Monroe County, Kentucky Genealogy

United States

Kentucky

Monroe County

Guide to Monroe 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: Tompkinsville Organized: January 19, 1820 Parent County(s): Barren, Cumberland Neighboring Counties Allen  • Barren  • Clay (TN)  • Cumberland  • Macon (TN)  • Metcalfe 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

Monroe County was named for James Monroe. The county is located in the south-central area of the state.

County Courthouse

Monroe County Courthouse
PO Box 188
Tompkinsville, KY 42167
Phone: 270-487-5505
Monroe County Website

Monroe 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	1863	1852	162	1863	1863	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1911. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

1863, 1887--Disasters destroyed most records. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Boundary Changes

1820--Monroe County was created 19 January 1820 from Barren and Cumberland Counties.   County seat: Tompkinsville 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
Fountain Run Gamaliel	Tompkinsville (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Akersville Blythe Boles Bugtussle Coe Cyclone Emberton Flippin Forkton	Freetown Grandview Gum Tree Harlan Crossroads Hestand Jeffrey Lamb Martinsburg Meshack	Mount Hermon Mud Lick Otia Persimmon Pikesville Raydure Rockbridge Sulphur Lick Vernon

Resources

Biographies

• KY Biographies, Jeff Murphy's Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries

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

 

• Kentucky cemetery records often identify birth, death, relationship, and military information, as well as religious affiliation.
• Monroe Co. KY USGenWeb Tombstone Project  usually gives the names of the deceased in alphabetical order by last name with birth and death dates plus any remarks. 
• The KY Historical Society’s Cemetery Database
• African American Cemeteries Online, Partial index/transcriptions of African American cemeteries
• Cemetery Junction, Links to cemetery transcriptions
• Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project
• Kentucky Cemeteries lists the national cemeteries in Kentucky with links to their web sites. The first link under Online Kentucky Cemeteries goes to the Kentucky section of Interment.net
• Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, Local volunteers may take photographs of headstones found in county cemeteries.
• Find A Grave can be searched by the name of a person or family to find where a person is buried.  Usually gives birth and death dates often with a picture of the tombstone.  May give obituaries, names of family members and links to their information in Find A Grave.
• Find A Grave also gives a list of cemeteries in Monroe County and links to the  information for the individuals buried there,
• The FamilySearch Catalog lists some records of cemeteries in Monroe County.  Some of the books or others may be on Google Books or available at public libraries.

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	5,340	—
1840	6,526	22.2%
1850	7,756	18.8%
1860	8,551	10.3%
1870	9,231	8.0%
1880	10,741	16.4%
1890	10,989	2.3%
1900	13,053	18.8%
1910	13,663	4.7%
1920	14,214	4.0%
1930	13,077	−8.0%
1940	14,070	7.6%
1950	13,770	−2.1%
1960	11,799	−14.3%
1970	11,642	−1.3%
1980	12,353	6.1%
1990	11,401	−7.7%
2000	11,756	3.1%
2010	10,963	−6.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Monroe 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

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

• Mill Creek aka Old Mulkey. Church minutes and membership lists (1799-1953) are available online. (now located in Monroe County)
  • Early records have been published and indexed: church minutes (1798-1820) and membership lists (through 1890s): FHL Book 976.9685 K2g.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

• 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 KY African American Griots Project
• Kentucky Cultural Groups has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
• Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

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 Monroe 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

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

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 Monroe County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Monroe 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
• Links to research and locate obituaries
• 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 Monroe County, Kentucky Genealogy Clerk of Court and are housed at the Monroe 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
• 1861-1946 Will Books A to D (1861-1946) digitized by FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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.

• 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 Monroe County Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Monroe 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 - Monroe County Birth Index 1852-1860. Batch C517771 at FamilySearch
• 1874 - Monroe County Birth Index 1874. Batch C517772 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Monroe County Birth Index 1875. Batch C517773 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
• 1852-1860 - Monroe County Marriage Index 1852-1860. Batch M517771 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Monroe County Marriage Index 1875. Batch M517774 at FamilySearch
• 1876-1878 - Monroe County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch M517775 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
• 1900-1999 Kentucky Deaths, 1900-1999 at MyHeritage ($) — index
• 1911-1965 - Kentucky Death Records, 1911-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
• 1911-2000 - Searchable KY Death Index
• The 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, University of Kentucky Vital Records Databases

Research Facilities

Archives

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

• 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 Libraries

• Tompkinsville Kentucky Family History Center

Libraries

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

Societies

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

• Monroe County Historical and Genealogical Society
  200 N Magnolia St
  Tompkinsville, KY 42167
• South Central Kentucky Historical and Genealogical Society
  PO Box 157
  Glasgow, KY 42142-0157
• Links and addresses to Kentucky genealogical and historical societies

Websites

• Monroe County, KY History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
• Monroe County KYGenWeb
• Monroe County USGenWeb Archives 
• 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.
• Monroe County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Monroe 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.