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Kentucky Genealogy
The Kentucky Pages

You are also invited to visit our related genealogy site, with specific family tree information. Started December 15, it is currently under construction and will be enlarged as time permits. The address is:
http://ky.filly.tripod.com/kentuckycousins/

A few tips for our friends who are just beginning to look for their ancestors . . . .

Genealogy is fun and getting started is easier than you think it is. Kentucky has many excellent collections of genealogical books, maps, and microfilm. The recently completed Kentucky History Center is a genealogist's paradise with its beautiful marble lobby and wealth of materials.

Your county public library will probably have books which are helpful. Don't forget the collections of your local college; although its history books may not be focused on genealogy, the indexes are filled with names! Among the most outstanding collections in Kentucky is the Filson Club Library in Louisville. Non-members may pay a small fee (currently about $5) to research. Check the Filson Club site.

If you want to do some research on your family tree, try joining a local genealogy club for tips (if there is one in your area) or pick up a genealogy magazine and scan articles.

Some of the most helpful personal contacts which you can make are with your Internet "cousins" - somewhere out there someone else is researching a part of your family tree. You may enjoy exchanging e-mail and family stories about that unusual ancestor you both have in common.

Although there are many good starting points for researching Kentucky genealogy on the Internet, we might suggest some of the links listed in the Rowan County Historical Society page - http://www.rowanco.org . 


Below is a list of websites you might find helpful. Some of them permit the posting of your genealogical "queries". One example: the paper version of Kentucky Explorer Magazine.

For new researchers: "Queries" are questions asked to help you find your ancestors. Tip: put the name in your subject heading and give information as to the approximate dates and location.

The listing for Kentucky Vital Records will help you gather birth and death records for your Kentucky ancestors - records which tend to be available for events which happened in 1911 or later.

Kentucky Vital Records

Rootsweb Genealogy Website: including the U.S. Counties and States link under Research Templates

LDS Family Research Site

GenForum

Kentucky Explorer

Wire-rimmed Glasses for a look at old records


Are you just starting to research your family tree for the first time? Although I am rather new to genealogy myself, there are a few things which I have learned which I will share with those just beginning: (1) Talk with the oldest members of your family - then start with what you know and work back to increasingly older generations; (2)Record not only names, but also locations and dates of birth, death and marriage; (3)Don't just research your direct line - names of brothers and sisters, etc., can provide clues. (4) Record your sources - others will want to know! (5) Don't assume that everything you see on the Internet is accurate (verify!) but do use it often - it is a wonderful source of clues; and (6) Remember that a lot of the fun of genealogy is not just names and dates but the wonderful stories and colorful characters which we find.