane] Quackenbush, Nancy. "Some Northern Neck Lanes," Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Nov. 1986):3-22. Digital version at Ancestry ($); FHL Book 975.5 B2vs.
• [Lee] Scott, Hattie Marshall. Miscellaneous Records on the Lee Family of Shelby, Kentucky, 1798-1871. 2006. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
• [Miles] Miles, Samuel Robert. Record of Samuel and Sarah James Miles, about 1740, and Their Descendants. Typescript. Microfilmed 1967: FHL Films 481084-481085.
• [Snider] Franklin, James O. Descendants of Jonas Snider and Anna Hostutler Snider, Shelby and Spencer Counties, Kentucky. 1950; reprint 1990s. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
• [Truman] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. FHL Book 973 D2r 2009; online bookstore.
• [Young] Davis, Elsie Jean Spry. Descendants of Jacob Young of Shelby County, Kentucky: Including President Harry S. Truman. Coronado, Calif.: E.S. Davis, 1980. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
• [Young] Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009. FHL Book 973 D2r 2009; online bookstore.

Land

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.

• The KY Land Office

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Shelby 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.

• Archives of Appalachia ~ Preserving the history of the people of Appalachia.
• History of Shelby County, Kentucky at Ancestry.com (Free^[4]/$)

Maps

• Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
• KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
• Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
• Kentucky.gov for Current and Historical Maps

Military

• Military Resources ~ Revolutionary War through Civil War

Civil War

Online Records

• 1861-1865 - Kentucky Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
• 1861-1865 - Kentucky Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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 - Kentucky Confederate Pension Applications 1912-1950 at FamilySearch — index and images

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

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

Newspapers

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

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).

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 $
• 1727 – 1990 Kentucky Probate Records 1727-1990 at FamilySearch — images
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records  ~  Ancestry.com  (subscription)
• Shelby County, Kentucky Wills: 1794-1817 at Ancestry.com (Free^[5]/$)

Taxation

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.

• 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800,^[6] digitized by Ancestry ($).

Vital Records

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 Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy Circuit Court. For more information see How to Find Kentucky Marriage Records. For Kentucky divorce records see the wiki page Kentucky 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 - Shelby County Birth Index 1852-1862. Batch C517961 at FamilySearch - free.^[7]
• 1869, 1874-1875 - Shelby County Birth Index 1869, 1874-1875. Batch C517962 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
• 1795-1878 - Shelby County Marriage Index 1795-1878. Included on several batches at FamilySearch - free.
• 1792-1800 - Shelby County, Kentucky Marriage Bonds: 1792-1800 at Ancestry.com (Free^[8]/$)
• 1797-1954 - Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 at FamilySearch — index and images
• 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
• 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

Shelby County Kentucky Genealogy Societies and Libraries

Shelby County Historical Society
627 Main Street
PO Box 444
Shelbyville KY 40066
Telephone: 502-844-2277
E-mail:info@shelbykyhistory.org
Website

• Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies
• Links and address to Kentucky Public Libraries

Family History Centers

Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Shelby County Kentucky Genealogy Websites

• Shelby County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• 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.
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Shelby County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Shelby County KY Genealogy (Kentucky Genealogy)
• Kentucky Genealogy - Guide to Ancestry and Family Tree Records

Shelby County Kentucky Genealogy References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Shelby County, Kentucky page 275, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ "List of Counties in Tennessee," Wikipedia.
3. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
4. ↑ May be used for free at Family History Center. To locate a center near you, click here.
5. ↑ May be used for free at Family History Center. To locate a center near you, click here.
6. ↑ G. Glenn Clift, Second Census of Kentucky 1800: A Privately Compiled and Published Enumeration of Tax Payers Appearing in the 79 Manuscript Volumes Extant of Tax Lists of the 42 Counties of Kentucky in Existence in 1800 (1954; reprint, Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2005).
7. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/7/75/Igikentuckymz.pdf.
8. ↑ May be used for free at Family History Center. To locate a center near you, click here.