How Lost are the Ancestors?
By Jeannette Holland Austin
It seems that finding some ancestors is only a dream. Let us face facts, everyone does not create records of themselves. They don't purchase land, pay taxes, register their marriages or file estate records. Some people avoided census takers, or were missed because they resided at a county border or near the frontier. So, what to do? Here are some suggestions. First search the tax digests for likely counties. These digests are never alphabetical. Do not forget to look for defaulters for this may be a clue of when they left the area. Another place to search is the Minutes of the Inferior Court where mention is made of road overseers, commissioners of various public offices, etc. Also, check the Superior Court records looking for law suits.
Jefferson County Wills, Estates, Deeds
Jefferson County was organized in 1780 and one of the first three
counties to be formed out Virginia at the time (the other two being
Fayette and Lincoln). The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was
governor of Virginia at the time.
Jefferson County Probate Records available to members of Kentucky Pioneers
Digital Images of Jefferson County Wills (1783 to 1813)
Testators: Askew, James; Askew, James (2) ; Bacon, Nathaniel, Captain ; Bates, Susan ; Bates, Susanna ; Beard, Charles ; Beard, Sarah ; Blankenbecker, Jacob; Bostwick, Trueman ; Brashear, William Sr. ; Breckinridge, Alexander ; Brendlinger, Conrad ; Brenham, Daniel ; Brinley, Jacob ; Bryan, Joseph; Cecil, Thomas ; Christian, John ; Churchill, Jamesstead ; Clark, Andrew ; Cornelius, William ; Coverton, Priscilla ; Cowen, John ; Crawford, David ; Cummins, William ; Danley, William ; Dickenson, Richard ; Endres, Valentine ; Fleming, Margaret ; Galloway, George ; Gatewood, John ; Geiger, George ; Gobin, Joseph ; Grigg, John ; Haneyman, Charles ; Harding, Henry ; Hawkins, David ; Hite, Abraham ; Hite, Rebecca ; Hodge, William; Hollis, William ; Holt, John ; Hume, John ; Humphries, Joshua ; Hunter, Joseph; Johnston, Dorothy ; Joyes, Patrick ; Kennison, Stephen W. ; Kirby, Samuel ; Leatherman, Frederick ; Lernes, Simeon ; Linn, Ashahel ; Lock, Catherine ; Martin, Rowley ; Mason, Thomas ; McMichael, James ; Meriwether, David Wood ; Meriwether, Patrick ; Meriwether, William Sr. ; Moore, James Francis ; Morgan, David ; Morgan, Elizabeth ; Mundle, John ; Nicholas, John ; Oglesby, Richard ; Oldham, William ; Osborn, William ; Parish, John ; Paul, Peter ;Penn, Chloe ; Peter, Hans ; Plummer, Jeremiah ; Quarterman, James ; Reed, Henry; Rhodes, William ; Seaten, K. B. ; Shake, Christopher; Stewart, James; Stewart, John ; Stewart, Stephen; Stroud, ; Taylor, James ; Thompson, Benajah; Todd, Samuel ; Vaughan, Andrew ; Vaughan, John ; Watson, William ; Watts, James ; Wells, William ; Wright, Samuel; Yenowine, LeonardDigital Images of Jefferson County Wills (1813 to 1833)
Testators: Abernathy, John; Adams, Isabella; Applegate, Joseph; Arnold, Adam; Arteburn, William; Atcheson, Branham; Augustus, Springer; Austin, Mary ;Ballard, Levin ;Banks, John; Barbour, Thomas ;Beckwith, Upton; Bell, Joseph; Berthoud, James; Blake, James; Blankenbaker, Samuel ; Blankenbaker, Samuel (2) ; Bohannon, Richard ; Bradshaw, John ; Breckinridge, Robert ; Brentlinger, Susanna ; Briscoe, Robert ; Brookhart, Catharine; Brooks, Squire ;Brown, Everington ;Brown, Preston; Brown, Thomas ;Buckner, Ambrose ;Buckner, Haley ;Bucksby, Jacob; Bullitt, Alexander Scott ; Bullitt, Cuthbert ;Bullitt, Mary ;Burks, John ;Burton, Jeremiah; Byers, Nathan ;Calloway, Charles; Cannon, Anna, inventory ;Cavitt, Andrew ;Cawley, James M. ;Cawley, Joshua ;Coleman, Betty ;Coleman, Robert ;Collins, John ;Cox, John ;Crawford, Martha; Croghan, Nicholas ;Croghan, William ;Dawson, James; Delany, Michael ;Denwood, Mary ;Dorsey, Jerusha; Dorsey, Kezin ;Dougherty, William; Duffay, Michael; Dumarsellay, Andrew; Dye, Stephen ;Eastin, Ann ;Edwards, Frederick ;Ellingworth, Thomas ;Elston, Jonathan ;Erickson, James; Farnsby, David ;Farnsby, James; Fenley, Richard; Ferguson, Samuel ;Field, Abner ;Field, Reuben ;Fine, Jacob ;Fitzhugh, D. ;Fitzhugh, Elizabeth; Fontaine, Aaron; Foxwood, William; Frederick, Andrew ;Frederick, Augustus Sr. ;Freeman, Walter ;Fry, Susan; Funk, Jacob ;Gailbreath, Elizabeth, inventory ;Gailbreath, Joseph; Gamble, William ;Garason, John Anthony ;Garay, Bennett ;Gardener, Silas ;Garret, Silas ;Gay, George ;Geiger, Fred, Colonel ;Gill, Thomas; Glass, Sarah ;Godsinger, John ;Grayson, Frederick W. ;Grigg, Thomas; Griggs, William Sr. ;Guger, Frederick; Hall, E. ;Hammond, Login ;Hampton, Ephraim ;Harden, Henry; Harding, Ann ;Harding, Josiah ;Harding, Rebecca ;Harrison, John ;Hart, Jacob ;Hawse, Peter ;Hayse, George ;Headington, Joshua; Henderson, James; Hightower, Abraham; Hikes, Andrew, inventory; Hikes, George ;Hite, Abraham ;Hite, Joseph; Hite, Patsy ;Hoke, George Sr.; Hoke, Leonard ;Hollis, Isabella; Hollis, John; Hollis, Nancy; Holmes, Moses ;;Houston, EliHouston, William;Hundley, John; Jagerlehner, Niklaus; Johnston, Gabriel ;Johnston, John; Jones, Alice ; Jones, Sally; Kalfers, Henry Frederick; Kaye, Frederick Augustus; Kearney, William; Keen, Thomas F. ; Kellar, Joseph; Kellar, Sarah; Keller, William ; Kenneday, Patrick ; Kimmeerhorn, Ann ; King, Thomas; Lampton, Mark; Laurence, Benjamin ;Levey, Samuel Jr. ;Lewellen, Richard ;Lewellen, Samuel; Lewis, George; Love, Mathew ; Love, Nathan ; Luckett, Elizabeth ;Luckett, Molly Ann ;Maple, John ;Markwell, George Sr. ;Marrs, Agnes ;Marrse, John ;Martin, John ;Massie, Henry ;Massie, Nancy ;Masterson, John ;Mathes, James; Maupin, Matilda ; McCahlan, John ; McClanahan, Thomas ;McColloch, Christopher ;McCollum, Barney ;McConnel, James; McConnell, Mary ; McKeown, Morgan; McKinne, Terence ; McMullin, John ; Mercer, Hugh ;Meriwether, E. W. ;Meriwether, James; Miller, Anthony ; Miller, John ;Morris, Patrick ;Morris, Richard ;Newman, Martha ; Norton, Matthew ; Oldham, Samuel ;Oldham, William ;Paldridge, John ;Patten, James; Patterson, John L. ;Payne, Bennet ;Pearce, James; Pendergrast, Mary ;Pets, Catherine, inventory and appraisement ;Phillips, David ;Phillips, Jenkin ;Phillips, Richard ;Pitts, Robert ;Pluckett, Samuel; Pomeroy, Francis ;Pope, Alexander; Pope, John Jr. ;Pope, William ;Porter, William ;Prentice, David ;Preston, William ; Preston, William (2) ;Procter, David M. ;Pryer, James; Puryear, Hezekiah ; Quarterman, Elizabeth ; Quick, Jacob ;Ramsey, Margaret T. ;Ray, David ;Read, James; Reaugh, John ;Reese, Francis ;Reynolds, Charles ;Reynolds, Richard; Rice, Edmund Sr. ;Rice, John; Richards, Samuel ;Richardson, Thomas ;Richardson, William ;Roberts, Thomas ;Rush, Conrad ;Russell, Levi; Sale, Edmund ;Sanyser, Jacob ;Scott, William ;Seabolt, George ;Seaton, James; Settles, Abraham; Shaw, Samuel ;Sherman, Charles ;Shipp, Edmund; Shipp, Edmund Sr.; Shippen, Edward ; Shirley, John ;Shively, Christian ;Shutt, Frederick ;Sisson, Abner ; Skidmore, Paul ; Smith, Daniel ;Smith, John ;Smith, Pleasant ;Sneel, Alexander ;Snell, Christian ; Sparks, William ;Spradling, William ;Stafford, Thomas ;Standiford, James ; Standiford, Nathan ;Steel, Samuel ;Stewart, Mathew ;Stokes, John, inventory ; Stowers, Nicholas ;Stringham, John ;Sullivan, Sarah ;Taylor, Benjamin ;Taylor, Reuben ;Taylor, Richard ;Theobalds, Thomas ;Thompson, John ;Tompkins, Robert ; Tuley, Elizabeth ;Tunstall, James M. ;Tunstall, John ;Turner, Robert ;Tyler, Absalom; Tyler, Edward ;Vance, James; Waggoner, James; Waters, R. J. ;Waters, Richard Jones ; Watson, William ;Weatheringill, John; Weems, John; Weir, Andrew ;Welch, Samuel ;Wells, Samuel ;Welsh, Joseph; Welsh, Mary ;Wheeler, John; Wheeler, John Henson; Whips, Denton ;Whips, George ; White, George ; White, Lee ;White, Mary ;Whitlock, George ;Wilcks, Samuel ;Wilhite, John; Williams, Jeremiah ; Wills, Samuel ;Wilson, Daniel ;Wise, Peter ; Withers, Charles ; Withers, John; Withers, Mary ;Woolfolk, William ;Yewett, Levi ;Zaring, HenryMiscellaneous
- John Rowan Sr., LWT, (1840)
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Muhlenberg County was founded in 1798 and was named for General Peter Muhlenberg, of Revolutionary War fame. The county seat is Greenville, Kentucky.
Boone County was founded in 1798 and named after Daniel Boone. The county seat is Burlington, Kentucky. The court house records begin in 1800 and contain a complete record of old wills, estates, inventories, guardianships and other miscellaneous estate items all bundled together in the same book. In other words, when you research these books, detailed account of the estate usually follows the last will and testament up until the time that it was settled.
Should one continue to visit the old court houses, especially
considering all of the genealogy added to the internet? I have been
visiting court houses since 1964 and have to tell you that some pretty
uncomfortable changes have occurred. The labor force is a problem. In
some instances, those who work in the office of the clerk of the probate
court do not know what a last will and testament is, much less how to
find the old will books. Another disturbance is the sloppy manner in
which the old books are treated. If most of these counties had not been
microfilmed in the 1950s, the information would be lost. Faded ink,
moisture damage and the like make certain records virtually impossible
to photocopy. Another issue is "off-site storage". We are in the age of
having to store old books because of a shortage of space. When I
recently visited a court house in Georgia, I had to wait several days
for the "off-storage" books to be sent to the court house! This was
really inconvenient, since I had traveled there from Atlanta. Some of
the old books are finding a home in local historical societies while
others are in the possession of the State Archives. How would one
know these things? Additionally, in the old days a clerk might take a
book home to work on it and this maneuver prevented it from being
included in a fire. Occasionally some court house books show up in
antique stores and attics! These things exist. What I am saying here is
that all records were not microfilmed. Yet all is not lost, however.
Avid researchers, like myself, seek such collections. Some of these
private collections are reflected in my books and in databases on
Kentucky Pioneers.
Happy hunting to members!
Hardin County was established in 1793 from land given by Nelson County
and was named after Colonel John Hardin, an officer in the Continental
Army during the Revolutionary War. Courthouse fires destroyed county
records in 1864 and again in 1932
Old roads. 
Pictured
is the oldest court house in Kentucky in Greensburg.
Green County was formed in 1792 from portions of Lincoln and Nelson
counties and was named after General Nathaniel Greene, the famous hero
of the southern campaigns during the Revolutionary War. Three
courthouses have served Green County. In 1804, a brick building replaced
an earlier structure, and while no longer operational, it stands in the
Greensburg Historic District (downtown) and is the oldest court house
building in Kentucky. The county seat is Greensburg, Kentucky.