Explore county-specific routes to family papers, school records, local photographs and collections that may live beyond the county line. Use the map or county list to find a starting point.
Follow county boundaries from 1735 to 2000, compare 2024 outlines, and read the source behind each change. Begin with Hardin County in 1793.
Explore the boundary slider →120 county guides are available. Choose a county to explore its collections.
Open county guideChoose a county on the map or use the alphabetical selector. Each guide points to selected local or regional collections and explains how to begin.
The map uses county-name hover labels. The selector lists every county.
Our first Kentucky region, centered on Elizabethtown. On a small screen, slide this close-up sideways to read the labels.
Modern boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 generalized counties . Historical jurisdictions may differ.
Before treating a new county name as a migration, match the date, watercourse, neighbors and land description. Use the jurisdiction that existed when the record was created. These are research steps, not conclusions about any particular family.
The University of Kentucky’s Kentucky History guide links county-formation and courthouse-disaster references. Compare the event date with the county’s formation before deciding where to search.
Check county history and boundary references →The Kentucky Land Office provides Virginia and Old Kentucky patent files. Search by grantee or patent number and examine the warrant, survey and grant when available. Caveat papers may describe a disputed earlier claim. A separate wills database locates wills found inside patent files.
A patent concerns the original grant of land. Later ownership changes require the county deed and court trail. A grantee’s name alone does not establish residence or kinship.
KDLA’s research guides explain court and county records. Identify the record series and years, then ask whether the archive or local office holds the needed volume. An online index is not a complete survival inventory.
Kentucky archives research guides →Try a school, church, employer, road or associate in the county collections above. For a documented crossing of the Ohio River, compare Harrison County, Indiana. Keep each proposed move tied to dated evidence.
Suggest a correction, an overlooked collection or an updated access detail. An official link or source helps us check it before making a change. Please leave out private family documents and sensitive personal information.
Suggest a correction or collectionWatch the Short. Open the protocol. Follow the evidence.