KYGenWeb: County Collection: Martin
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Start Your Martin County Research

Martin County is located in the Eastern Coal Field region of eastern Kentucky. The county was formed on 1 Sept 1870 from portions of Floyd, Johnson, Pike, and Lawrence Counties and was named for Col. John P. Martin, State Senator and U.S. Congressman from Prestonsburg. The county seat is located at Inez.

The county's eastern border with West Virginia follows the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River. Major communities include Inez and Warfield.

Kentucky map with County highlighted
Martin County within Kentucky

Research Highlights

This site brings together core materials useful to family researchers. You'll find marriage records, cemetery transcriptions, obituaries, census abstracts, military information, local history notes, and contributed family files. Because many families moved across nearby counties, researchers should also check those records.

County at a Glance

  • County Seat: Inez
  • Founded: 1 Sept 1870
  • Named For: Col. John P. Martin, State Senator and U.S. Congressman
  • Parent County: Floyd, Johnson, Pike, and Lawrence Counties
  • Children Counties: None
  • Communities: Inez, Warfield
  • Geography: Eastern Coal Field region; rugged terrain shaped by the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River
  • Key Roads: KY-40, KY-645, KY-292, US-52 (via WV)
  • Nearby Landmarks: Tug Fork river corridor; Warfield Rail Bridge; historic coal and mining sites

Record Loss:

  • No known courthouse fires or disasters listed for Martin County.
  • As with any county, expect occasional gaps or missing volumes; cross-check with state archives, church records, newspapers, or private papers when locals settled from Maryland or other states.

Adjacent Counties

Map showing adjacent counties

Click to see larger map.

Repositories & Records

The Martin 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 Martin County Historical Society.

Notes

  • Martin County was created in 1870, so researchers must consult parent counties (Floyd, Johnson, Pike, and Lawrence) for records before this date.
  • Deeds, marriage bonds, early court orders, and tax lists prior to 1870 are usually found in the parent-county archives.
  • The Tug Fork and Big Sandy River regions saw frequent boundary adjustments; individuals may appear in West Virginia records, especially in Wayne and Mingo Counties.
  • Coal industry growth brought significant in-migration; employment and accident records may be located in state labor reports or mining archives.
  • Several small, short-lived communities emerged around mining camps—old newspapers from the Big Sandy Valley may contain details not found in local county records.
  • Church records can be sparse in the region, so cemetery surveys and funeral home ledgers (where available) are often crucial.
  • Because of the rugged geography, families often lived near county lines; it’s common to find the same family appearing in multiple neighboring counties over time.

Map is from the 1929 Rand McNally Map of Kentucky. Found in the David Rumsey Map Collection.