Jessamine County, Kentucky Genealogy

United States

Kentucky

Jessamine County

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

Kentucky Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Nicholasville Organized: December 19, 1798 Parent County(s): Fayette Neighboring Counties Fayette  • Garrard  • Madison  • Mercer  • Woodford See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: KYGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

Jessamine County was named for Jessamine Creek. The county is located in the central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Jessamine County Courthouse
400 Park Drive, Main Street
Nicholasville, KY 40356-0036
Phone: 859-885-9464
Jessamine County Website

Jessamine 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 Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1852	1799	1852	1799	1799	1799	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--Jessamine County was created 19 December 1798 from Fayette County.   County seat: Nicholasville For animated maps illustrating Kentucky county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Kentucky County Boundary Maps" (1776-1939) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

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
Keene	Nicholasville (county seat)	Wilmore
Unincorporated communities
Brannon Catnip Chattersville (hist.) Crisman Mill (hist.) Dixon Town Hall Hanly Jessamine	Little Hickman Logana Mount Lebanon Oak Hill (hist.) Oakdale (hist.) Pekin (hist.) Pink Nealton	Pollard Red Oak (hist.) Sulphur Well Park Sweet Home (hist.) Union Mills Vineyard Wilmore Park (hist.)
Census-designated places
High Bridge
Ghost towns
Camp Nelson

Resources

Biographies

• KY Biographies

Cemeteries

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

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

• Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
• Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
• Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	5,461	—
1810	8,377	53.4%
1820	9,297	11.0%
1830	9,960	7.1%
1840	9,396	−5.7%
1850	10,249	9.1%
1860	9,465	−7.6%
1870	8,638	−8.7%
1880	10,864	25.8%
1890	11,248	3.5%
1900	11,925	6.0%
1910	12,613	5.8%
1920	12,205	−3.2%
1930	12,431	1.9%
1940	12,174	−2.1%
1950	12,458	2.3%
1960	13,625	9.4%
1970	17,430	27.9%
1980	26,146	50.0%
1990	30,508	16.7%
2000	39,041	28.0%
2010	48,586	24.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

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

• Kentucky Census Transcriptions 1850-1930, USGenWeb
• Census Images, USGenWeb
• KY Census Online, Links to online census records
• Census of 1810, Jessamine County, Kentucky at Ancestry ($)

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.

• Kentucky Christian Church Directory, ChurchAngel
• Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
• Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville

Baptist

• Marble Creek. Church minutes (1787-1842) are available at the Kentucky Historical Society.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

• [www.kykinfolk.com/court/court.htm Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases], KYGenWeb
• Kentucky Court of Justice Research & Reference

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

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

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

Genealogies

• [Akers] Phillips, June Vore. Akers, Sumner, and Related Families. Evansville, Ind.: Unigraphic, Inc., 1978. FHL Film 1481074 Item 1
• [Alexander] Curtis, Oscar F. Alexander--Brewster--Irwin--Dunn. Typescript. Microfilmed 1989. FHL Film 1638364 Item 1
• [Brawner] Kurtz, Thelma E. Brawner Genealogy, ca. 1760-1968. Kansas City, Mo.: T.E. Kurtz, 196-?. FHL Book 929.273 B739k
• [Brewster] Curtis, Oscar F. Alexander--Brewster--Irwin--Dunn. Typescript. Microfilmed 1989. FHL Film 1638364 Item 1
• [Craven] Craven, Patricia. The Craven Clan of Southwestern Pennsylvania and Various Kentucky Counties Nelson, Washington, Marion, Boone, Fayette, Jessamine, Henry. Chicago, Ill.: P. Craven, 1988. FHL Book 929.273 C855cr
• [Downey] Downey, Donald Gordon. Downey Families of Kentucky: Ancestors of Donald G. Downey. Louisville, Ky.: D.G. Downey, 1993. 1994 reprint: FHL Book 929.273 D758dd
• [Galey] McCammon, George William. Some of the Descendants of Matthew McCammon, 1757-1841, Scot-Irish Immigrant and Revolutionary War Veteran and Indiana Pioneer. Shoals, Ind.: Country Pines Printing, 1996. FHL Book 929.273 M125m
• [Johnson] A Genealogy of the Johnson Family. Typescript. Microfilmed 1986. FHL Vault Film 1451807
• [Lyon] Mitchell, Mary Edna. One Branch of the Lyon Family (Kentucky - Missouri - Elsewhere). Waco, Texas: M.E. Mitchell, 1954. FHL Book 929.273 L994m
• [Meade] Peet, Henry Johns. Chaumiere Papers Containing Matters of Interest to the Descendants of David Meade, of Nansemond County, Va., Who Died in the Year 1757. Chicago: H. O'Donoghue, 1883. FHL Collection; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• [Moseley] Dixon, Judith Holden. The Moseley/Taylor Families of Thomas Berry Proctor and Willie Ann (Taylor) Moseley with Material on the Allied Families of: Maxey, Radford, Bondurant, Smith, Trabue, Guerrant, Withers, Hawkins, Duff, Pryor, Branch, Sandifer, Ligon, Hancock, Stovall, Berry, Proctor, Cheadle, Chiles, Woodson, Fleming, Tarleton. Joplin, Mo.: J.H. Dixon, 1990. FHL Book 929.273 M852d
• [Overstreet] Windland, Harry K. James Overstreet: His Progeny and Allied Families. Glen Carbon, Ill.: H.K. Windland, 1995. FHL Book 929.273 Ov2wh
• [Owens] Sone, Guy M. Genealogy of Rogers, Peyton, Owens, Sone, Marrs, Jennings, Jouett and Allied Families. Jefferson City, Mo.: G.M. Sone, 1958. FHL Film 875358 Item 4
• [Owens] Enderle, Harriet Owen. Owens Genealogy. Written about 1975.
• [Owens] Owens, Claude M. The Owens Connection: William, Sr., to William, Jr., and James (Virginia and Kentucky, 1750-1800 c.). South Laguna, Calif.: C.M. Owens, 1992. FHL Book 929.273 Ow2ocm.
• [Price] Katz, Gertrude Morton Price. Obituaries of Morton Moses Price (1805-1876) and Wife, Fanny Crosthwaite (1822-1892), of Irvine, Estill County, Kentucky and Data about Relatives. New York: n.p., 1971. FHL Film 844831 Item 4
• [Price] Katz, Gertrude Morton Price and S.M. Duncan. William Price, Kentucky Pioneer, and His Family and Times. Typescript. Microfilmed 1986. FHL Film 1321366 Item 5
• [Reynolds] Rohrer, Emalene Reynolds and Lily May McLemore Clark. The Reynolds Family of Jessamine County. Nicholasville, Ky.: E.R. Rohrer, 1989. FHL Book 929.273 R333rc 1989
• [Rhorer] Curtis, Oscar F. Rhorer Research File. Typescript. Microfilmed 1989. FHL Film 1638489 Item 19
• [Robinson] Peters, Norman R. "Benjamin Robinson of Caroline County, VA. But Not the Clerk!" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2004):57-75; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2004):120-139. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• [Scott] Barker, Florence Fares. Scott Family, ca. 1788-1986. Typescript, Rockport Public Library, Rockport, Ind. Microfilmed 1987. FHL Film 1502917 Item 2
• [Sone] Sone, Guy M. Genealogy of Rogers, Peyton, Owens, Sone, Marrs, Jennings, Jouett and Allied Families. Jefferson City, Mo.: G.M. Sone, 1958. FHL Film 875358 Item 4
• [Stewart] Stewart, Scott John. The Stewarts: Adam to Adam. 1998. FHL Book 929.273 St49ssj
• [Stuart] Stuart, W. Wilson, Cheryl Stuart Oberhaus, and Mary Haislip Jameson. Genealogy of Thomas and Elizabeth Stuart 1762-1826 from Virginia to Kentucky to Missouri with Some Descendants. Keokuk, Iowa: W.W. Stuart, 1993. FHL Book 929.273 St91sw; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
• [Todd] McMurtry, Richard K. Addendum to Todd Families in America Collection. MSS. 2004-2005. FHL Vault Film 1735027 Item 10
• [Trabue] Colwell, Pauline Trabue Groves and Osee Johnson Knouf. Trabue Family History: Ancestry and Known Descendants of David Trabue, Jr., Born Oct. 9, 1768, Manikintown, Virginia, Died Apr. 8, 1842, Jessamine Co., Kentucky. Champaign, Ill.: n.p., 1968. FHL Book 929.273 T671c
• [Trisler] Trislers and Related Families. Bountiful, Utah: Family History Publishers, 1990. FHL Book 929.273 T738t
• [Turner] Johnson, Rhea Duryea. Our Duryea and Turner Lines. Cornwall, Pa.: R.D. Johnson, 1959. FHL Book 929.273 D939j
• [Wagaman] Wagaman, Paul Duane. Wagaman Family History. Typescript. FHL Book 929.273 W121wpd
• [Wren] Jeffers, Marilee Anne Shern and Nina Shern Liechty. The Shern Family with Correlating South, Wren and Taylor and Murray Lines. Greeley, Colo.: M.S. Jeffers, 1997. FHL Book 929.273 Sh56j
• [Zike] Smith, Harry Virgle and Iva Pearl Smith. The Zike Book. Typescript. Microfilmed 1989. FHL Film 1638365 Item 1
• [Zimmerman] Moore, Willa Mae Dill. Records of Frederick Zimmerman, Esq., Jessamine Co., Kentucky, Revolutionary Soldier and Other Genealogical Records. Typescript, 1960. FHL Film 879671 Item 5

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.

• The KY Land Office

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Jessamine 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.

• A History of Jessamine County, Kentucky. 1898. By Bennett H. Young; S. M. Duncan. Louisville, Kentucky : Courier Journal Job Print. Co. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• Maps of Kentucky (1776-1939)
• KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
• Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
• FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records

• 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 and images

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

- 20th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company K

World War I

• Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY

Korean War

• Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb

Newspapers

• 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 Jessamine County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

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

Obituaries

• Kentucky Footsteps Archives, KYGenWeb
• Kentucky Obituary Sources, KYGenWeb

• Browning Genealogy Database, Compiled by Charles Browning.
• Kentucky Obituaries, USGenWeb
• Afrigeneas, African American death notices, obituaries and funeral programs compiled by users from current newspapers and historical sources
• Obituary Depot, Kentucky Newspaper Citations
• Obituary Daily Times, Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries including interactive search function
• Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

• Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records

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

• 1774-1999 Kentucky Wills and Probate Records 1774-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
• 1799-1927 - Will Books A to M (1799-1927) digitized by FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• Images of Wills, Estates, Distributions, Appraisements 1800-1813; 1813-1818; 1818-1826; 1826-1834. Kentucky Pioneers ($)

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.

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.

• 1799, 1805, 1813 - Ellis, Neta Reeves. Jessamine County, Kentucky, Tax Lists 1799-1805-1813. Buffalo, Texas: The Scribes, 1988. FHL Book 976.9483 R48j
• 1800 - 1800 Tax List of Jessamine County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
• 1815, 1819, 1821 - Ellis, Neta Reeves. Jessamine County, Kentucky, Tax Lists 1815-1819-1821. Buffalo, Texas: The Scribes, 1988. FHL Book 976.9483 R48je
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)

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 Jessamine County Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Jessamine 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
• 1852-1859 - Jessamine County Birth Index 1852-1859. Batch C517541 at FamilySearch
• 1874 - Jessamine County Birth Index 1874. Batch C517542 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Jessamine County Birth Index 1875. Batch C517543 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
• 1797-1954 - Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
• 1852-1859 - Jessamine County Marriage Index 1852-1859. Batch M517541 at FamilySearch
• 1799-1820 - Jessamine County, Kentucky Marriage Records 1799-1820 at Ancestry ($)
• 1875 - Jessamine County Marriage Index 1875. Batch M517544 at FamilySearch
• 1876-1877 - Jessamine County Marriage Index 1876-1877. Batch M517545 at FamilySearch
• 1973-2000 - Searchable KY Marriage Records
• 1973-2000 - Kentucky Marriage Records 1973-2000
• 1960-1993 Kentucky Marriages, 1960-1993 at MyHeritage ($) — 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

• 1973-1993 - Kentucky Divorce Records 1973-1993

Research Facilities

Archives

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

• Inventory of the county archives of Kentucky: Jessamine County at Ancestry ($)
• Archives of Appalachia
  East Tennessee State University
  Website

Family History Centers

Family History 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 family history center.

• Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

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

• Jessamine County Public Library
  600 So. Main Street
  Nicholasville, KY 40356
  Phone: 859-885-3523

Societies

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

• Jessamine County Historical and Genealogical Society
  216 North Main St.
  Farmers Square
  Nicholasville, KY 40356
  Email: jessaminehistorical@gmail.com
  Website
• Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Websites

• Jessamine County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Jessamine County KYGenWeb
• KYGenWeb project. Has maps, name indexes, history or other information for each county. Select the county.
• State of Kentucky Website
• USGenWeb Kentucky Archives
• The USGenWeb project May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
• Jessamine County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Jessamine 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

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.