Kentucky Genealogy contains information and records for Kentucky ancestry, family history, and genealogy. Specifically, it provides sources for birth records, death records, marriage records, census records, tax records, court records, and military records. It also provides some historical details about different times and people in Kentucky history.
The State of Kentucky is situated between 36 degrees 30 minutes, and 39 degrees 10 minutes, north latitude; and between 81 degrees 50 minutes, and 89 degrees 26 minutes, west longitude — and includes all that portion of territory which lies south and westward of a line, beginning on the Ohio river, at the mouth of the Great Sandy river, and running up the same, and the main and north-easterly branch thereof, to the great Laurel ridge or Cumberland mountains; thence south-west along said mountains, to a line of North Carolina. It is bounded north by Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; east by Virginia; south by Tennessee; and west by the Mississippi river and State of Missouri. It is three hundred miles in length from east to west, and one hundred and fifty miles in mean breadth; and contains 42,600 square miles, or about twenty-seven million acres.
Henry Rhoads of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, drafted his will on April 15, 1812, bequeathing property to his beloved wife Barbary, including items she brought into the marriage and specific household goods. He allocated all remaining debts and property to his children—sons Jacob, Daniel, Henry, Solomon, David, and daughters Susannah, Caty, Elizabeth, and Hannah—to be divided equally. Rhoads appointed his brother Daniel and sons Solomon and David as executors of his will, revoking all previous wills. This document was acknowledged and recorded in court in August 1813.
The will of Daniel Rhoads, originally written as “David Rhoads,” outlines his estate distribution on October 5, 1811. He directs that debts and funeral expenses be paid before bequeathing 80 acres of land to his wife Polly for her lifetime, after which it passes to their son Daniel. Additionally, he allocates land and livestock among his other children, including John, Henry, James, Lewis, William, and Ryla. Daniel names his wife and a friend, Solomon Rhoads, as executors and revokes any prior wills. The will was proved by witnesses in February 1813 and recorded in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.
The will of Lewis Reno, dated August 28, 1799, bequeaths a mulatto boy named Charles to his daughter Milly Kincheloe and the family plantation to his son Lewis Reno. The remaining estate is left to his wife Elizabeth for her lifetime, after which it will be divided equally among all their children. The will was proven in court on September 1799 by witnesses Isaac Davis and Moses Lucas, and ordered to be recorded.
Mathis Perril’s will, dated December 11, 1805, outlines his wishes regarding his estate while acknowledging his mortality due to illness. He bequeaths all his property to his beloved wife, Barbary, to manage until her death or remarriage. Afterward, the estate will be divided equally among their children, except for a sorrel mare, which remains Barbary’s. He appoints her as the sole executor and revokes any prior wills. The will was proven in court on April 6, 1806, by witnesses John and Eli Stuart.
George Naught’s last will, dated 1808, outlines his wishes for the distribution of his estate. He appoints Jesse Reno as executor and directs the sale of his possessions to pay debts. Remaining assets are to be shared equally among his children: Mary, William, Elizabeth, George, Isaac, Sally, Ruth, and Thomas. He also bequeaths five shillings each to Mary and Thomas and stipulates the sale of a sorrel horse under certain conditions. The will was proved in court in May 1809 and recorded in Muhlenberg County.
John McKinney, in his 1801 will, entrusts his soul to God and dedicates his body to a Christian burial. He leaves his entire estate to his wife, Mary, for life, with specific bequests of enslaved individuals to his son John, granddaughter Mary, and grandson John upon reaching adulthood. Upon Mary’s death, the estate is to be divided between sons John and James McKinney. He names Mary, John, and James as executors and revokes any prior wills. The will was validated in court in March 1801.
