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Fayette County was one of the original three counties formed 30 June 1780 from Virginia's Kentucky Territory. Named for the French General Marquis de LaFayette who served in the Revolutionary War, it is located in the Inner Bluegrass region of the state. Pioneers arrived in 1774; Jacob Baughman, Hancock Taylor, Simon Kenton, James Douglas and John Floyd surveyed the area in that year. William McConnell settled in 1775 and the Bryant family in 1776. Early stations included Levi Todd's (1779) and William McGee's (1780). Robert Boggs built here in 1784 and Levi Todd in 1787. The county seat is Lexington, which was organized 5 May 1782. It was named years earlier by Captain Robert Patterson, while he was being guided through the Bluegrass by Simon Kenton. He reportedly selected the name Lexington upon hearing of the historic battle that began the American Revolution.

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Updated January 8, 2026 City Directories, Census Records City & Rural Directories Census Records 1860 Census Index: District 1 - Eastern Fayette County District 2 - Western Fayette County City of Lexington - 1st Ward City of Lexington - 4th Ward 1860 & 1870 Mortality Schedules FamilySearch 1880 Search Odd Fellows Widow's & Orphan's Home, 2nd Ward, Lexington Children's Home, 3rd Ward, Lexington USGENWEB Census Project. 1930 Census Team Transcription Microfilm T626-743 T626-744 S-K Publications online surname indexes for Fayette County 1810   1820   1830   1840   1850 Yearbooks Brian Harney's Web Pages includes selected Fayette County & area yearbooks 1925 University of Kentucky Yearbook Historic Houses C. Frank Dunn's Old Houses of Lexington Early History Delcamp's Lexington Before 1820 Nancy Johnson Foley's Fayette County History Notes History of Elijah Foley Henry & Amy Coffey Foley Richard & Margaret Wilson Foley Stone Family Leavy's Memoir of Lexington & Its Vicinity Lexington and Its Institutions, 1875-1925 - Part One John Shaw's Subscribers Visit of General Lafayette to the Lafayette Female Academy in Lexington, Kentucky, May 16, 1825 A brief sketch of the history of Lexington, Kentucky, and of Transylvania University Some notices of Kentucky, particularly of its chief town, Lexington The Women of Bryan Station The Siege of Bryan Station - Kentucky Progress, Feb 1932, Vol 4, No 6

Images Fayette County Images Kentucky Images Local Online Databases, Indexes Kentucky Room Digital Archives Local History Index Lexington Cemetery: Genealogy & Records Search Central Kentucky Cemeteries Maps Kentucky: Secretary of State Land Office Cemeteries African Cemetery No. 2 Old Episcopal Third Street Cemetery Old Union Christian Church Cemetery Boone's Creek Baptist Church/Athens Christian Church Cemetery Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator Cyrus Parker Jones Funeral Notices FamilySearch Fayette County Wiki Court Day, Lexington, Kentucky Message Boards Lookups, Publications, Researchers Digital Access Project Fayette County Clerk's Office Kentucky Court of Justice Neighborhood Associations Northside Neighborhood Current Local Press Lexington Herald-Leader Smiley Pete Publishing Kentucky Kernel Blood Horse Lane Report TOPS in Lexington Lexington Times

African American History African American Resources Vital Records Kentucky Vital Statistics Records Kentucky Gazaette, 1899-1900, Births, Deaths, Marriages Kentucky Births Index 1911-1930 Kentucky Deaths Search 2000-2013 Eastern State Hospital Project FamilySearch Kentucky Vital Records History Resources Fayette County's Virginia Roots County Timeline Fayette County Reference List Fayette County Papers in Libraries Early Estate Records Abstracts 1833 Cholera Deaths 1849 Cholera Deaths Fayette County Kentucky USGENWEB Archives Missing Apprentices, Indentured Servants Separation from Bed & Board Miscellaneous Advertisements Church, Synagogue Histories, etc. Boone's Creek Baptist Church David's Fork Baptist Church Ohavay Zion Synagogue First United Methodist Church Saint Paul Catholic Church Temple Adath Israel Libraries Lexington Public Library Kentucky Room University of Kentucky InfoKat Discovery Explore UK John C. Wyatt Lexington Herald-Leader Photographs Kentucky Virtual Library Transylvania University Library Keeneland Library Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives Kentucky Digital Library Kentucky Historical Society Daughters of the American Revolution DAR Genealogical Research System Sons of the American Revolution FamilySearch Filson Historical Society Library of Congress

Fayette's neighboring counties are Bourbon, Clark, Jessamine, Madison, Scott, and Woodford.

If you're planning a trip to Fayette County, visit VISITLEX.

For more on Kentucky, visit Kentucky Tourism and the KYGENWEB.

About the Fayette County Kentucky KYGENWEB Project

In early 1996, a group of genealogists organized the Kentucky Comprehensive Genealogy Database Project. This project was designed as a series of county-based webpages designed to help family historians locate local resources that were linked through a single access point. Jon Hagee developed, authored and hosted the Fayette County KYGenWeb site from March 1996 until April 1999. Pam Brinegar then hosted the site until December 2006. Bill LaBach began hosting the site in December 2006 until 2014.

County Coordinator: JP Johnson.

KYGenWeb State Coordinator: Tricia Aanderud.

     

All materials furnished on this site are for free, noncommercial use by visitors. The information presented here was obtained from sources permitting free distribution or generated by researchers/authors. Any commercial use or distribution of information obtained from this site without the consent of the author is prohibited. Individuals posting or otherwise contributing material to this site do so in recognition of its noncommercial nature. Space for this site is generously provided by KYGENWEB.

Last updated December 16, 2025.