Early Kentucky Marriages 1785-1800 is ready for purchase in paperback form on Amazon – search by title.  Included are 5,037 marriages, divided by county, then listed alphabetically by groom and then alphabetically by bride.

The marriage records from the following early counties are included in this book:

Barren County

Barren County – Located in west central Kentucky, it was formed from parts of Green and Warren counties, founded in 1799, named for the ‘barrens’ or prairies of this region.  The county seat is Glasgow.  Warren County is surrounded by Monroe, Allen, Warren, Edmonson, Hart and Metcalfe counties.  38 marriages found from 1799-1800 – taken from Minister Returns. 

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Breckinridge County

Breckinridge County – Located in the northwestern portion of the state, with the Ohio River as its northern boundary, it was formed in 1799 from part of Hardin County, and named after John Breckenridge, a Virginia native who featured in early Kentucky history.  Part of the southern border of this county is formed by Rough River Lake.  The county seat is Hardinsburg.  Breckinridge County is surrounded by Meade, Hardin, Grayson, Ohio and Hancock counties. 8 marriages found in 1800 – taken from Marriage Bonds and Consents.  Records were saved from a fire on December 28, 1864, although some records were lost to fire in February 1958.

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Christian County

Christian County – Located in the southwestern part of Kentucky, it was formed in 1796 from Logan County.  It was named for William Christian, a captain in Colonel William Byrd’s Virginia regiment.  The county’s southern border joins the state of Tennessee.  The county seat is Hopkinsville.  Christian County is surrounded by Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Todd, Trigg and Caldwell counties.  56 marriages found from 1797-1800 – taken from License and Minister Returns.  Some records were destroyed when the courthouse burned in December 1864.

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Clark County

Clark County – Located in north central Kentucky, it was created in 1792 from parts of Fayette and Bourbon counties, named for George Rogers Clark, a Revolutionary War figure.  The county seat is Winchester.  Clark County is surrounded by Bourbon, Montgomery, Powell, Estill, Madison and Fayette counties.  310 marriages found from 1793-1800 – taken from Minister Returns.

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Cumberland County

Cumberland County – Located on the southern border of Kentucky and Tennessee it was formed from lands of Green County in 1798, named for the Cumberland River which runs through the central portion of the county.  The county seat is Burkesville.  Cumberland County is surrounded by Metcalfe, Adair, Russell, Clinton and Monroe counties.  27 marriages found from 1799-1800 – taken from a list made by Mrs. Nora C. McGee before the fire in 1933, the only copy known to exist..  Records were lost in courthouse fires on January 3, 1865, and December 3, 1933.

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Fleming County

Fleming County – Formed in 1798 from land that had been part of Mason County and named for pioneer John Fleming who settled Fleming’s Station in 1790, Fleming is in the northeast portion of the state.  The Licking River and the North Fork of the Licking River form the southwest and northeast boundaries.  The county seat is Flemingsburg.  Fleming County is surrounded by Mason, Lewis, Rowan, Bath, Nicholas and Robertson counties.  77 marriages found from 1798-1800 taken from Minister Returns.

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Floyd County

Floyd County – Formed December 13, 1799, from parts of Fleming, Montgomery and Mason counties, it was named for native Kentucky Col. John Floyd who, during the War of 1812, was an army surgeon.  The county seat is Prestonsburg.  Floyd County is surrounded by Johnson, Martin, Pike, Knott and Magoffin counties.  0 marriages found from 1800.  Some records were destroyed by fire in April 1808.

Garrard County

Garrard County – Formed in 1797 and taken from parts of Lincoln, Madison and Mercer counties, Garrard County was named for James Garrard, then governor of Kentucky.  The county seat is Lancaster.  Garrard County is surrounded by Jessamine, Madison, Rockcastle, Lincoln, Boyle and Mercer counties.  286 marriages found from 1797-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.

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Green County

Green County – Formed in 1793, Green County was named for Gen. Nathaniel Greene (although the ‘e’ was left off the name!) and taken from parts of Lincoln and Nelson counties.  The county seat is Greensburg.  Green County is surrounded by Larue, Taylor, Adair, Metcalfe and Hart counties.  496 marriages found from 1797-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.

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Hardin County

Hardin County – Formed in 1792 from Nelson County, it was named for Col. John Hardin, a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution, and a brother of Capt. William Hardin who founded Hardinsburg.  The northern tip of the county is on the Ohio River.  The county seat is Elizabethtown.  Hardin County is surrounded by Bullitt, Nelson, Larue, Hart, Grayson, Breckinridge and Meade counties.  168 marriages found from 1792-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.  A fire destroyed records on December 23, 1864, and on December 6, 1932.

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Henderson County

Henderson County – Formed from Christian County June 4, 1799, it was named in honor of Col. Richard Henderson and included what is now Hopkins, Union and Webster counties of Kentucky.  The northern border is the Ohio River.  The county seat is Henderson.  Henderson County is surrounded by Daviess, McLean, Webster and Union counties.  0 marriages found from 1799-1800.

Knox County

Knox County – Formed December 19, 1799, from Lincoln County, and named for Henry Knox, a Revolutionary War general and US Secretary of War.  It is located in southeastern Kentucky.  The county seat is Barbourville.  Knox County is surrounded by Whitley, Laurel, Clay and Bell counties.  1 marriage found from 1799-1800 taken from a list of marriages.

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Lincoln County

Lincoln County – One of the three original Kentucky counties formed in 1780, it was named for Revolutionary War General Benjamin Lincoln.  The original county seat was at Harrodsburg.  In 1785 Lincoln County was partitioned and Harrodsburg became the seat of the new Mercer County; Stanford became the county seat of Lincoln County.  Lincoln County is surrounded by Boyle, Garrard, Rockcastle, Pulaski and Casey counties.  1,281 marriages found from 1780-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.

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Livingston County

Livingston County – Established in 1798 from part of Christian County and named for Robert R. Livingston, a member of the committee who drafted the Declaration of Independence, Livingston is located on the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers in the western portion of the state.  The county seat is Smithland.  Livingston County is surrounded by Crittenden, Lyon, Marshall and McCracken counties.  29 marriages found from 1798-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.

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Logan County

Logan County –  Formed from part of Lincoln County, it was established in 1792 and named in honor of General Benjamin Logan.  Located in southwestern Kentucky, Logan County is on the Tennessee border.  The county seat is Russellville.  Logan County is surrounded by Muhlenberg, Butler, Warren, Simpson and Todd counties. 163 marriages found from 1792-1800 taken from the Marriage Book.

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Madison County

Madison County – Formed from part of Lincoln County in 1785, it was named for James Madison, fourth president of the United States, and is located in the central portion of the state.  The county seat is Richmond.  Madison County is surrounded by Clark, Estill, Jackson, Rockcastle, Garrard, Jessamine and Fayette counties.  673 marriages found from 1786-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.

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Mason County

Mason County – Formed from a portion of Bourbon County in 1788, its northern border being the Ohio River.  It was named for George Mason, who was a member of the Constitutional Convention.  Maysville is the county seat and is located on the river.  Many settlers who came down the Ohio River to early Kentucky, came to this area to embark further into the state.  Mason County is surrounded by Lewis, Fleming, Robertson and Bracken counties.  985 marriages found from 1789-1800 taken from Bonds and Consents.

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Montgomery County

Montgomery County – Formed in 1796 from land originally part of Clark County, it was named for General Robert Montgomery, a Revolutionary War hero.  Mt. Sterling, the county seat, is centrally located in the county.  Montgomery County is surrounded by Bourbon, Bath, Menifee, Powell and Clark counties.  0 marriages found from 1796-1800.  Fires on March 1, 1851, and December 2, 1863, destroyed many records.

Muhlenberg County

Muhlenberg County – Formed in 1798 and named in honor of General Peter Muhlenberg who fought in the Revolution, it was taken from parts of Logan and Christian counties.  Greenville is the county seat.  Muhlenberg is surrounded by McLean, Ohio, Butler, Logan, Todd, Christian and Hopkins counties.  20 marriages found from 1798-1800 taken from Minister Returns.

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Ohio County

Ohio County – Formed in 1798 in the west central area of the state, the county was named for the Ohio River and formed from part of Hardin County.  Hartford is the county seat.  Ohio County is surrounded by Hancock, Breckinridge, Grayson, Butler, Muhlenberg, McLean and Daviess counties.  21 marriages found from 1798-1800 taken from marriage records. Courthouse burned December 20, 1864.

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Pulaski County

Pulaski County – Formed in 1798 from portions of Lincoln and Green counties it is located in the mid-central southern part of the state.  It was named for Kazimieriz Pulaski, from Czechoslovakia, who met Benjamin Franklin in Paris and came to America to fight in the Revolutionary War.  Somerset is the county seat.  Pulaski County is surrounded by Rockcastle, Laurel, McCreary, Wayne, Russell, Casey and Lincoln counties.  61 marriages found from 1799-1800 taken from Bonds and Consents.  Fires on March 21, 1864, and in the 1890’s destroyed many records.

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Warren County

Warren County – Formed in 1796, it is located in the Barren River area of southcentral Kentucky and taken from part of Logan County.  It was named in honor of General Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War officer who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.  Bowling Green is the county seat.  Warren County is surrounded by Butler, Edmonson, Barren, Simpson and Logan counties.  337 marriages found from 1797-1800 taken from Bonds, Consents and Minister Returns.  A courthouse fire destroyed some records in 1864.

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Wayne County

Wayne County – Formed in 1800 and named for General Anthony Wayne, a Revolutionary War hero, it was formed from land that was earlier part of Pulaski and Cumberland counties.  The county seat is Monticello.  The southern border is the state of Tennessee.  Wayne county is surrounded by Clinton, Russell, Pulaski and McCreary counties.  0 marriages found in 1800.  A fire in 1898 destroyed its fourth courthouse.