KYGenWeb: County Collection: Bourbon
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Start Your Bourbon County Research

Formed in 1786 from Fayette County, Bourbon County was named in honor of the French royal family whose support aided the colonies during the War of Independence. It was one of nine Virginia counties established before Kentucky entered the Union in 1792. Over time, twenty-four counties and portions of ten others were created from its original territory, reflecting the rapid settlement of the Bluegrass region. The first courthouse opened in 1787 at Hopewell, a frontier community later renamed Paris.

Kentucky map with Bourbon County highlighted
Bourbon County within Kentucky

Research Highlights

Bourbon County researchers will find a mix of local records here, including marriages, cemetery readings, obituaries, census abstracts, military mentions, and contributed family files. Because the county was created in 1786 from Virginia, many early families appear in the Virginia records.

County at a Glance

  • County seat: Paris
  • Established: 1786
  • Parent counties: Fayette County (Virginia)
  • Counties formed from Bourbon: Clark, Harrison, Nicholas, Pendleton (partial), Bath (partial), Montgomery (partial), Fleming (partial), Robertson (partial)
  • Early settlements: Paris, Cane Ridge, Millersburg, North Middleton, Little Rock, Ruddles Mills
  • Key roads: Old Limestone Road (Maysville Road), Lexington–Paris Road, early pioneer traces across the Bluegrass
  • Early industries: hemp production, tobacco, agriculture, milling, early commerce linked to Lexington and Maysville
  • Nearby landmarks: Cane Ridge Meeting House, Paris Courthouse Square, Stoner Creek, Bluegrass landscape preserves

Record Loss:

  • No major courthouse fire. Bourbon County is not listed as having any catastrophic courthouse disasters.
  • No confirmed total-loss event. Most records survive from the Virginia period forward, though some early documents may be fragile or incomplete.
  • Minor gaps may exist. As with most long-established counties, a few early record volumes show age-related deterioration or partial loss.

Adjacent Counties

Map showing adjacent counties

Repositories & Records

The Bourbon County Courthouse in Wickliffe holds deeds, marriage records, probate files, and circuit court orders dating back to the county's early years. Microfilm copies of many volumes are available through the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA). Additional regional resources for researchers can be found at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort.

Other local resources include the public libraries and the Hopewell Museum.

Notes

Because Bourbon County was formed early, many families who later appear across the Bluegrass first show up in Bourbon’s tax lists, land entries, and court orders. Prior to 1786, search the records of Fayette County, Virginia (later Kentucky), which covered this entire region.

The county’s wide original boundary means that early ancestors may later appear in counties formed from Bourbon, including Clark, Harrison, Nicholas, Bath, Pendleton, Fleming, Montgomery, and Robertson. When a family seems to “disappear,” check these successor counties and the shifting county lines.

Cane Ridge, Millersburg, Ruddles Mills, and the Paris area produced substantial early church and community records. The Cane Ridge Meeting House in particular is tied to many of the county’s earliest settlers.

Land records are especially valuable in this region. Much of the early Bluegrass was settled through Virginia land grants, so searches in the Virginia Land Office patents, pre-statehood grants, and early surveys can help trace families before Bourbon records begin.

Because Bourbon experienced no major courthouse disaster, most early volumes survive. Still, expect occasional gaps or fragile material in the late-eighteenth-century records due to age and handling.

Map is from the 1874 Adams Asher Map of Kentucky. Found in the David Rumsey Map Collection.