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Lawrence County, Kentucky Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Louisa
Organized: December 14, 1821
Parent County(s): Greenup, Floyd[1]
Neighboring Counties
Boyd • Carter • Elliott • Johnson • Martin • Morgan • Wayne (WV)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Lawrence County Courthouse, Louisa, KY
Location Map
Lawrence County svg.png

County Information

Description

Lawrence County was named for James Lawrence. The county is located in the east-central area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Lawrence County Courthouse
122 S Main Cross Street
Louisa, KY 41230
Phone: 606-638-4102[3]
Lawrence County Website

Lawrence 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1852 1822 1852 1822 1822 1822 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

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:[6]

Cities
Unincorporated communities
  • Adams
  • Adeline (hist.)
  • Ben Bow
  • Blevins
  • Brows Defeat (hist.)
  • Buchanan
  • Busseyville
  • Chapman
  • Charley
  • Cherokee
  • Clifford
  • Cordell
  • Davisville
  • Deephole
  • Ellen
  • Elm Grove (hist.)
  • Evergreen
  • Fallsburg
  • Fisher Town (hist.)


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Lawrence, Kentucky online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Kentucky Cemeteries for more information

The following web sites have additional information on Lawrence county cemeteries.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1830 3,900 —
1840 4,730 21.3%
1850 6,281 32.8%
1860 7,601 21.0%
1870 8,497 11.8%
1880 13,262 56.1%
1890 17,702 33.5%
1900 19,612 10.8%
1910 20,067 2.3%
1920 17,643 −12.1%
1930 16,713 −5.3%
1940 17,275 3.4%
1950 14,418 −16.5%
1960 12,134 −15.8%
1970 10,726 −11.6%
1980 14,121 31.7%
1990 13,998 −0.9%
2000 15,569 11.2%
2010 15,860 1.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


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

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 of Lawrence Co., Kentucky

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

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.

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

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


Local Histories

Local histories are available for Lawrence 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

Carter CountyBoyd CountyElliott CountyMartin CountyJohnson CountyMorgan CountyWayne CountyKY LAWRENCE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

Military Records

Civil War

Online Records

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

- 14th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H and I.
- 22nd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Enrolled Militia)(Union), Company D.
- 39th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I and K.

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

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

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the Lawrence County, Kentucky Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Lawrence 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 Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

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.

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

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Lawrence 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

Libraries

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

Lawrence County Public Library
102 W Main St
Louisa, KY 41230
Phone: 606-638-4497
Website

Museums

Societies

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

Lawrence County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc.
PO Box 1445
Louisa, KY 41230
Phone: 859-253-1111
Email: lckghs@yahoo.com
Facebook
Website

Lawrence County Historical Society
Morehead, KY 40351
Website

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kentucky. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lawrence County, Kentucky" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_County,_Kentucky."
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Laurel County, Kentucky page 272, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Lawrence County, Kentucky. Page 268-276 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library 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.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Kentucky. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Lawrence County, Kentucky," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_County%2C_Kentucky, accessed 26 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at FamilySearch.



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