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.
Batten Dobyns of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, drafted his last will on June 13, 1804. He bequeathed his estate to his beloved wife, Frances, and their children: John, Lew, Elizabeth, Nancy, Susannah, Sally, Kitty, Polly, and Washington Dobyns. He appointed John and Lew as his executors and emphasized his desire for a Christian burial. The will was witnessed by Thomas and Benjamin Littlepage and was recorded in May 1806 after being proven in court. This document reflects Dobyns’ wishes regarding the distribution of his worldly possessions.
Henry Davis’s last will, dated 1805, bequeaths his estate to his family, including his wife Fanny and children Randall, Henry, and a daughter. He grants Fanny a negro woman named Beck, household goods, and livestock for family support. Randall receives a plantation, while Henry gets the current residence and additional land. The daughter is allotted property on Cypress, with remaining slaves divided among the children. Proceeds from excess livestock sales are designated for education, and his debts are to be settled from estate income. Amy Davis and William Young are named executors.
Susanna Cooly’s will, dated October 25, 1807, outlines her final wishes for her estate in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. She bequeaths 50 acres to her son Job Mathias, with additional land allocated to her daughter Susanna Reaves during her lifetime. Proceeds from the sale of her horses are designated for her grandchildren, Susanna Reaves and Justus Mathias. Cooly also leaves personal items to her son and son-in-law, while designating Susanna Reaves the remainder of her effects. John McFarland and Samuel Reaves are appointed as her executors. The will was proven in court in December 1807.
William Campbell of Muhlenberg County, in his will dated November 17, 1800, bequeaths property and slaves to his wife, Tabitha Campbell, for her and their children’s support. He allocates 500 acres of land and named slaves, emphasizing that his son Samuel may claim 200 acres if needed. His five daughters will share remaining land and receive individual slaves. Campbell instructs the sale of other lands for family support and mandates that slaves gain freedom at age 30. He appoints Tabitha and friends as executors, revoking prior wills.
Patrick Campbell’s will, dated August 28, 1799, outlines his estate distribution. He bequeaths his son, William Campbell, one thousand acres of land in Boone County, along with additional land and personal items. His wife, Nancy, is granted the remainder of the estate, with specific items (two iron pots and an oven) designated for William after her passing. Patrick appoints Nancy and William as executors, revoking any previous wills. The will was proved in court in January 1800.
The will of John Byrd, dated June 22, 1808, outlines his wishes for the distribution of his estate. He requests that all debts be settled before bequeathing his property. His wife, Rebecca, receives a negro man and household items for her lifetime. His daughters, Polly, Anne, and Sally, inherit a negro woman and her children, while his sons, John and Nathan, share a 200-acre tract of land and a negro girl. Byrd appoints Rebecca and Leroy Jackson as executors and specifies that his family should remain on the farm during his wife’s widowhood.
