Kentucky is My Home! Genealogy Tips & Information

Genealogy Tips & Information
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Searching State Records Tip Searching County Maps Tip Searching Dams Tip Searching Cemeteries & Records Tip Searching Census Records Tip Record Checklist Tip Cleaning Cast Iron Tip Harlan Enterprise Newspaper Information Getting Started or First Time tips Census tip Cemetery Tracings To Locate Fallen Stones FHL (family history library LDS (latter day saints)
Back to TOP ********** When searching for family don't just stay in the State of origin, go to surrounding State records as well. The State lines sometimes are so close the families traveled back and forth between them often.	Sue Ann Morrow
Back to TOP ******** Check old County maps.........they changed greatly over the years from 1776 to 1930. Do not limit to one County only in search........... .**	COMPUTER ONE
Back to TOP ******** When searching for a cemetery that you obtained the name from a early 1800 or 1900 death certificate keep in mind the cemetery may have changed names.**	Sue Ann Morrow
Back to TOP ******** The WPA built a lot of dams in the Grainger County, Tennessee area. So when looking for graves keep in mind the graves were moved for the dams.**	Cinda Byrd Deaton
Back to TOP ********** I've noticed that a lot of the Big Reedy, Kentucky people seem to change census counties a lot. I'm wondering if it was that they didn't change counties, but that the census takers were uncertain of county lines and sometimes crossed over. (Or, more heartbreakingly, missed a section because they thought it belonged to the next county over).	Jim Woosley
Back to TOP ******** Record Checklist Have you searched all these sources for clues about your kin? BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT RECORDS apprentice & indenture records doctors' & midwives' journals insurance records merchants' account books railroad, mining & factory records CEMETERY & FUNERAL HOME RECORDS burial records grave-relocation records tombstone inscriptions CENSUSES agriculture schedules (1840 to 1880) American Indian (special censuses) Civil War veterans schedules (1890) defective, dependent & delinquent schedules (1880) federal population schedules (1790 to 1930) manufacturing/industry schedules (1810, 1820, 1850 to 1880) mortality schedules (1850 to 1880) school censuses slave schedules (1850, 1860) social statistics schedules (1850 to 1880) state & local censuses CHURCH RECORDS baptism & christening records confirmation records meeting minutes membership, admission & removal records ministers' journals COURT RECORDS adoption records civil records coroners' files custody papers estate inventories insanity/commitment orders licenses & permits marriage bonds, licenses & certificates military discharges minute books name changes property foreclosures wills DIRECTORIES biographical city professional/occupational telephone Back to TOP ****** HOME SOURCES baptism & confirmation certificates birth certificates & baby books death records & prayer cards diaries & journals family Bibles funeral/memorial cards letters & postcards marriage certificates & wedding albums medical records photographs recipe books school report cards, yearbooks & scrapbooks IMMIGRATION RECORDS alien registration cards citizenship papers & passports passenger lists INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS almshouse hospital orphanage police prison school work-farm LAND & PROPERTY RECORDS deeds grants & patents homestead records mortgages & leases surveys tax rolls warrants Back to TOP ****** MILITARY RECORDS Colonial wars Revolutionary War & frontier conflicts War of 1812, Indian Wars & Mexican War Civil War Spanish-American War World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War draft records pension applications records of relocations & internment camps for Japanese-Americans, German-Americans & Italian-Americans during World War II NEWSPAPERS birth announcements classified advertisements engagement, marriage & anniversary announcements ethnic newspapers family-reunion announcements gossip & advice columns legal notices local news obituaries runaway notices (slaves, indentured servants, wives) unclaimed-mail notices Back to TOP ******** PUBLISHED SOURCES compiled genealogies genealogical periodicals local & county histories record abstracts & transcriptions VITAL RECORDS birth death divorce/annulment marriage	Charlotte Anne Miller
Back to TOP ********** To clean a cast iron skillet or other iron pot: You can stick them in a bar-B-Q also. Then Scrape and re-season. Or: Make a fire out of wood in the out side grill, and put you pots in the fire. (I don't mean rack either, just into the fire), Keep that fire going till pot or skillet are same outside and inside. Wash well, and rub with bacon inside and out (crisco or any shorting will do) be sure it is lightly rubbed. Put in oven at 225 degrees and bake all day, wipeing from time to time lightly with bacon. To burn off one time, place alumium foil on a heavy cookie sheet and place in oven upside down and baked it off. This takes much longer, but works well. After baking so long it is good idea to let cool and clean off the goup from the outside(that will come off) and start all over again. I bake at 350 degrees. Be sure to reseason after each burn off. Also be sure if you are buying new that it was "made in America" Not Mexico or some other country. If you use water in you iron skillet or pot, it is best to reseason again, after wiping out. You can do this little bit on top of stove, just dry well, coat inside of pot or pan with pork or any oil and let set over medium heat for 15 or 20 minutes or so then wipe and put away. Now there are more ways to clean the old cast iron, than above and perhaps faster. Here is a site that has other suggestions also http://members.tripod.com/~pblamar/griswold-cleaning-seasoning.html	Florence
Back to TOP ******** From Harlan Enterprise Week of Fri. Oct 31 1924 KILLED NEAR CREECH"S MINE Jasper Daniels shot and killed Hiram Smith on top of Black Mountain, near Creech's mines, in the Wallins section Wednesday evening about 6 o'clock. The shooting occured at Daniels hime, it is said. Smith was riding a mule at the time, carrying some whiskey in jugs, it was stated. The cause of the trouble is not yet learned. Daneils gave himself up to Sheriff Blair and his trial had not been set at time of going to press. Week of Dec 5, 1924 Seven Charges Confront Osbornes Confined in Jail to Await Seven Charges- Five in Police Court Floyd ( IK) Osborne, from all reports is lodged in the county jail to await seven charges which officials say will probably confine him for over a year. Osborne, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Osborne has been before the county and city officials several times before and seems to have acquired a criminal report. Osborne was put in jail sometime ago on a misdemeanor charge against him in the city court. He was given a chance to prove his worthiness when the county Judge made a trusty out of him and gave him the courtyards to attend to. He slipped off from the jailer and went to Baxter. Within 5 cases in the city court, 1 in circuit court and one in the county court, Osborne was not saisfied. He was released from jail on bond and with new freedom he tried to resist arrest at Kenvir last Sunday. The officers had to knock him unconscious before they could bring him in. Ray Cornett, a comtemporary of Osborne was arrested for charges of interfering with an officer. Both were brought to town where they were lodged in jail. Cornett obtained bond. From the Harlan Enterprise Back to TOP ****** Marriage Liscense for Fri Oct 31, 1924 Oto Saylor to Grace Howard both Baxter Wm Lovett to Loena RIder both High Splint George Tucker to Estella Barton both Alva Jasper Vaugh of Evarts to Rose Osborne of Cawood Silas Eads to Lucy Ellis both of Path Fork Robert Creech to Sudie TUrner both Poor Fork Dan Johnson to Viola Setton of Lynch Marriages Dec 5, 1924 Hop Short to Osie Crider Louellen Grover Fannon to MInnie Ramey- Coalgood William Evans to Sarah Howard : Lynch George Hensley to Lizzie Adams Lynch John Hosaiwa to REgina Wasileski, Lynch J R Cloud to Louie Sergent: Dayhoit Walter Carty to Maudie Ferris : Lynch Richard Wolf to Christina Hukle: Alvy Melvine Byrd to Josephine Curry: Coalgood Debert Ruth to Cynthia Gunter: Lynch Harlan Enterprise Back to TOP ****** Week of Friday, September 5, 1924 Fourteen divorces have been granted within the last 2 weeks. Persons obtaining separations were: Minnie Stringer from Richard Stringer Steve Muccicci from Julia Muccicci Amanda Harris from Press Harris A. D. Murrel from Ola Murrell Eva Farlley rom R. M. Farley C. W. Jones from Geraldine Jones Nora Isom from Gid Ison J. H. Hensley from Eilzabeth Hensley Nathan Crider from Flora Crider Celia Craft rom Clint Craft Bertha Bryant Ellliot from Henry Elliot Elizabeth Turner from Ray Turner Paul Bauldus from Ethel Bauldus Z. B. Brock from Susie Brock Week of September 24, 1924 On account of not having the time to search the criminal records before one last issue, we let the indictment drawn against Harlan by the News stand on the 10 murders committed in the month of August instead of ten, as the newsstand stated. They were as follows: Mack Clem on Aug 12 Jeff Napier Aug 11 Henry Smith, colored, 12 Aug Lucy Brock, 13 Aug Melvin Gregory, 26 Aug Cody Howard, 15 Aug From the Harlan Enterprise Week of August 1924 Alice Howard, age 18, daughter off Mr. and Mrs, Grant Howard, died at a local hospital Tuesday afternoon from dysentry after an illness of 13 days. She is survived by her mother and father. The remains were shipped to Wallins Creek Wednesday morning and burial took place there that afternoon. Mrs. Howard was raised at Wallins and at the home of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Morgan. Aug 28, 1924 Mrs. Margaret A. Hall, 89, died Monday night at Kitts after several years illness. She is survived by 2 daughters Mrs. Mary Smith and Mrs, Elizabeth Wardup and two sons R. Y. and Z. B. Hall. The funeral was conducted by Rev. W. B. Balton at cemetary in Kitts at 2:00 Wed. afternoon. Mrs. Sudie Suttle, 28, wife of Willie Suttle of Loyal, died at her home Sunday morning after an illness of several months. She is survived by her husband, one little daughter Mary, age 5 and one brother. The remains were shipped to Sinks, Ky for interment. Back to TOP ****** Baby Dies. Fay Davis, infant daughter of Mrs, and Mr. Adam Davis of Harlan Gas, died at their home Monday morning. The baby is survived by her father and mother, 4 sisters, and 3 brothers. The burial service was held at Harlan Gas Cemetary. Week of Aug 24, 1924 Miss Georgia Thomas, 21, daughter of Washington Thomas, was killed by a local freight train at her home near the mouth of Crummies Creek on Martins Fork abt. 4:00 Tuesday afternoon. The train was going up Crummies when it struck the girl and killled her instantly. Details of the tragedy were lacking. The girl was buried at the cemetary at Cawood, Wednesday. She is survived by her mother, 4 sisters, and one brother. Week of Aug 29, 1924 2 Yr old dies. Little Eva Gross, 2 yr old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas, Gross of Helton died last Wednesday at her home. The burial services were held the following day by Rev. Andrew Wilson and J. S. Deedrick Back to TOP ****** Marriage licenses the week of Aug 8, 1924 from Harlan Enterprise Forest Bryant, 24, Harlan and Georgia Rice, 20, Harlan Herbert Roland, 21, Lollus, and Rhoda Munsie, 18, Molus J. C. Saylor, 40, Wallins and Dorothy Burks, 28, Wallins J. J. Noe, 18, Layman, and Lillie Noe, 17, Layman Ransom Arnold, 21, Ages, and Pauline Hurst, 17, Ages Hobson Horn, 25, Harlan and Bessie Shoope, 21, Harlan Ben Richmond, 27, colored, Benham, and Dolly Smoot, 21, Harlan colored James Marlor, 22, Coxton, and Bernice Brown, 21, Coxton Willie Woods, colored, 24, Lynch and Lutera Wilson, colored, 17, Lynch Logan Griffith, 39, Harlan and Margaret Hampton, 17, Harlan John Evans, colored, 46, Lynch, and Annie Clay, colored, 35, Lynch Herman Minton, 25, Chevrolet, and Minnie Licklliter, 22, Keldav Chas. G, Pack, 29, Evarts and Lucielle McBride, 19, Evarts Mike Beeler, 25, benham and Bonnie Smith, 21, Benham Dave Thurman, 28, Kitts and Arnie Turner, 22, Poor Fork Val Dunn, 21, Kitts and Sudie Winchester, 19, Kitts Harry Renfro, colored, 21, Harlan, and Mary Walker, colored, 19, Harlan Roland Tye, colored, 20, Verda, and Stellla May Rose, colored,18, Verda July 1924 Marriage Licenses J. F. Neighbors, 40, Middlesboro and Ethel Heaton, 30 Middlesboro Frank Moore, 27, Lynch and Mary Bargo, 18, Lynch John Oyphers(?), colored, 40 Chevrolet, and Mary Chapman, 31, colored Chevrolet Frank Walker, colored, 42, Lynch, and Julia Rhodes, colored, 32, Lynch Sandy Taylor, 49, colored, Harlan and Georgia Thompson, 38, colored, Coxton Wesley Dickenson, 23, RossPointe, and Dellia Brock, 22, Wallins Blanco, Pennington, 21, Poor Fork, and Mary Isom, 18, Poor Fork Varlie Valik, 28, Lynch and Nora Napier, 18 Lynch Pearl Morris, 21, Benham, and Bessie McCreary, 20, Benham Melvin Hensley, 21, Harlan, and Flora Wallters, 17, Harlan John M. Hyder, 20, Poor Fork, and Peggy Lucille Goforth, 21, Poor Fork Back to TOP ******** Harlan Enterprise The following person have obtained marriage licenses from the office of County Court Clerk G. W. Howard the week of June 1924 Walter Sexton, 28, Benham, and Tessie Pritchett, 22, Beham Everett Davis, 22, Harlan and Martha Derossett, 19, Harlan McKinley Dizney, 27, London and Laura Mitchell, 33, London Charley Carr, 21, Verda, and Viola Rhodes, 17, Verda H. P. Estes, 30, Harlan and Myrttle Wilson, 18, Harlan Homer Osborne, 19, Cawood, and Daisey Nolan, 17 Cawood John Owens, 27, Lynch, and Iseta House, 19, Lynch Sam McGhee, 32, Harlan and Cora McGhee, 32, Harlan H. S. Poff, 21 Harlan and Narciss Jones, 16, Harlan Jerry Davis, colored, 40, Lynch and Bertha Anderson, 30, colored, lynch July 25th 1924-- week of Miss Polly Turner was married to Chad N. Nolen this week here. Others have obtained marriage licenses from the office of the County Court Clerk G. W. Howard. Jessie Byrd, 24, colored, Lynch and Celia Reese, 18 colored, Lynch Heson Bowling, 21, PeeVee, and Flora Gilliam, 21, PeeVee James Reynolds, 22, Lancaster and Tommie Brooks, 21 Lancaster Lewis Williams, 60 , colored, High Splint, and Josephine Springs, 58,colored, high Splint Marion Zooko, 27, Lynch, and Barbara Petrick, 18, Lynch Steve Daniels, 19, Kenvir, and Lela Greene, 15, Kenvir Ed Smith, colored, 21, Bardo and May Taylor, colored, 18, Bardo Acress Sexton, 37, Harlan and Rese Ellison, 38, Harlan Frank White, 21, harlan and Izora Crompton, 22, Harlan the Harlan Enterprise newspaper : The following couples have obtained marriage licenses from the office of the County Court Clerk G. W. Howard Week of September 5, 1924 Joseph Fuson, 21 Baxter and Corine Howard , 14, Baxter Louie Darmen, 30 Lynch and Nora Isom, 21, Lynch Frank Mitchell, 27, Poor Fork, and Lillie Hall, 17 Poor Fork Wade Parsons, 22, Louellen and Nevada King , 15 Louellen J. L. Gill, 49 Harlan and Susan Griffith, 47, Harlan ArthurWoodall, 19, Kitts, and Grace Anderson, 18, Ages Lilburn Barker, 22, Harlan and Georgia Goins, 21, Harlan Garland Scott, 21, PeeVee andNevada Brown, 19, PeeVee Milford Vales, 23, LenaRue, and Blanche Freeman, 19 LenaRue Cleveland Mitchell, 36, colored, CoalGood and Maude Prince, 32, colored CoalGood James Hensley, 57, Walins, and Della Wilson, 22, Helton Wiley Cook, 29, colored, Harlan and Emma Mingo, 24, colored, Harlan Walter Coleman, colored, 33, Harlan and Lucy Poor, colored, 26, Harlan Eugene Elmore, 35, Evarts, and Matilda Rutherford, 18, High Splint Pleas Prim, 30, Lejunior and Myrtle Hightower, 17, Lejunior Ed Kelso, 23, Lynch, and Blanch Revis, 21, Lynch Taylor Castile, 26, Pittsburg, KY and Alice Hall, 19, Pittsburg, Ky R. B. Setsor, 22, Wallins and Ethel Noe, 17, Wallins Blaine Skidmore, 34, Wilhoit, and Lizzie Saylor, 22, Wilhoit G. C. Collins, 23, Dayhoit, and Frances Shackleford, 22, Dayhoit Otto Turner, colored, Kenvir, and Marie johnson, colored, 20 Kenvir Lawrence Rust, 33, Dartmont, and May Childers, 31, Dartmont	Sue Ann Morrow
Back to TOP ******** Link to Sandra K Gorin's Kentucky Research Tips**	Sandra K Gorin
Back to TOP ********** The most important thing you can do right now is get in touch with everyone in your family and get as much genealogy information from them as you possibly can. Make a family sheet and let them fill it out, even if you think you know all the information they will submit. Be sure they include as much as they know. Especially the places of birth, deaths and burial. And mother’s MAIDEN names. For relatives who live out of State mail them the family sheet with a self addressed stamped envelope. You will have a better chance of getting it back if they don’t have to pay for postage. After you have compiled as much as you can from the living, start verifying your information by going to the Census, Marriage, Birth and Death records. Get copies of all the documentation and keep it in a safe place but easily accessible for you. You may need to refer to it from time to time. Purchase a family tree program of some kind to help you keep all this neat and straight and to be able to share reports or gedcoms with others. Go to as many mailing lists and message boards online as pertains to your particular family and put a query for anyone related to your family. Be sure to share what you have with others. I prefer not to post the entire birth date of any living persons, and will not post anyone’s birth date online born after 1925 unless I have a death date for them as well. Remember there are many spellings of the same last name and nicknames were often used for first names. Census records can be misleading as it depended on who the Census taker obtained the information from when he was there. Cemeteries were moved or not, depending on the County line and the date you are referring too. Many graves were moved because of progress or the names were changed over the years even though it’s the same Cemetery. If you can, take a tape recording of anyone who is elderly so you can refer back to that at a later date. Get as many family stories as you can and add them to the persons family sheet. It makes them more lifelike if you not only have a name and date but a story to go along with them as well. Don’t change your information just because someone else says it’s wrong unless they can show you proof that it is. Military records are also a great source. Don’t overlook them. Remember most importantly, genealogy is not to be taken lightly but don’t get caught up in the “I’m right and that’s the way it is” syndrome that many do. Have fun and enjoy the search into your past. It can be a lifelong experience so try to make it a pleasant one for all concerned. Respect the wishes of others along the way as well. If they don’t want their name to appear online, grant their request. Good Luck and Enjoy your family. Don’t overlook the small stuff.	Sue Ann Morrow
Back to TOP ********** Remember, you cannot depend that just because someone shows as one age in one census, that you can automatically deduct 10 years and come up with an earlier or a later age for an ancestor. I have seen people get younger 10 years later and I have seen them get older. Basically, our ancestors were illiterate in those times, kept poor or no records, and they just did not know precise ages.	Joyce Collins
Back to TOP ********** I used to get "butcher paper" from the meat department to make tracings. But that was years ago. Don't know if they even use it anymore. Bulletin board paper is big enough, but it tears so easy. When copying cemetery tombstones, I used a spray bottle of water, an old hairbrush for the green stuff and a bottle of baby powder (to "puff" the corn starch powder into the words to see them). Shaving creme has so much acid we were warned not to use it.	Glenda Willis
Back to TOP ******** I have used a wooden dowel rod for gently probing into the ground to locate fallen stones.**	Glenda Willis
Back to TOP ********** First of all let me explain what a FHL(family history library) or LDS(Latter Day Saints) library is. That may make it easier. The Church of Latter Day Saints is big into genealogy. They had gone all over the world coping records from churches and county courts and court houses etc. They have these all on microfilm. They even have tons of books both on family names and areas and how to find stuff etc. They have a huge library in Salt Lake City which is also called the Family History Library and they have branch libraries all over the country and some in other countries. They aren't libraries like you usually go to to check out reading books. They are usually a couple rooms in a Latter Day Saints Church building. They have some reference books on how to do genealogy in different areas-like "How to find your Scottish Ancestors". They have many genealogical records on CD's and at least the two I have worked at have subscriptions to Ancestery and Heritage quest which you can use for free. But the best thing they have is the ability to order just about anything that they have at the library in Salt Lake City. I should also mention that all their materials have to be used there. You can't take anything home. They usually are only open a few days a week for a few hours and are staffed by volunteers from their congregation. You don't have to be a member of this church or any church to use these libraries. They are very nice to anyone and very helpful. Mostly what I get is microfilm of original records. What that means is say for example I wanted to find records for an ancestor in Grayson County, KY (which by the way there aren't a lot of because they were burnt in a couple fires). I go on my computer and type in www.familysearch.org then click on the library tab, then click on the library catalog, type in Kentucky under place search, a couple places come up that have Kentucky in them just click on the on that is just Kentucky. All Kentucky records will come up. In the upper right hand corner of the page will be a tab marked "view related places". Click on that and you get all the counties in KY. Click on Grayson and a page comes up showing all the records they have on Grayson. Click on Vital records or Tax lists or whatever you are interested in and a page comes up that tells what they have in that area. For example it might have marriage records for 1900--1930 then in the upper right hand corner click on the tab that says "view film notes". This will give you the number of the microfilm for the marriage records for Grayson County for 1900-1930. It may be all on one roll and only have one number or it might give a roll number for 1900, one for 1901, one for 1902 etc. Sometimes the index is on one roll and all the records are on another but it will tell you what is on each roll. Copy the number down for the roll you want and make a note of what it is. Then you go to your local family history library and tell them you want to order some microfilm. Most records are on microfilm, some books are on microfische. A roll or microfilm costs $3.50 to order to pay for postage. Microfische is 25 cents. The librarian will either fill a form out for you or give you one to fill out. They are easy to do and the librarians are very helpful if you have questions. Under title on the form you would put--Grayson County, KY marriage records for 1900-1930. There is a box to put the microfilm number in. You pay the fee. They order it for you. It takes a couple weeks to come in. They call you when it comes in and you have the use of it for about three weeks at their library using their microfilm readers. Microfische stays at your library forever once you order it. For example, I wanted to buy a book called the "Hammett families of America" but it is out of print. The FHL has it on microfische. For 25 cents I ordered a copy of the fische which stays at my library and I can go look at it any time I need to. There is no other charge. It all sounds complicated but once you get used to using the library catalog and ordering you'll see it is very simple. The best part is you can get all kinds of records from all over without leaving your city. Go to the www.familyhistory.org site and play around with the library catalog. Under titles or names type in Hardin and Hart and see if they have any books anyone has done on these families then click on view film notes and see if you can order them. Have fun! Any more questions-don't be afraid to ask. Hope I've been of some help as someone introduced me to it years ago and I have found a ton of my family this way. Good Luck. Stephanie	Stephanie Schickinger
Back to TOP ******** Email me to post your Tip or Information here to help others.**	~

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