Kentucky Research Links & Help

1. Core Kentucky Resources

• KYGenWeb County Index – Find the county site for your family.
• Kentucky USGenWeb Archives – Wills, deeds, cemeteries, obits and more.
• Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) – State-level records and research guides.
• Kentucky Historical Society – Manuscripts, photos and online catalogs.
• FamilySearch – Kentucky collections

2. Newspapers & Obituaries

Kentucky newspapers are scattered across several sites. Start with:

• Kentucky Digital Newspaper Program (KDNP)
• Chronicling America – Historic U.S. newspapers, including Kentucky.
• KYGenWeb Archives – Many transcribed obituaries are filed here.

3. Maps, Land & County Formation

• Kentucky Atlas & Gazetteer – Places, features and maps.
• Kentucky Land Records – Secretary of State
• BLM Federal Land Patents
• County formation maps – Animated county boundary changes.

4. African American Research

• Kentucky African American Griots Project
• Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA)
• Enslaved People in Kentucky Wills & Deeds

5. Cemeteries & Burial Laws

• Kentucky Tombstone Transcription Project (USGenWeb)
• Kentucky Cemetery Records Database (KHS)
• Kentucky cemetery laws & attorney general opinions

6. Learning & “How-To”

• FamilySearch Wiki – Kentucky
• Cyndi’s List – Topic-based link directory for further digging.

For more specialized topics (coal mining, military, schools, etc.), check the individual county sites and the KYGenWeb project collections.