Kentucky History: Difference between revisions

1772: Fincastle County was formed from Botetourt County, Virginia. It included all of the present state of Kentucky and small portions of Virginia and West Virginia.

1774: Harrodsburg was established as the first permanent settlement in Kentucky. Settlements at Boonesboro, St. Asaph, and Danville soon followed. Early settlers received land warrants for their participation in the French and Indian War.

1776: Kentucky County was created from Fincastle County, Virginia. It included the eastern part of present-day Kentucky.

1792: The Commonwealth of Kentucky was admitted to the Union as the 15th state. Many pioneers of Kentucky were Revolutionary War veterans who came to claim bounty land.

1803: Migration through Kentucky, as well as settlement there, increased after the Louisiana Purchase.

1812– 1815: The War of 1812 involved many Kentucky soldiers.

1852: Kentucky law required counties to record births, marriages, and deaths.

1815–1860: Kentucky settlers benefitted from improvements in transportation, including river steamboats, canals, and railroads.

1861–1865: Kentucky officially supported the Union in the Civil War, but its soldiers served on both sides (120,000 Union and 60,000 Confederate).

1862: The Kentucky law requiring counties to record births, marriages, and deaths was repealed.

1870s: Further attempts were made to record births, marriages, and deaths.

1911: Kentucky again required the registration of births and deaths.

1917: Over 75,000 Kentuckians served in World War I.

1920s: The coal mining industry boomed.

1930s: Many coal miners lost their jobs, and small farms were abandoned as the depression hit Kentucky. Many Kentuckians moved to the cities for better jobs.

1939–1945: Over 300,000 Kentuckians served in World War II. Coal mines and farms became productive again.

1950–1970s: Tourism became a major industry as new highways were built. Coal mining and manufacturing continued to grow.