Jefferson County Probate Records Available to Members
Digital Images of Jefferson County Wills (1783 to 1813)
Testators: Askew, James; Askew, James (2) ; Bacon, Nathaniel, Captain ; Bates, Susan ; Bates, Susanna ; Beard, Charles ; Beard, Sarah ; Blankenbecker, Jacob; Bostwick, Trueman ; Brashear, William Sr. ; Breckinridge, Alexander ; Brendlinger, Conrad ; Brenham, Daniel ; Brinley, Jacob ; Bryan, Joseph; Cecil, Thomas ; Christian, John ; Churchill, Jamesstead ; Clark, Andrew ; Cornelius, William ; Coverton, Priscilla ; Cowen, John ; Crawford, David ; Cummins, William ; Danley, William ; Dickenson, Richard ; Endres, Valentine ; Fleming, Margaret ; Galloway, George ; Gatewood, John ; Geiger, George ; Gobin, Joseph ; Grigg, John ; Haneyman, Charles ; Harding, Henry ; Hawkins, David ; Hite, Abraham ; Hite, Rebecca ; Hodge, William; Hollis, William ; Holt, John ; Hume, John ; Humphries, Joshua ; Hunter, Joseph; Johnston, Dorothy ; Joyes, Patrick ; Kennison, Stephen W. ; Kirby, Samuel ; Leatherman, Frederick ; Lernes, Simeon ; Linn, Ashahel ; Lock, Catherine ; Martin, Rowley ; Mason, Thomas ; McMichael, James ; Meriwether, David Wood ; Meriwether, Patrick ; Meriwether, William Sr. ; Moore, James Francis ; Morgan, David ; Morgan, Elizabeth ; Mundle, John ; Nicholas, John ; Oglesby, Richard ; Oldham, William ; Osborn, William ; Parish, John ; Paul, Peter ;Penn, Chloe ; Peter, Hans ; Plummer, Jeremiah ; Quarterman, James ; Reed, Henry; Rhodes, William ; Seaten, K. B. ; Shake, Christopher; Stewart, James; Stewart, John ; Stewart, Stephen; Stroud, ; Taylor, James ; Thompson, Benajah; Todd, Samuel ; Vaughan, Andrew ; Vaughan, John ; Watson, William ; Watts, James ; Wells, William ; Wright, Samuel; Yenowine, Leonard
How Lost are your Ancestors?
Tips by Jeannette Holland Austin

It seems that finding some ancestors is only a dream. Let us face facts, everyone does not create records of themselves. They don't purchase land, pay taxes, register their marriages, or file estate records. Some people avoided census takers or were missed because they resided at a county border or near the frontier. So, what to do? Here are some suggestions. First, search the tax digests for likely counties. These digests are never alphabetical. Do not forget to look for defaulters for this may be a clue of when they left the area. Another place to search is the Minutes of the Inferior Court where mention is made of road overseers, commissioners of various public offices, etc. Also, check the Superior Court records looking for lawsuits.
Newspaper Notes
" The Louisville (Kentucky) Advertiser of the 16th instant says, that Ebenezer Christopher died in Louisville on the 14th, of wounds received of Randall W. Smith, at the time he shot and killed Dr. Brown. Smith, it is said, has been apprehended near St. Louis. Mr. Christopher was a worthy man and father-in-law of Smith." Source: The Southern Recorder Milledgeville, Georgia, December 26, 1826.
1890 Cyclone Almost Swept the City Away

Yesterday Newsletter

. . . . Featuring stories of the past that you will treasure!

Digital Images of Jefferson County Wills (1813 to 1833)
Testators: Abernathy, John; Adams, Isabella; Applegate, Joseph; Arnold, Adam; Arteburn, William; Atcheson, Branham; Augustus, Springer; Austin, Mary ;Ballard, Levin ;Banks, John; Barbour, Thomas ;Beckwith, Upton; Bell, Joseph; Berthoud, James; Blake, James; Blankenbaker, Samuel ; Blankenbaker, Samuel (2) ; Bohannon, Richard ; Bradshaw, John ; Breckinridge, Robert ; Brentlinger, Susanna ; Briscoe, Robert ; Brookhart, Catharine; Brooks, Squire ;Brown, Everington ;Brown, Preston; Brown, Thomas ;Buckner, Ambrose ;Buckner, Haley ;Bucksby, Jacob; Bullitt, Alexander Scott ; Bullitt, Cuthbert ;Bullitt, Mary ;Burks, John ;Burton, Jeremiah; Byers, Nathan ;Calloway, Charles; Cannon, Anna, inventory ;Cavitt, Andrew ;Cawley, James M. ;Cawley, Joshua ;Coleman, Betty ;Coleman, Robert ;Collins, John ;Cox, John ;Crawford, Martha; Croghan, Nicholas ;Croghan, William ;Dawson, James; Delany, Michael ;Denwood, Mary ;Dorsey, Jerusha; Dorsey, Kezin ;Dougherty, William; Duffay, Michael; Dumarsellay, Andrew; Dye, Stephen ;Eastin, Ann ;Edwards, Frederick ;Ellingworth, Thomas ;Elston, Jonathan ;Erickson, James; Farnsby, David ;Farnsby, James; Fenley, Richard; Ferguson, Samuel ;Field, Abner ;Field, Reuben ;Fine, Jacob ;Fitzhugh, D. ;Fitzhugh, Elizabeth; Fontaine, Aaron; Foxwood, William; Frederick, Andrew ;Frederick, Augustus Sr. ;Freeman, Walter ;Fry, Susan; Funk, Jacob ;Gailbreath, Elizabeth, inventory ;Gailbreath, Joseph; Gamble, William ;Garason, John Anthony ;Garay, Bennett ;Gardener, Silas ;Garret, Silas ;Gay, George ;Geiger, Fred, Colonel ;Gill, Thomas; Glass, Sarah ;Godsinger, John ;Grayson, Frederick W. ;Grigg, Thomas; Griggs, William Sr. ;Guger, Frederick; Hall, E. ;Hammond, Login ;Hampton, Ephraim ;Harden, Henry; Harding, Ann ;Harding, Josiah ;Harding, Rebecca ;Harrison, John ;Hart, Jacob ;Hawse, Peter ;Hayse, George ;Headington, Joshua; Henderson, James; Hightower, Abraham; Hikes, Andrew, inventory; Hikes, George ;Hite, Abraham ;Hite, Joseph; Hite, Patsy ;Hoke, George Sr.; Hoke, Leonard ;Hollis, Isabella; Hollis, John; Hollis, Nancy; Holmes, Moses ;;Houston, EliHouston, William;Hundley, John; Jagerlehner, Niklaus; Johnston, Gabriel ;Johnston, John; Jones, Alice ; Jones, Sally; Kalfers, Henry Frederick; Kaye, Frederick Augustus; Kearney, William; Keen, Thomas F. ; Kellar, Joseph; Kellar, Sarah; Keller, William ; Kenneday, Patrick ; Kimmeerhorn, Ann ; King, Thomas; Lampton, Mark; Laurence, Benjamin ;Levey, Samuel Jr. ;Lewellen, Richard ;Lewellen, Samuel; Lewis, George; Love, Mathew ; Love, Nathan ; Luckett, Elizabeth ;Luckett, Molly Ann ;Maple, John ;Markwell, George Sr. ;Marrs, Agnes ;Marrse, John ;Martin, John ;Massie, Henry ;Massie, Nancy ;Masterson, John ;Mathes, James; Maupin, Matilda ; McCahlan, John ; McClanahan, Thomas ;McColloch, Christopher ;McCollum, Barney ;McConnel, James; McConnell, Mary ; McKeown, Morgan; McKinne, Terence ; McMullin, John ; Mercer, Hugh ;Meriwether, E. W. ;Meriwether, James; Miller, Anthony ; Miller, John ;Morris, Patrick ;Morris, Richard ;Newman, Martha ; Norton, Matthew ; Oldham, Samuel ;Oldham, William ;Paldridge, John ;Patten, James; Patterson, John L. ;Payne, Bennet ;Pearce, James; Pendergrast, Mary ;Pets, Catherine, inventory and appraisement ;Phillips, David ;Phillips, Jenkin ;Phillips, Richard ;Pitts, Robert ;Pluckett, Samuel; Pomeroy, Francis ;Pope, Alexander; Pope, John Jr. ;Pope, William ;Porter, William ;Prentice, David ;Preston, William ; Preston, William (2) ;Procter, David M. ;Pryer, James; Puryear, Hezekiah ; Quarterman, Elizabeth ; Quick, Jacob ;Ramsey, Margaret T. ;Ray, David ;Read, James; Reaugh, John ;Reese, Francis ;Reynolds, Charles ;Reynolds, Richard; Rice, Edmund Sr. ;Rice, John; Richards, Samuel ;Richardson, Thomas ;Richardson, William ;Roberts, Thomas ;Rush, Conrad ;Russell, Levi; Sale, Edmund ;Sanyser, Jacob ;Scott, William ;Seabolt, George ;Seaton, James; Settles, Abraham; Shaw, Samuel ;Sherman, Charles ;Shipp, Edmund; Shipp, Edmund Sr.; Shippen, Edward ; Shirley, John ;Shively, Christian ;Shutt, Frederick ;Sisson, Abner ; Skidmore, Paul ; Smith, Daniel ;Smith, John ;Smith, Pleasant ;Sneel, Alexander ;Snell, Christian ; Sparks, William ;Spradling, William ;Stafford, Thomas ;Standiford, James ; Standiford, Nathan ;Steel, Samuel ;Stewart, Mathew ;Stokes, John, inventory ; Stowers, Nicholas ;Stringham, John ;Sullivan, Sarah ;Taylor, Benjamin ;Taylor, Reuben ;Taylor, Richard ;Theobalds, Thomas ;Thompson, John ;Tompkins, Robert ; Tuley, Elizabeth ;Tunstall, James M. ;Tunstall, John ;Turner, Robert ;Tyler, Absalom; Tyler, Edward ;Vance, James; Waggoner, James; Waters, R. J. ;Waters, Richard Jones ; Watson, William ;Weatheringill, John; Weems, John; Weir, Andrew ;Welch, Samuel ;Wells, Samuel ;Welsh, Joseph; Welsh, Mary ;Wheeler, John; Wheeler, John Henson; Whips, Denton ;Whips, George ; White, George ; White, Lee ;White, Mary ;Whitlock, George ;Wilcks, Samuel ;Wilhite, John; Williams, Jeremiah ; Wills, Samuel ;Wilson, Daniel ;Wise, Peter ; Withers, Charles ; Withers, John; Withers, Mary ;Woolfolk, William ;Yewett, Levi ;Zaring, Henry

Jefferson County Wills, Estates
Jefferson County was organized in 1780 and was one of the first three counties to be formed out of Virginia at the time (the other two being Fayette and Lincoln). The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, who was governor of Virginia at the time. The county seat is Louisville, Kentucky.
Miscellaneous
John Rowan Sr., LWT, (1840)
The 1870 Bridge in Louisville

Albert Fink was born in Lauterbach, Germany, educated at the Polytechnic School of Darmstadt and immigrated to the United States in 1849. He studied architecture and engineering and was employed by the B&O Railroad as well as the L&N Railroad where he was chief engineer. During the War Between the States, Fink repaired the damage done to the L&N line by Confederate raiders. He designed and superintended the construction of the first bridge across the Ohio River at Louisville, which opened in 1870. Ultimately he became a vice-president of the L&N.
The Ohio Falls at Louisville
William Preston was the son of a Revolutionary War Soldier who acquired choice land at the Falls of the Ohio River. He participated in the Mexican War of 1846 to 1848 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 4th Kentucky Volunteers. He was a delegate to the 1849 Kentucky Constitutional Convention, served in the Kentucky House in 1851, and was elected to fill the vacant congressional seat of democrat Humphrey Marshall the following year. In 1858 he received an appointment as U. S. minister to Spain and resigned at the beginning of the War Between the States where he rose the rank of Major-General. He was engaged in the battles of Fort Donelson, Nashville, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chickamauga.
Oatland House and Race Course

A splendid oil painting of the Oakland House and Race Course by Robert Grammer and Augustus A. Von Smith completed in 1840 hangs in the J. B. Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Settling of Kentucky

Taylor Family History