Kentucky Societies

Many records created by city, county, and state governments do not fit into the record types used in this outline. Records of mayors, commissioners, overseers of the poor, schools, and a variety of others are examples of government sources that may give information about ancestors not contained in other records. Some collections that contain a variety of records such as land, history, tax, or court records may be classified as "public records." These records can be found on the state, county, and sometimes town/township level. Two examples are:

Treasurers’ Fee Books for Kentucky, 1785–1854. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1958. (Family History Library films 174940–2.) This is a microfilm of a manuscript at Lexington, Kentucky. The fee books for several years are missing. There is a partial index at the beginning of each year listed. The record contains the following information: date of fee; name of person, with the county in parentheses following the name; the service for which the fee was rendered; and the amount of the fee.

University of Kentucky (Lexington). Matriculate Registers, 1869 –1889. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1958. (Family History Library film 175019.) This is a microfilm of a manuscript at Lexington, Kentucky. The record is arranged by the year of matriculation and may show the person’s name, graduating year, rank in class, age, parent’s names, and city and state of residence.

To find various types of Kentucky public records, use the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

KENTUCKY- PUBLIC RECORDS

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- PUBLIC RECORDS

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- PUBLIC RECORDS

KENTUCKY- SCHOOLS

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- SCHOOLS

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- SCHOOLS

KENTUCKY- MEDICAL RECORDS

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- MEDICAL RECORDS

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- MEDICAL RECORDS

Kentucky has many societies that have been organized according to peoples’ interests. Genealogical, historical, and lineage societies are especially helpful to genealogists because of the records and resources they collect, transcribe, and publish. Some societies now have Internet sites. Societies include:

Lineage societies (the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR], Colonial Dames, and Sons of the American Revolution, for example) require members to prove they are descended from a certain group of people such as colonists or soldiers. The applications for membership in these societies are usually preserved and occasionally published. National lineage societies such as the DAR have a large Kentucky membership. These are described in the "Societies" section of the United States Research Outline. The Kentucky DAR is located at:

The Kentucky Society, NSDAR
Duncan Tavern Historic Center
Paris, Kentucky 40361
Internet: http://www.kentuckydar.org/

Genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records and maintain a genealogical file for historical families of the area or for ancestors of society members. Most genealogical societies focus on local and regional records, while others concentrate on the records and migrations of ethnic groups or minorities.

Societies may guide you to useful sources, suggest avenues of research, put you in touch with other genealogists who are interested in the same families, or perform research for you. The resources of the society may help in determining immigrant origins. Genealogical and historical societies occasionally publish transcriptions of original records. Most publish quarterly periodicals, a few of which are listed in the "Periodicals" section.

Some genealogical and historical societies hold conferences in which lecturers discuss genealogical research methods, available sources, and other topics of interest to the genealogist. These lectures may include information on records or research helps on a local, regional, or national level. Transcripts, audiocassette tapes, or syllabuses of the class outlines of these conferences are often made available to the public through the sponsoring society.

Major societies in Kentucky include:

Kentucky Historical Society
100 West Broadway
Frankfort, KY 40601
Telephone: 1-502-564-1792
Internet: www.kyhistory.org

The Kentucky Historical Society has the largest genealogical collection in Kentucky. Their holdings include information from all Southern States. The society’s current holdings are available online at the Department of Libraries and Archives web site, mentioned in the "Archives and Libraries" section.

Kentucky Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 153
Frankfort, KY 40602
Internet: http://www.kygs.org/

The Kentucky Genealogical Society promotes research of Kentucky families. They also publish items of genealogical interest, including the quarterly periodical Bluegrass Roots, mentioned in the "Periodicals" section.

A directory to historical organizations in Kentucky is:

Directory of Kentucky Historical Organizations. Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky Historical Society, 1992. (Family History Library book 976.9 H24.) The organizations are listed by subject and include the address, phone number, hours, collection, membership information, and publications of each organization. There is an index to organizations and counties.

Family associations and surname societies have been organized to gather ancestors or descendants of specific individuals or families. Some seek out information on persons with a specific surname. See the "Societies" section of the United States Research Outline for a directory and more information about these societies.

Clubs or occupational or fraternal organizations may have existed in the area where your ancestor lived. Those societies may have kept records of members or applications that may be of genealogical or biographical value. Though many of the old records have been lost, some have been donated to local, regional, or state archives and libraries. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) is an example of an organization an ancestor may have joined.

Filson Club Historical Society
1310 South Third Street
Louisville, KY 40208
Telephone: 1-502-636-0471
Fax: 1-502-635-5086
E-mail: filibrary@filsonclub.org
Internet: www.filsonclub.org/library.html

The Filson Club is a source of many historical and genealogical records of Kentucky. It began as a private society to study Kentucky and Ohio history and culture. Their holdings include portraits, photographs, books, manuscripts, public records, family histories, and artifacts.

For Kentucky genealogical and historical societies that have records and services to help you with your research, see the "Archives and Libraries," "Church Records," and "Periodicals" sections. Many counties also have local historical and genealogical societies. You can find local society addresses by using directories cited in the "Societies" section of the United States Research Outline.

For Kentucky societies, see the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog:

KENTUCKY- SOCIETIES

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- SOCIETIES

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- SOCIETIES

KENTUCKY- GENEALOGY- SOCIETIES

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- SOCIETIES

KENTUCKY- HISTORY- SOCIETIES

KENTUCKY, [COUNTY]- HISTORY- SOCIETIES