Kentucky Research: Vital Records for the Bluegrass State

by Amy Johnson Crow

Posted on February 25, 2014

kentucky-flag.pngWith its rolling hills, deep forests, and rushing rivers, Kentucky is a beautiful state. Its natural bounties have drawn people in for centuries. Kentucky is also rich in genealogical resources. Let's take a look at some of the vital record collections you'll find on Archives.com.

Kentucky Death Records covers 1911 to 1999. Information includes the person's name, age, date of death, and location of death.

The Kentucky, Birth Records, Early https://www.archives.com/collections?Collection=442 collection covers 1852 to 1910. While not all births in the state during that time were recorded, this is a collection that you really need to check if you have ancestors born in Kentucky during that time period. Information varies by record, but can include name, gender, race, date and place of birth, and parents' names. This collection also has images; be sure to look at those, as there might be more information on the image itself.

If your Kentucky ancestors were born later than that, try the Kentucky Birth Records collection, which covers 1911 to 2007. When available each record contains the full name of the individual, location and date of birth, as well as the mother's name.

Kentucky, State Marriage Records covers 1852 to 1914 and includes images of the records. (Note that McCreary and Mercer counties are not included in this collection.) You can find more recent marriages in Kentucky County Marriage Records, which covers 1999 to 2005. When available, each record contains the full names, county of residence, and age of the bride and groom, the date of marriage, as well as the volume and page number of the record.

You can find even more Kentucky collections here.

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