Owsley County: Search private papers when county records leave a gap.
Search private papers when county records leave a gap. Start with the collection and request a specific item, place or date range before planning a visit.
Sources checked October 26, 2026. Based on public institutional descriptions and collection catalogs; no staff confirmation or onsite inspection. Confirm access before visiting.
Start with one connection.
Bring a person, a place, approximate years, and one question. A township, congregation, school, or employer may reveal records a surname search misses. The custodian can be outside the county.
Check the county for your research year.
A place may have belonged to a parent county before this county existed.
Use these dated holdings to choose a next search. This is a selection of cataloged collections, not a complete inventory of Owsley County records.
A range is a lead, not a guarantee. Bars show the dates stated by the cited catalog or inventory. They do not establish uninterrupted coverage, complete reporting or online image access. Unmarked years mean not represented in this selection, not that records were destroyed. Indexes and abstracts still need to be followed to the underlying record.
Sources reviewed October 26, 2026. Blue shows cataloged holdings; rust identifies indexes or compiled publications where the source specifies them. Read the format label and access notes for each row.
180018501900195020002026
KDLA inventory entry
Deed books
Listed years: 1929–2003.
Source, access and coverage limits
Use KDLA’s record-request instructions and identify the county, record series, exact years and any book or page reference. Ask about indexes and the current custodian before ordering.
Keep in mind: These are selected inventory dates, not proof of complete or uninterrupted coverage or online images. Confirm the specific volume and any earlier jurisdiction; a range endpoint is not necessarily the first or last year of recordkeeping. Probate papers may be filed separately from will books.
Use KDLA’s record-request instructions and identify the county, record series, exact years and any book or page reference. Ask about indexes and the current custodian before ordering.
Keep in mind: These are selected inventory dates, not proof of complete or uninterrupted coverage or online images. Confirm the specific volume and any earlier jurisdiction; a range endpoint is not necessarily the first or last year of recordkeeping. Probate papers may be filed separately from will books.
Use KDLA’s record-request instructions and identify the county, record series, exact years and any book or page reference. Ask about indexes and the current custodian before ordering.
Keep in mind: These are selected inventory dates, not proof of complete or uninterrupted coverage or online images. Confirm the specific volume and any earlier jurisdiction; a range endpoint is not necessarily the first or last year of recordkeeping. Probate papers may be filed separately from will books.
Confirm the historical jurisdiction as well as the date. A record may be held outside today’s county, and an inventory’s ending year does not mean recordkeeping stopped.
Search private papers when county records leave a gap.
The collection contains Combs family deeds, leases, mortgages, tax, military and personal documents dated 1849–1970.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Read the finding aid and request identified folders for the Special Collections reading room.
A question you can ask
Do the deeds or leases name neighbors connected to my Owsley family?
Keep in mind
These are one family’s surviving papers, not county-wide coverage. Publication and privacy conditions still apply.
STOP 02 / Berea / finding aid online
Berea College: I. W. Gabbard Papers
Hear the daily life behind a rural household.
The repository describes a farmer and justice of the peace’s notebooks and diaries, approximately 1936–1955, with farming, genealogy and local affairs.
Research details & a question to ask
How to begin
Use the finding aid to identify the relevant notebook and ask the reading room about access.
A question you can ask
Does a notebook mention my family’s neighborhood, farm work or local case?
Keep in mind
The series has gaps and reflects its author’s perspective.
Leave a trail another researcher can follow.
Save the repository, collection title, dates, volume, page or item identifier, link, and the date you consulted it. Follow an index to the original record when possible. Keep uncertain names and inferred relationships visibly separate from what the source states.
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.