Pubic Documents are at the County Clerks' Offices in Kentucky.
- There are 120 counties in Kentucky.
- There is a county clerk's office in each county.
- Visit the online webpage for a specific clerk's office or contact the clerk's office to ask about hours, costs, accommodations, and onsite and remote assistance.
Gather Your Research
Gather your research before visiting the County Clerk's Office. Have some idea of the who, what, where, and when of your research.
- Enslaved persons' names (if available)
- Slave owners' names
- The years of the data you want to search
- The Kentucky county (or counties) that are relevant to your search
EXAMPLE:
- NAMES: Sophia Bates Work / Abraham Work / Emily Reid Bates / Pomp(?) Bates / William Reid(e) / Beverly Work / George Work / Sainte Work / Edward Work
- LOCATION: Manchester, Clay County, Kentucky
- TIME PERIOD: 1830-1940
- OTHER: Potter Cemetery location and records
Maps, Graphs, Data
- Data USA | KentuckyKentucky is home to a population of 4.5M people, from which 97.6% are citizens. As of 2022, 4% of Kentucky residents were born outside of the country (180k people).
- Kentucky: By The NumbersA Cooperative Extension program in the
Department of Community and Leadership Development at the University of Kentucky. - Kentucky: Policy Academy State ProfileDecember 2012
- Kentucky Census Bureau ProfileKentucky has a land area of 39,480.9 square miles and a water area of 915.8 square
miles. It is the 36th largest state by area. Kentucky is bordered by Missouri, Indiana,
West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois, and
Tennessee. - Kentucky Residential Segregation - TableResidential Segregation (Black/White) for Kentucky by County. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health | USA.gov.
- The State of Black KentuckyMaster List of Data. US County Maps. University of Kentucky.
Documents at County Clerks' Offices
Public documents at the county clerks' offices are primary documents that will contain additional information about the slave owners and those enslaved. The documents may include the sale and purchase price of those enslaved. Search using the slave owners' names, the enslaved persons' names (if available), and the names of African Americans (post -slavery).
TYPES OF DOCUMENTS FOUND AT THE COUNTY CLERKS' OFFICES IN KENTUCKY
- Tax records
- Property deeds
- Wills and Probate records
- Estate and inventory records
- Emancipation and Manumission records
- Slave registries
- Slave record books (slave sales)
- Slave Certificates [KY Certification of slaves sold in other states by slave dealers and brokers]
- Court records
NOTE: Older public documents will be handwritten and they will be written in cursive English. [Cursive writing is a penmanship with the letters joined together in a flowing manner.] The documents may also have been written using older English. See example below.
Date: 1839 Creator: unknown
Watts Family Papers
University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center
City and County Locations
DOUBLE CHECK COUNTY AND CITY LOCATIONS
There are many similar names of counties and cities in Kentucky. Make sure you have the correct location.
EXAMPLES:
The city of Manchester is located in Clay County.
The city of Clay is located in Webster County.
The city of Frankfort is located in Franklin County.
The city of Franklin is located in Simpson County.
The city of Nicholasville is located in Jessamine County.
The city of Carlisle is located in Nicholas County.
The city of Bardwell is located in Carlisle County.
The city of Morganfield is located in Union County.
The city of Union is located in Boone County.
The city of Hickman is located in Fulton County.
The city of Clinton is located in Hickman County.
The city of Albany is located in Clinton County.
Same and Similar County/City Names
Fulton in Fulton County
Greensburg in Green County
Greenup in Greenup County
Harlan in Harlan County
Hazard in Perry County
[NO Hazzard County in Kentucky!]
Henderson in Henderson County
Owenton in Owen County
Pikeville in Pike County
Shelbyville in Shelby County