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Land of 120 Counties

Kentucky is the land of 120 counties—more than any state except Texas and Georgia. This unusually high number grew out of early Kentucky law, which required residents to live within reasonable distance of a courthouse so they could pay taxes, record deeds, and conduct public business. As population spread across the frontier, new counties were continually carved from older ones to keep government accessible to the people.

Kentucky’s counties did not appear all at once. Before statehood, the region was part of Virginia, and its early boundaries shifted repeatedly as new counties were carved from older ones. Understanding when a county was formed—and what earlier county it belonged to—can be essential when tracking down records that pre-date the current boundaries. For a full overview of how Kentucky evolved from Virginia territory into its present shape, see the Kentucky Formation History.

County research is also shaped by where people actually lived and worked. Post offices often reveal population centers, name changes, and shifting communities. To explore where mail routes and settlements existed in the late nineteenth century, visit Kentucky Post Offices in 1870.

The sections below outline each county’s formation history along with any known courthouse disasters that may affect the availability of early records. Visit the County Selection page to visit that county site.

Individual County Formations & Courthouse Disasters

County Date Formed Parent County County Seat Approx. Year of Disaster
Adair 1801 Green Columbia
Allen 1815 Barren, Warren Scottsville 1902
Anderson 1827 Franklin, Mercer, Washington Lawrenceburg 1859, 1915
Ballard 1842 Hickman, McCracken Wickliffe 1880
Barren 1798 Green, Warren Glasgow
Bath 1811 Montgomery Owingsville 1864
Bell 1867 Knox, Harlan Pineville 1914, 1918, 1944, 1976
Boone 1798 Campbell Burlington 1880s
Bourbon 1785 Fayette Paris 1872, 1901
Boyd 1860 Carter, Lawrence, Greenup Catlettsburg
Boyle 1842 Mercer, Lincoln Danville 1860
Bracken 1796 Campbell, Mason Brooksville 1848
Breathitt 1839 Clay, Estill, Perry Jackson 1866, 1873
Breckinridge 1799 Hardin Hardinsburg 1958
Bullitt 1796 Jefferson, Nelson Shepherdsville
Butler 1810 Logan, Ohio Morgantown 1872
Caldwell 1809 Livingston Princeton 1864
Calloway 1822 Hickman Murray 1906
Campbell 1795 Harrison, Mason, Scott Alexandria & Newport
Carlisle 1886 Graves, Ballard Bardwell 1980
Carroll 1838 Gallatin, Henry, Trimble Carrollton
Carter 1838 Greenup, Lawrence Grayson
Casey 1806 Lincoln Liberty
Christian 1797 Logan Hopkinsville 1864
Clark 1792 Bourbon, Fayette Winchester
Clay 1806 Madison, Floyd, Knox Manchester 1936
Clinton 1835 Wayne, Cumberland Albany 1864, 1980
Crittenden 1842 Livingston Marion 1865, 1870
Cumberland 1796 Green Burkesville 1826, 1865, 1933
Daviess 1815 Ohio Owensboro 1865
Edmonson 1825 Grayson, Hart, Warren Brownsville
Elliott 1869 Carter, Lawrence, Morgan Sandy Hook 1957
Estill 1808 Clark, Madison Irvine 1864
Fayette 1780 Kentucky Co., VA Lexington 1803, 1897
Fleming 1798 Mason Flemingsburg
Floyd 1799 Fleming, Mason, Montgomery Prestonsburg 1808
Franklin 1794 Woodford, Mercer, Shelby Frankfort 1995
Fulton 1845 Hickman Hickman
Gallatin 1798 Franklin, Shelby Warsaw
Garrard 1796 Madison, Lincoln, Mercer Lancaster
Grant 1820 Pendleton Williamstown
Graves 1823 Hickman Mayfield 1864, 1887
Grayson 1810 Hardin, Ohio Leitchfield 1864, 1896
Green 1792 Lincoln, Nelson Greensburg
Greenup 1803 Mason Greenup 1937
Hancock 1828 Daviess, Ohio, Breckinridge Hawesville
Hardin 1792 Nelson Elizabethtown 1864, 1932
Harlan 1819 Knox Harlan 1863
Harrison 1793 Bourbon, Scott Cynthiana 1851, 1997
Hart 1819 Hardin, Barren, poss. Green Munfordville 1928
Henderson 1798 Christian Henderson
Henry 1798 Shelby New Castle 1804
Hickman 1821 Caldwell, Livingston Clinton
Hopkins 1806 Henderson Madisonville 1829, 1864
Jackson 1858 Rockcastle, Owsley, Madison, Clay, Estill, Laurel McKee 1949
Jefferson 1780 Kentucky Co., VA Louisville 1905
Jessamine 1798 Fayette Nicholasville
Johnson 1843 Floyd, Morgan, Lawrence Paintsville
Kenton 1840 Campbell Independence Covington
Knott 1884 Perry, Breathitt, Floyd, Letcher Hindman 1929
Knox 1799 Lincoln Barbourville
LaRue 1843 Hardin Hodgenville 1865
Laurel 1825 Whitley, Clay, Knox, Rockcastle London 1958
Lawrence 1821 Floyd, Greenup Louisa
Lee 1870 Owsley, Breathitt, Wolfe, Estill Beattyville
Leslie 1878 Clay, Harlan, Perry Hyden
Letcher 1842 Perry, Harlan Whitesburg
Lewis 1806 Mason Vanceburg
Lincoln 1780 Kentucky Co., VA Stanford
Livingston 1798 Christian Smithland
Logan 1792 Lincoln Russellville
Lyon 1854 Caldwell Eddyville
Madison 1785 Lincoln Richmond
Magoffin 1860 Floyd, Johnson, Morgan Salyersville 1957
Marion 1834 Washington Lebanon 1863
Marshall 1842 Calloway Benton 1888, 1914
Martin 1870 Lawrence, Floyd, Pike, Johnson Inez 1892
Mason 1788 Bourbon Maysville
McCracken 1824 Hickman Paducah
McCreary 1912 Wayne, Pulaski, Whitley Whitley City 1927, 1951
McLean 1854 Muhlenberg, Daviess, Ohio Calhoun
Meade 1824 Hardin, Breckinridge Brandenburg 1974
Menifee 1869 Powell, Wolfe, Bath, Morgan, Montgomery Frenchburg
Mercer 1785 Lincoln Harrodsburg 1928
Metcalfe 1860 Monroe, Adair, Barren, Cumberland, Green Edmonton 1865, 1867
Monroe 1820 Barren, Cumberland Tompkinsville 1863, 1887
Montgomery 1796 Clark Mount Sterling 1851, 1863
Morgan 1822 Floyd, Bath West Liberty 1862, 1925
Muhlenberg 1798 Christian, Logan Greenville
Nelson 1784 Jefferson Bardstown
Nicholas 1799 Bourbon, Mason Carlisle
Ohio 1799 Hardin Hartford 1864
Oldham 1823 Henry, Shelby, Jefferson LaGrange 1873
Owen 1819 Scott, Franklin, Gallatin, Pendleton Owenton
Owsley 1843 Clay, Estill, Breathitt Booneville 1929, 1967
Pendleton 1798 Bracken, Campbell Falmouth 1997
Perry 1820 Clay, Floyd Hazard 1885, 1911
Pike 1821 Floyd Pikeville 1977
Powell 1852 Clark, Estill, Montgomery Stanton 1863, 1864
Pulaski 1798 Green, Lincoln Somerset 1838, 1871
Robertson 1867 Nicholas, Bracken, Mason, Fleming, Harrison Mt. Olivet
Rockcastle 1810 Pulaski, Lincoln, Madison Mount Vernon 1871
Rowan 1856 Fleming, Morgan Morehead 1864, 1880s
Russell 1825 Cumberland, Adair, Wayne Jamestown 1976
Scott 1792 Woodford Georgetown 1837, 1876
Shelby 1792 Jefferson Shelbyville
Simpson 1819 Allen, Logan, Warren Franklin 1882
Spencer 1824 Shelby, Bullitt, Nelson Taylorsville 1865, 1914
Taylor 1848 Green Campbellsville 1864
Todd 1819 Christian, Logan Elkton
Trigg 1820 Christian, Caldwell Cadiz 1864, 1892, 1920
Trimble 1836 Henry, Oldham, Gallatin Bedford 1952
Union 1811 Henderson Morganfield
Warren 1796 Logan Bowling Green 1864
Washington 1792 Nelson Springfield 1795, 1814
Wayne 1800 Pulaski, Cumberland Monticello 1898
Webster 1860 Hopkins, Union, Henderson Dixon
Whitley 1818 Knox Williamsburg 1930
Wolfe 1860 Owsley, Breathitt, Powell, Morgan Campton 1886, 1913
Woodford 1788 Fayette Versailles 1965