What This Collection Is
This is the Kentucky portion of Martindale's Commercial and Legal Guide
(Spring 1886), a national directory listing attorneys, courts, banks, merchants,
and transportation lines throughout the United States and Canada.
The Kentucky section includes:
- Attorney listings by town and county
- Banks, bankers, and commercial references
- Population figures from the 1880 Census
- Railroad, steamboat, and stage routes serving Kentucky towns
- A summary of Kentucky state law in 1886
The material was compiled for this edition by Isaac T. Woodson.
How We Obtained This File
Many thanks to Tim Stowell former GAGenWeb state coordinator,
for scanning and contributing this file.
It was preserved from earlier KYGenWeb/RootsWeb holdings and migrated here
during the statewide modernization project.
Why This Collection Is Useful
This directory provides a detailed 1886 snapshot of Kentucky’s legal and commercial
landscape, collected by Martindales. This firm was founded in 1868 and still exists today:
Martindale.
Family researchers can use it to:
- Identify attorneys active in each county seat
- Locate banks, merchants, and businesses connected to ancestors
- Understand the transportation networks that shaped migration and trade
- Interpret legal records through the included summary of Kentucky law
- Contextualize communities with population figures from 1880
These pages capture a post-Civil War period when Kentucky towns were changing rapidly,
making this directory a valuable complement to local histories and courthouse records.
Collection (Scrollable)
Martindale's Commercial and Legal Guide - Spring 1886.
J. B. Martindale - 142 & 144 La Salle Street, Chicago.
This edition is the thirty-seventh semi-annual edition.
