Franklin County, Kentucky Genealogy

United States

Kentucky

Franklin County

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

Kentucky Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Frankfort Organized: December 7, 1794 Parent County(s): Woodford, Mercer, Shelby Neighboring Counties Anderson • Henry • Owen • Scott • Shelby • Woodford See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Franklin County was named for Benjamin Franklin. The county is located in the northern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Franklin County Courthouse
PO Box 338 219 St Clair Street
Frankfort, KY 40602-0338
Phone: 502-875-8702
Franklin County Website

Franklin 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 Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1852	1795	1852	1795	1795	1795	1810
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1911. General compliance by 1917.

Record Loss

1995 A disaster destroyed some records.

Boundary Changes

1794--Franklin County was created 7 December 1794 from Woodford, Mercer, and Shelby Counties. County seat: Frankfort 1790--Franklin County was part of Jefferson, Woodford, and Mercer Counties. 1795--Franklin County was created. 1800--Franklin County included part of Anderson and Owen Counties. A section of Franklin County was included in Shelby County. 1810--Same as 1800. 1820--Franklin County included part of Anderson County. A small section of Franklin County was located in Henry County. 1830--The boundaries of Franklin County are permanently established. 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
Frankfort
Unincorporated communities
Benson Big Eddy Bon Air Hills Bridgeport Broadville Manor Bryant Elmville Elsinore Evergreen Farmdale Flag Fork	Forks of Elkhorn Fox Gap (hist.) Gibbs Road (hist.) Glore (hist.) Gregory (hist.) Harvieland Honeysuckle(hist.) Indian Hills Jett Kennebec Knights(hist.)	Lucas Lane (hist.) Mount Zion (hist.) Ottusville Peaks Mill Polsgrove Roberts (hist.) Shadrick Ferry (hist.) Slickway Swallowfield Switzer Woodlake

Resources

Bible Records

• Franklin County Bible Records at Roots Web
• Frankln County, Kentucky Family Bible Records at Access Genealogy

Biographies

• Kentucky Biographies Project

Cemeteries

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

• Interment.net, Kentucky cemetery records by county.
• Naming the Forgotten, The Eastern State Hospital Project

Census Records

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	5,078	—
1810	8,013	57.8%
1820	11,024	37.6%
1830	9,254	−16.1%
1840	9,420	1.8%
1850	12,462	32.3%
1860	12,694	1.9%
1870	15,300	20.5%
1880	18,699	22.2%
1890	21,267	13.7%
1900	20,852	−2.0%
1910	21,135	1.4%
1920	19,357	−8.4%
1930	21,064	8.8%
1940	23,308	10.7%
1950	25,933	11.3%
1960	29,421	13.5%
1970	34,481	17.2%
1980	41,830	21.3%
1990	43,781	4.7%
2000	47,687	8.9%
2010	49,285	3.4%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

For tips on accessing Franklin 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.

• Christian Church Directory for Kentucky at ChurchFinder
• Catholic Parishes in the Diocese of Lexington
• Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville
• A history of the First Presbyterian Church, Frankfort, Kentucky : together with the churches in Franklin County, in connection at Ancestry ($)
• Darnell, Ermina Jett. Forks of Elkhorn Church. Louisville, Kentucky : Standard Printing Co., 1946. A good resource for information concerning people living in the Forks of the Elkhorn area.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Court Records

• 1795-1867 Order Books, 1795-1867; Index to Order Books, 1795-1834(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• John Hardin Heirs, Bluegrass Roots, Vol. 2. By Kentucky Genealogical Society (Frankfort, Kentucky). Frankfort, Kentucky : Kentucky Genealogical Society, Inc. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• Cases Heard Before the Supreme Court for the District of Kentucky 1785-1792 at KYKinFolk.com
  

Abstracts of Early Kentucky Supreme Court Cases

• Commonwealth of Kentucky, State Board of Elections at KY.gov
  

Contact information for all Kentucky County Court Clerks. Scroll down or use index at top of page to find desired county.

• Kentucky Court of Justice at KYCourts.gov

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African Americans

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

• Bellardo, Lewis J. "Frankfort, Kentucky, Census of Free Blacks, 1842," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 4 (Dec. 1975):272-275. Digital version at NGS website ($); FS Library Book 973 B2ng v. 63
• African American Research (US) has more information about the kinds of records available
• The African American Griots Project
• Kentucky Minorities has information specific to Kentucky African Americans.
• Sandi Gorin's Tips, Hangings in Kentucky 1792-1900

Funeral Homes

• Clark Legacy Center in Frankfort.
• Harrod Brothers Funeral Home in Frankfort.
• LeCompte-Johnson-Taylor Funeral Home in Frankfort.
• Rogers Funeral Home in Frankfort.

Genealogies

• [Brown] Buchanan, Paul C. and Susie M. Owens. "Henry Long and Some Descendants of Colonial Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1994):115-126; Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1994):190-200; Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1994):263-273; Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):27-31. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 38 (1994)-v. 39 (1995).
• [Catlett] Peters, Norman R. "Benjamin Robinson of Caroline County, VA. But Not the Clerk!" The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2004):57-75; Vol. 48, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2004):120-139. Digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• [Clarke] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [de Graffenried] de Graffenried, Thomas Pritchett. History of the de Graffenried Family from 1191 A.D. to 1925. Binghampton, N.Y.: Vail-Ballou Press, 1925. Digital version at Internet Archive - free; FS Library Book 929.273 G758g.
• [Head] Buchanan, Paul C. and Susie M. Owens. "Henry Long and Some Descendants of Colonial Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1994):115-126; Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1994):190-200; Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1994):263-273; Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):27-31. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 38 (1994)-v. 39 (1995).
• [Julian] Buford, Marcus Bainbridge. A Genealogy of the Buford Family in America, With Records of a Number of Allied Families. San Francisco, Calif., 1903. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• [Long] Buchanan, Paul C. and Susie M. Owens. "Henry Long and Some Descendants of Colonial Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1994):115-126; Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1994):190-200; Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1994):263-273; Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):27-31. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 38 (1994)-v. 39 (1995).
• [McAndre] Buchanan, Paul C. and Susie M. Owens. "Henry Long and Some Descendants of Colonial Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1994):115-126; Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1994):190-200; Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1994):263-273; Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1995):27-31. Digital version at American Ancestors ($). FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 38 (1994)-v. 39 (1995).
• [Major] Harper, Lillie DuPuy VanCulin. Colonial Men and Times: Containing the Journal of Col. Daniel Trabue, Some Account of His Ancestry, Life and Travels in Virginia and the Present State of Kentucky During the Revolutionary Period; the Huguenots, Genealogy, with Brief Sketches of the Allied Families. Philadelphia, Pa.: Innes & Sons, 1916. Digital version at Internet Archive; FS Library Film 1421709 Item 2.
  
• [Patteson] Smith, Ethel Marion. An Informal History of Virginia-Kentucky Pattesons in Illinois, Their Forbears and Their Kin Including the Lewises of Llangollen. Washington, 1948. Available at FS Library.

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.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• The KY Land Office
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Local Histories

Local histories are available for Franklin 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.

• The History of Franklin County, Kentucky. 1912. By L.F. Johnson. Frankfort, Ky. : Roberts Print. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).

Maps and Gazetteers

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• KYGenWeb compiled list of maps
• Click on the county to go to the KYGenWeb site
• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - 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 Franklin County served in various regiments and companies. Those listed below were specifically formed in this county:

- 7th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Companies B, C, G and K.

- 22nd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A and F.

- 24th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company H.

- 30th Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Companies A, B, E, F and G.

- 32nd Regiment, Kentucky Infantry (Union), Company B.

World War I

• Fallen Soldiers in WWI from KY
• Hattie Marshall Scott. Names and home addresses of Franklin County's men and women serving their country.

Korean War

• Korean War Memorial, Korean War Memorial for Soldiers from KY, KYGenWeb

Newspapers

• 1800s-Current Kentucky, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• USNPL, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
• World-Newspapers, Kentucky, Kentucky newspaper index with links
• Kentucky Newspapers on Microfilm
• The Kentucky Historical Society, in Frankfort, Kentucky, has a great newspaper collection.

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Franklin County, Kentucky Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

• WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
• Do a Franklin County, Kentucky Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name 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 Daily Times, Citations to over 15,000,000 obituaries
• Nashville Christian Advocate Death Abstracts

Other Records

• Kentucky Postcards, USGenWeb

Probate Records

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

• 1774-1989 Kentucky, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
• 1785-1880 Will Books 1 to 3 (1785-1880) at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1795-1880 Wills, 1795-1880, of Franklin County (Kentucky)(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• 1812-1872 Kentucky Genealogy and Images of Old Wills, Estates, Inventories, Annual Returns, Marriages at Kentucky Pioneers
• 1824-1877 Executor Bonds, 1824-1877, and Administrator Bonds, 1824-1840, of Franklin County (Kentucky)(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1828-1851 Settlements of Estates, 1828-1851, of Franklin County (Kentucky)(*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1855-1880 Franklin County, Kentucky Will Book 3, 1855 to 1880(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• Franklin County, Kentucky Will and Settlement Book B Part 1 and 2(*); at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

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.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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.

• 1801 - 1801 Tax List of Franklin County, Kentucky Genealogy is included in Clift's Second Census of Kentucky 1800, digitized by Ancestry ($).
• Search Tax, Criminal, Land and Wills Records, Ancestry ($)

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 Franklin County Clerk, with divorce records 1849-1958 located with the Franklin County Circuit Court. For more information see How to Find Kentucky Marriage Records. For Kentucky divorce records see the wiki page Kentucky Vital Records. To order vital records from Franklin County, you may order online at: Franklin County Vital Records

Birth

• 1839-1960 Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;
• 1852-1861 - Franklin County Birth Index 1852-1861. Batch C517341 at FamilySearch
• 1874 - Franklin County Birth Index 1874. Batch C517342 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Franklin County Birth Index 1875. Batch C517343 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
• 1790-1815 Franklin County, Kentucky Marriage Records, 1790-1815, Volume I at Ancestry ($)
• 1797-1954 Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
  
• 1852-1861 - Franklin County Marriage Index 1852-1861. Batch M517341 at FamilySearch
• 1875 - Franklin County Marriage Index 1875. Batch M517344 at FamilySearch
• 1876-1878 - Franklin County Marriage Index 1876-1878. Batch M517345 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

• 1962-2005 Kentucky, U.S., Divorce Records, 1962-2005 at Ancestry - index ($)

Research Facilities

Archives

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

Archives of Appalachia
East Tennessee State University
Sherrod Library, Room 422
344 J L Seehorn Rd
Johnson City, TN 37614
Phone: 423-439-4338
Email: archives@etsu.edu
Facebook
Website

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Lexington Kentucky FamilySearch Center
• Louisville Kentucky FamilySearch Center
• The Kentucky Historical Society Library - an affiliate library.
• Lexington Public Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

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

Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
300 Coffee Tree Rd
PO Box 537
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-564-8300
Website

Paul Sawyier Library
319 Wapping St
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: 502-352-2665
Email: jean.ruark@pspl.org
Website

Societies

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

Websites

• 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.
• Franklin County, Kentucky Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
• Franklin 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 table contains the dates the local or state government began recording in the county or county equivalent. Use substitute records for earlier dates. If you believe there is an error, email us at wikisupport@familysearch.org.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

“Current” indicates records are available as recently as privacy laws allow. This date can change from year to year. To determine the exact dates available, contact the respective organization/repository.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.