The Kentucky Genealogy Gold Mine

Kentucky’s old wills and estates are a gold mine for genealogists! The oldest records have been scanned and indexed and are available for viewing on kentuckypioneers.com. You will see the actual images of the estate accounts recorded in the old books. https://kentuckypioneers.com/become-a-member/

John Fitch of Bardstown, Kentucky

Bourbon County settlers raised sheep and cultivated hemp, flax, and cotton. Many prominent men lived in and about Bardstown in the early times. In the cemetery is the grave of poor John Fitch (bearing the date of his death, 1798), whose name is so pathetically connected with the invention of the steamboat. Maryland Catholics primarily […]

Where Families Settled in Kentucky

As families left Philadelphia and rode the Wagon Trail westward, they eventually found a path through the Cumberland Gap to the green valleys of Kentucky. Generally speaking, some families settled in Virginia and North Carolina before going further west. Find your families online by clicking on the link below: https://kentuckypioneers.com/become-a-member/

My Old Kentucky Home

Detailed estate records and old wills were recorded in Kentucky counties and filed as probate records. Although some went unindexed, not to worry! I microfilmed these old estate records and indexed them for easy online viewing. Most pioneers in Kentucky were the first Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia residents. Pioneer families followed the old Wilderness […]

The Far Distant Land of Appalachia

Some people think that Kentuckians, with their ways and customs, still lived in the 18th century. The reason is Appalachia, a far-reaching mountain range that is difficult to reach. In 1728, when Colonel William Byrd of Westover ran the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina, he was repulsed by parallel chains of savage, unpeopled […]

Finding The Old Neighbourhood: 3-Step Guide To Discover Your Ancestral Home

Tracing your family’s history is not about dwelling in the past, but establishing a strong connection with ancestors and paying respect to their legacy. When finding your roots, one must discover the old site or neighbourhood of their ancestor’s home to learn more about their family tree. Whether it is a nearby park, farm, or […]

A Hunter’s Life in Kentucky

Daniel Boone carried his long rifle to hunt. During the early years of the settlement of Kentucky, the settlements depended exclusively upon game for their meat. He killed many buffaloes and pickled the buffalo beef for use in winter. Also, Boone killed a great number of black bears and made bacon of them. But the […]

Tips for Finding Kentucky Families

Discovering your Kentucky ancestors is available online at kentuckypioneers.com. This makes tracing families using county records easy, and searching county records is a credible means of locating families. Old wills and estate records introduce the searcher to a variety of discoveries. Genealogy Tip: Search estate records until funds have been completely dispersed, using Annual Returns, […]

Capt. Bullitt and the Indians

In 1773, Capt. Thomas Bullitt, sent by a special commission from William and Mary College in Virginia, came to survey lands and effect settlements in the then territory of Kentucky. His practiced eye perceived the advantages of this port, and he moored his traveling barge in the safe and beautiful harbor of Beargrass and established a camp […]