Logan County Records 

Logan County's Original Records

Logan County has never experienced a courthouse fire or other disaster, so there is minimal record loss. Unlike other counties in the Commonwealth, Logan County keeps her records at home instead of sending them to the State Archives in Frankfort.  So, unless a record has been taken or destroyed, it should be in our office, the Court House, or the County Clerk's Office. One exception to this is any case that was a capital punishment crime that would have been an automatic appeal; those records are in Frankfort. 

You may submit a records request to the Archives below. 

The Archives Clerk can assist with a one-hour free records review for one person or couple per month. You must provide enough information (birth, marriage, death dates, locations, names of spouse,  children, and parents, if known) so they know they have the correct person. From the review, you will receive a list of the records available for your person/couple and the copy costs for obtaining those records. Postage will be additional and calculated after you choose the records you most desire. 

The links below are for FREE online access. For all FamilySearch links, you will need to register as a user. This is a free service offered by FamilySearch, and account registration is necessary to access the images to most of the databases. Please let us know if you find a link that needs fixing.

Key  to Records Listed Below -

** - Fully Indexed, easily searchable

*** - Indexing in progress

**** - Records only available at the state level

BONDS - 

• Administrator Bonds - covers years 1869 - 1963** 

• Civil Servant Bonds - covers years 1877 - 1980**

• Coffee House Bonds - covers years 1868 - 1886**

• Constable's Bonds - covers years 1865 - 1918**

• Executor Bonds - covers years 1863 - 1977**

• Guardian Bonds - covers years 1863 - 1977**

• Justice of the Peace - covers years 1877 - 1894**

• Minister Bonds - covers years 1877 - 1996**

• Notary Bonds - covers years 1877 - 1980**

• Officials Bonds - covers years 1970 - 1977**

• Sheriff's Bonds - covers years 1878 - 1923** and 1933 - 1969**

• Superintendent Bonds - covers years 1903 - 1906**

• Tavern Keepers Bonds - covers years 1866 - 1876**

• Trustees Bonds - covers years 1955 - 1977**

CENSUS RECORDS - Kentucky was included in the U.S. Federal Census counts from 1800 to the present. None of the original records are available in the Archives. [When there is a link, the links are for Logan County records and are to FREE on-line databases with images. When no link is available, those records should be available from the National Archives and Records Administration or through fee based sites.]

• 1800 U.S. Census - only named the head of the household. All household members were grouped according to their ages and sex. This census is non-extant for Kentucky. Tax lists were used in reconstructing the data.

• 1810 U.S. Census - only named the head of the household. All household members were grouped according to their ages and sex. The first census to include information on the industries and manufacturing companies in the country.

  • Industrial and Manufacturers Schedules for Kentucky are non-extant.

• 1820 U.S. Census - only named the head of the household. All household members were grouped according to their ages and sex. 

  • Industrial and Manufacturers Schedules for Kentucky exist.

• 1830 U.S. Census - only named the head of the household. All household members were grouped according to their ages and sex. 

• 1840 U.S. Census - only named the head of the household. All household members were grouped according to their ages and sex. 

  • Veteran and Pensioner schedules for Kentucky exist.

• 1850 U.S. Census - first census that named all household members, but did not include relationships between the members and the head of the household.

  • Agricultural Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right half of image 59 - left half of image 89.]

  • Industrial Schedules for Kentucky exist. 

  • Manufacturing Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right half of image 152 - left half of image 154.]

  • Mortality Schedules for Kentucky exist.

  • Slave Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Available on-line at Ancestry.com]

  • Social Statistics for Kentucky exist. [Left side of image 153 - 157.]

• 1860 U.S. Census 

  • Agricultural Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right half of image 173 - left half of image 206.]

  • Industrial Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right half of image 138 - left half of image 140.]

  • Manufacturing Schedules for Kentucky exist. 

  • Mortality Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Images 479 - 487.]

  • Slave Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Available on-line at Ancestry.com]

• 1870 U.S. Census  - the first census after the Civil War and includes all residents of a state

  • Agricultural Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right half of image 950 - left half of image 998.]

  • Industrial/Manufacturers Schedules for Kentucky exist.

  • Mortality Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Images 113 - 129.]

• 1880 U.S. Census - first census to include a relationship between household members and the head of the household. 

  • Agricultural Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right half of image 329 - image 475.]

  • Defectives, Delinquents, and Dependents Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Right side of image 287  - left side of image 306.]

  • Industrial Schedules for Kentucky exist.

  • Manufacturing Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Images 291 - 319.]

  • Mortality Schedules for Kentucky exist. [Images 350 - 371.]

• 1890 U.S. Census - damaged by water in a 1920s fire. Information for Kentucky is unavailable. 

  • Veterans/Pensioners Schedules for Kentucky partially exists

• CENSUS ENUMERATION MAPS 1900 - 1940: The microfilm was loaded backwards, Logan County is on images 553 to 564

• 1900 U.S. Census 

  • Indian Schedules for Kentucky exist.

• 1910 U.S. Census 

  • Indian Schedules for Kentucky exist.

• 1920 U.S. Census

• 1930 U.S. Census 

• 1940 U.S. Census 

• 1950 U.S. Census 

• 1960 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2032. See Kentucky county subdivisions here. 

• 1970 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2042. 

• 1980 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2052.

• 1990 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2062.

• 2000 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2072.

• 2010 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2082.

• 2020 U.S. Census - Scheduled for release on 01 April 2092.

COURT RECORDS - 

• Circuit Cases - covers years 1946 - 1950**

• Civil Cases - covers years 1951 - 1977**

• Guardian Settlements - covers years 1831 - 1973**

• Indictments / Judgments - covers years 1859 - 1921***

• Equity Cases - covers years 1802 - 1940; primarily early divorces, estate settlements, land disputes**

• Miscellaneous Records - covers years  1789 - 1925; These were a set of records located at the Special Collections Library of WKU in Bowling Green, KY; after discovery, they were returned to Logan County. They are pieces of cases normally in the Equity or Ordinary cases, but figuring out which case an individual slip may belong to would have been impossible.** 

• Ordinary Cases - covers years 1800 - 1942; primarily "petty" law suits such as broken contract, debt, and slander**

• Order Books - 

  • Circuit Court Civil Orders - covers years 1800 - 1977***

  • Commonwealth Orders - covers years 1881 - 1976***

  • Fiscal Court Orders - covers years 1792 to present***

• Police Court - covers years 1968 - 1975

  • Russellville City records, we store them to save them room

• Quarterly Court - covers years 1851 - 1930*** 

ENSLAVED PEOPLE - Other than records mentioned below, when individuals were identified as black, negro, a person of color, or mulatto, those names were abstracted and collected as a separate dataset. Check with the Archives Clerk for a specific name since those records could have been in anything from deeds to wills to court cases.

• Emancipations 

• Freedman's Bureau Records  - Choose Bowling Green Field Office Location record sets

• Freedman's Marriages - records marriages declared at the end of the Civil War** 

• Marriages - includes Frredman's Marriages**

• SEEK Museum holdings - Formerly known as the West Kentucky African American Heritage Center. "The SEEK MUSEUMS are comprised of 6 historic buildings that have been restored to tell the unique and buried stories beginning with the arrival of Revolutionary War Major Richard Bibb and the people enslaved by him in Russellville, Ky.  Bibb eventually emancipated nearly 100 enslaved people, and the museums tell the stories of their struggles for equality and justice over the last two centuries." [See their website and Facebook page for additional information.] 

LAND - 

• Deeds - indexed by grantor and grantee only; covers years 1792 to present

  • For Lincoln County entries 03 Nov 1779 - 19 Apr 1792, visit Kentucky Secretary of State Land Office Division

  • Index to Commonwealth of Virginia Grants or Patents 1779 - 1794 and 1801 (now in Kentucky) - This is the land identified as being in the "Military District," otherwise known as "Land South of the Green River," the land that became the original Logan County. These were the warrants and grants issued for military service during the Revolutionary War. [Images 5 - 169.]

  • Willard Rouse Jillson, Kentucky Land Grants - includes Grants South of the Green River - Using the information in this book, you are able to contact the Kentucky Secretary of State Land Office Division and request copies of original land warrants, grants, and surveys

• Division of Land - covers years 1877 - 1930

• Mortgages - covers years 1879 to present

• Surveys - covers years 1796 to 1927**

  • These also cover the Walker Line land grants.** 

MILITARY - 

• Militia Records - original record, covers years 1874 - 1876**

• Pension Applications - Soldiers and Widows applications; Confederate only. Originals available. 

• Service Records, CIVIL WAR CSA - abstracted from Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky [See Publications For Sale page]

• Service Records, CIVIL WAR UNION - abstracted from Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky [See Publications For Sale page]

PROBATE - 

• Inventory, Appraisal and Sales - covers years 1834 - 1970** 

• Original Wills - some originals missing; covers years 1795 to present, have been abstracted to 1966. 

• Probate Settlement Packets - covers years 1795 to 1978

• Will Book Entry - covers years 1795 to present [See Publications For Sale page]

SCHOOL RECORDS - 

We recently received the historic one-room school records from the Logan County Board of Education. These records span from 1875 to 1959!! While we now have them in our care, we have a long way to go to make them searchable for you. To locate them, you need to know what district your family members would have attended.  

• School Census -Bound years 1884, 1894 - 1897, 1902-1903, 1905 - 1906. Loose Records 1906-1917.  Lists every student's age, sex, and parents' or guardians' names. These records often list the student's birth dates, partially or entirely, and can be used as an alternate source for this vital record. A list of schools is available at the Archives and the SEEK Museum.

TAX RECORDS - 

• Tax Lists - not indexed, not searchable, missing years; covers years 1792 to 1869, 1874 - 1875 and 1880 - 1892

• Tax Liens and Lis Pedens - not indexed, not searchable; covers years 1896 - 1934

VITAL RECORDS - 

• Marriages - covers years 1790 to present**

• Birth Index - incomplete for earliest years, covers years 1839 - 1960, 1854 - 1861, and 1875 - 1876 ****

• Death Index - incomplete for earliest years, covers years 1843 - 1970, 1911 - 1965, and 1911 - 1992****

OTHER RECORDS such as funeral home information, family files, etc., may be available but is not guaranteed for every family or every person. Check with the Archives for specific record availability for your research needs.

• Bible Records - Check with the Archives Clerks for available families

• Church Histories or Records - Check with the Archives Clerks for specific churches

• Logan Links - Genealogical Society newsletter [See Publications for Sale page]

• Medical Registers - covers years 1893 - 1982**

• Obituaries - only available from the Logan County Public Library

• Photographs - a wide variety of photographs donated to the Genealogical Society. Check with the Archives Clerk for your person or family. 

• Publications - 

  • Logan County, KY Bible and Cemetery Records Vol. 1 - 8 - compiled by Mrs. J. Wells Vick [Begins at image 475]

  • Logan County, KY Bible and Cemetery Records Vol. XVI- compiled by Mrs. J. Wells Vick [Begins at image 684]

  • Logan County, KY Court and Other Records - compiled by Mrs. J. Wells Vick [Begins at image 282]

  • Logan County, KY Genealogical Records - compiled by Mrs. J Wells Vick [Begins at image 684]

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 1 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 2 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 3 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 4 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 5 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 6 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 7 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 8 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Newspaper Genealogical Abstracts Vol. 9 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Obituaries and Death Notices, 1819 - 1937 - by Montgomery Vanderpool

  • Logan County, KY Pensioners Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Indian Wars - by Lucy Kate McGhee

  • Logan County, KY Records Vol. 1 - compiled by Mrs. Lalla McCulley 

• Published Genealogies - Check with the Archives Clerk for additional family specific availability.

  • Background of a Bandit: The Ancestry of Jesse James - by Joan M. Beamis and William Edward Pullen

  • Bakers of Logan, Christian, Muhlenberg, Livingston, Henderson, Hopkins, Caldwell, Union, Todd, Trigg, Crittenden, Lyon, McLean and Webster Counties & Jackson Purchase, Kentucky - by Peggy Brown Chapman

  • The Cedar Grove Community in Oral Folk History - by Ada Carol Parker

  • Clan Mackintosh - by Lucille McIntosh and Annie Lee Collins

  • Descendants and Related Families of Henry Smith of Logan County, KY - by Presley Edward Smith

  • Descendants of Berryman Dalton and Related Families - by Presley Edward Smith

  • Edward Neal of Pilot Knob - by D. William Neal and John D. Beatty

  • Genealogy of the Townshend-Townsend Family - by Riely Leon Townsend

  • Genealogy of the Townshend-Townsend Family, Supplement 

  • Gibbs Family of Logan County, KY - by Vernon M. Gibbs

  • History of the deGRAFFENRIED Family - by Thomas P. deGraffenried

  • History of Russellville and Logan County, KY - by Alex C. Finley

  • Jesse and Frank James: The Family History - by Phillip W. Steele

  • Millwheel to Plowshare - by Julia Angeline Drake and James Ridgely Orndorff 

  • Miscellaneous Records of Kentucky: Lineage of Archibald Rutherford, Revolutionary Soldier of Logan County, Kentucky, ca. 1755 - 1950 - by Sallie Glasscock Giberson

  • Morton Data - by Daniel Morton

  • Notes on Amos West (1766 - 1819) of Sumner County, TN and Logan County, KY - by Isabel Stebbins Guilvezan 

  • Notes on Hiram H. Halcomb (1789 - 1869) of Caswell County, NC, Robertson County, TN, Logan and Simpson Counties, KY and his 16 children - by Isabel Stebbins Guilvezan 

  • The Story of Logan County - by Edward Coffman 

  • William Banton & James K. Polk Banton: of Appomattox County, VA & Logan County, KY - by Roger Henry Lofland Futrell

• School Annuals - be sure to check with the Logan County Public Library, they also have years we do not

  • Auburn - 1941, 1958

  • Adairville - "Flashlight" 1921 - 1922

  • Bethel College - 1894, 1895, 1910

  • Bethel Women's College (Hopkinsville, KY) - 1948 - 1949 [does not have photographs]

  • Lewisburg - 1973, 1975 - 1980

  • Logan Female College - 1913, 1925, 1926, 1929

  • Logan County High - 1989 - 1991

  • Olmstead - 1949

  • Russellville High - 1937, 1939 - 1943, 1945 - 1947, 1949 - 1955, 1957, 1967 - 1969, 1974 - 1975, 1981, 1984, special football issue 1998

  • Women's Teachers College (Bowling Green, KY) - "The Talisman" 1929

Although Kentucky is an "open records law" state, meaning you should be granted access to any record you request to view, you ARE NOT allowed to request access to adoptions or other specific juvenile-related cases without a court order. Adoptions in Kentucky, regardless of when they occurred, are never unsealed and are not available to anyone other than the adoptee, the biological parents, and the adopted parents.

To remind you, all historical documents in the Logan County Archives are subject to feature mold, mildew, dust particles, etc.  Each individual conducting research handles all documents at their own risk.  Logan County Fiscal Court, Logan County Clerk, and Logan County Genealogical Society are not liable for any health conditions that may arise from research conducted. Rest assured, our office is dedicated to continuously cleaning and preserving all documents daily, despite a significant portion of the archives still needing work. If you have any questions or concerns about the safety and security of the Archives, please get in touch with the Logan County Archives and Genealogical Society at 270-726-8179. 

NOTICE CONTENT WARNING: Materials in the Logan County Archives' collections contain historical terms and phrases that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation. While the staff do not agree with or condone the actions of those from the past, we do not alter the records to reflect the modern view on those topics.