Fleming County, Kentucky Genealogy

United States

Kentucky

Fleming County

Guide to Fleming County, Kentucky ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Kentucky Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Flemingsburg Organized: February 10, 1798 Parent County(s): Mason Neighboring Counties Bath • Lewis • Mason • Nicholas • Robertson • Rowan See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Fleming County was named for John Fleming (1735–1791), early settler of Kentucky. The county is located in the northeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Fleming County Courthouse
Courthouse Square
Flemingsburg, KY 41041-1399
Phone: 606-845-8461
Fleming County Website

Fleming County, Kentucky Record Dates

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.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1852	1798	1852	1798	1798	1798	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1911. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

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

Boundary Changes

1798--Fleming County was created 10 February 1798 from Mason County. County seat: Flemingsburg Kentucky Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Kentucky Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Kentucky county boundary changes

Populated Places

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:

Cities
Ewing	Flemingsburg
Unincorporated communities
Bald Hill Battle Run Beechburg Bluebank Carpentersville (hist.) Colfax Concord Cowan Craintown Dalesburg Fairview	Flemingsburg Junction Foxport Goddard Grange City Hill Top Hillsboro Locust Mount Carmel Muses Mills Nepton Pleasureville	Plummers Landing Plummers Mill Poplar Grove Poplar Plains Ryan Sherburne Stringtown Sunset Tilton Wallingford
Census-designated places
Elizaville

Resources

Bible Records

• Fleming County, Kentucky Bibles at USGenweb Archives

Biographies

• Fleming County biographies
• Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Fleming, Kentucky online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com KYGenWeb KYGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project Kentucky Gravestones BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com BillionGraves Kentucky Cemeteries FamilySearch Places
See Kentucky Cemeteries for more information

• Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
• Fleming County Poor Farm Cemetery
• Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	5,016	—
1810	8,947	78.4%
1820	12,186	36.2%
1830	13,499	10.8%
1840	13,268	−1.7%
1850	13,914	4.9%
1860	12,489	−10.2%
1870	13,398	7.3%
1880	15,221	13.6%
1890	16,078	5.6%
1900	17,074	6.2%
1910	16,066	−5.9%
1920	15,614	−2.8%
1930	12,931	−17.2%
1940	13,327	3.1%
1950	11,962	−10.2%
1960	10,890	−9.0%
1970	11,366	4.4%
1980	12,323	8.4%
1990	12,292	−0.3%
2000	13,792	12.2%
2010	14,348	4.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Fleming County, Kentucky Genealogy census records online, see: Kentucky Census.

• Heads of Households and Revolutionary War Pensioners for Fleming County
• Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
• Census Images, USGenWeb
• KY Census Online, Links to online census records

Church Records

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.

• Churches in Fleming County, Information on a few of Fleming County's oldest churches.
• Christian Church Directory for Kentucky at ChurchFinder
• Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
• Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

• 1798-1869 Court Minutes (Order Book) an Misc. Records, Including Some Probate Records, 1798-1869(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1785-1792 Cases Heard Before the Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky, 1785-1792 at KYKinFolk.com - index
• Fleming County Court Orders at KYKinFolk.org
• Kentucky Court of Justice at KYCourts.gov
• Legal Matters (in Fleming County) at KYKinFolk.org

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

More information about African American resources in Kentucky can be found on the Kentucky African Americans and the United States African Americans Wiki pages.

The following have information concerning African American research. Both should be used:

• African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records available
• The African American Griots Project
• Kentucky Minorities has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
• Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

Funeral Homes

• Boone-Nickell Funeral Home in Flemingsburg.
• Hutton Funeral Home in Hillsboro.
• Price Brothers Funeral Home in Elizaville.

Genealogies

• [Argo] Sharp, John L. From Adam to the Royalty of England and Scotland to the Families of Fleming County, Kentucky: or the Ancestors of Selvinous Dina Argo. Morehead, Ky.: J.L. Sharp, 1976. FS Library Book 929.273 Ar38a
• [Asbury] Holtzclaw, B.C. "Asbury of Westmoreland County, Virginia," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1967):55-65; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):77-87; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1968):10-26. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
• [Bennington] Bennington Family [Will of William Bennington, Fleming County, Kentucky, 1801]. Typescript. Microfilmed 1989. FS Library Film 1638368 Item 3
• [Burgess] Reginald, R. The House of the Burgesses: Being a Genealogical History of Edward Burgess of King George and Stafford counties, Virginia, with His Sons - Garner Burgess of Fauquier Co., Virginia; William Burgess of Stafford Co., Virginia; Moses Burgess of Orange County, Virginia; Reuben Burgess of Rowan Co., North Carolina - and His Grandsons - Edward Burgess of Culpeper Co., Virginia; John Burgess of Harrison Co., Kentucky; Henry Burgess of Fleming Co., Kentucky; Edward Burgess of Scott Co., Kentucky; John P.B. Burgess of Halifax Co., Virginia; Edward Burgess of Kanawha Co., West Virginia; William Burgess of Davie Co., North Carolina; Reuben Burgess of Davie Co., North Carolina; and Thomas Burgess of White Co., Tennessee - Together with Their Known Descendants Named Burgess. San Bernardino, Calif.: Borgo Press, 1983. FS Library Book 929.273 B912r
• [Fulton] Engle, Caroline Dayton. "Major Hugh Fulton of Augusta Co., Va., and Fleming Co., Ky.," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 60, No. 1 (Mar. 1972):65-67. FS Library Book 973 B2ng v. 60
• [Heflin] Heflin, Donald L. Reuben Heflin of Somewhere in Virginia to Mason, Fleming & Mason counties, KY, 1785-1863. Georgetown, Ky.: D.L. Heflin, 1995. FS Library Book 929.273 H361hdd
• [Hester] Searl, Hester Geraldine Lester. Hester Genealogy, A Story of Some Descendants of John Hester and Early Settler of Fleming County, Kentucky, Who Arrived in America in the Year 1740. Patterson, Calif.: H.G.L. Searl, 1972. FS Library Book 929.273 H469s
• [Hilligoss] Danell, Jennie. Hilligoss Family of Fleming County, Kentucky and Rush County, Indiana. Fresno, Calif.: J. Danell, 197-?. FS Library Book 929.273 H558d
• [Owens] Owens, David Hatfield. Owens Family of Virginia (Richmond, King George, Stafford, Prince
• William, Fauquier Counties) and Kentucky (Mason, Lewis, Fleming, Bracken, Mercer, Boyle Counties). Ann Arbor, Mich.: D.H. Owens, 1991. FS Library Book 929.273 Ow2od 1991
• [Smith] Hall, William K. Robert Smith Born about 1732, Died about 1798 of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania and Fleming County, Kentucky. St. Louis, Mo.: W.K. Hall, 1989. FS Library Book 929.273 Sm51hb
• [Vincent]
• [Walton] Walton, John. "Job Walton of Fleming County, Kentucky," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Mar. 1964):15-24. FS Catalog Collection 973 B2ng v. 52

Land and Property Records

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Various Land Records of Fleming County
  
• Various Deeds of Fleming County
• The KY Land Office
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Fleming 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.

• History of Elizaville, Fleming County
• Early Settlers of Flemingsburg, Fleming County
• Lost Town of Gath, Fleming County
• Condensed History of Fleming County, Kentucky (1908)

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• 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

Military Records

• Confederate Solders' Grave Locations in Fleming County
• Battle of Blue Licks Centennial Monument, Fleming County
• Battle of Hillsboro, from an 1861 article in a newspaper from Springfield, MA
• 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 - 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 & images

Regiments. Men in Fleming County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:

- 2nd Battalion, Kentucky Mounted Rifles (Confederate). Companies B and C.

- 6th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Confederate). Company H.

World War I

• Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

Korean War

• Korean War Memorial, Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Kentucky, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• Newspapers and Magazines of Fleming County
• 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 Fleming County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

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

Obituaries

• Various obituaries of citizens of Fleming County
• Fleming County, Kentucky Obituary Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. From various funeral homes in the Flemingsburg, Ewing, Elizaville, Hillsboro, Plummers Landing, and Wallingford areas.
• Kentucky Footsteps Archives, KYGenWeb
• Kentucky Obituary Sources, KYGenWeb
• Browning Genealogy Database, Compiled by Charles Browning.
• Kentucky Obituaries, USGenWeb

• Obituary Daily Times, Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including (Ancestry)
• Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

• Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Fleming County, Kentucky Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Fleming 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.B

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1774-1989 Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989 at Ancestry ($) — index & images
• 1795-1839 Index to Wills : Fleming County, Kentucky, 1798-1834, Harrison County, Kentucky, 1795-1831, Nicholas County, Kentucky, 1800-1839(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1798-1869 Court Minutes (Order Book) an Misc. Records, Including Some Probate Records, 1798-1869(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1798-1966 Probate Records, 1798-1966(*); Clerk of the County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1798-1966 Will Books A to R (1798-1966) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1799-1835 Record of Wills in Fleming County, Kentucky, 1799 to 1835(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1812-1872 Kentucky Genealogy and Images of Old Wills, Estates, Inventories, Annual Returns, Marriages at Kentucky Pioneers
• Index to Wills : Fleming County, Kentucky, 1798-1834, Harrison County, Kentucky, 1795-1831, Nicholas County, Kentucky, 1800-1839. By Ellsberry, Elizabeth Prather. Chillicothe, Missouri : Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Record of Wills in Fleming County, Kentucky. 1937. By Burns, Annie Walker. Washington D.C. : Burns, Annie Walker Bell. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Record of Wills in Fleming County, Kentucky, 1799 to 1835. 1935. By Burns, Annie Walker. Washington, D.C. : Annie Walker Burns Bell. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Wills Filed in Fleming County at KY Kinfolk
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 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.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

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 Fleming County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)

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 Fleming County Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Fleming 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

• 1839-1960 Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;
• 1852-1860 - Fleming County Birth Index 1852-1860. Batch C517321 at FamilySearch
• 1874 - Fleming County Birth Index 1874. Batch C517322 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Fleming County Birth Index 1875. Batch C517323 at FamilySearch
• 1911-1912 Searchable KY Birth Index
• 1911-1999 Kentucky Births, 1911-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index

Marriage

• 1609-2016 Kentucky, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index $
• 1785-1979 Kentucky Marriages 1785-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1785-Onward Kentucky Marriages at MyHeritage — index & images ($)
• 1797-1954 Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1798-1851 Fleming County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1798-1851 at Ancestry ($)
• 1852-1860 - Fleming County Marriage Index 1852-1860. Batch M517321 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Fleming County Marriage Index 1875. Batch M517324 at FamilySearch
• 1876-1878 - Fleming County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch M517325 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

• 1843-1970 Kentucky Deaths and Burials 1843-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1911-1965 Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1911-2000 Searchable KY Death Index
• 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• United States Social Security Death Index - How to Use this Collection
• The Kentucky Vital Records Project, Transcriptions and Images of Kentucky Death Certificates

Divorce

• 1962-2005 Kentucky, U.S., Divorce Records, 1962-2005 at Ancestry - index ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Fleming County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Kentucky Archives and Libraries.

Archives of Appalachia
East Tennessee State University
Sherrod Library, Room 422
344 J L Seehorn Rd
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: 423-439-4338
Email: archives@etsu.edu
Facebook
Website

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Adams Ohio FamilySearch Center
• Lexington Kentucky FamilySearch Center
• Owingsville Kentucky FamilySearch Center
• Breathitt County Library - an affiliate library.
• Lexington Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Fleming County. For state-wide library facilities, see Kentucky Archives and Libraries.

Societies

Listed below are societies in Fleming County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Kentucky Societies.

Fleming County Historical Society
207 E Main St
Flemingsburg, KY 41041

Websites

• Fleming County KYGenWeb
• Fleming County KY, USGenWeb Archives
• Fleming County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• State of Kentucky Website
• Fleming 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