Wayne County Genealogy: Wills, Estates, Marriages
Wayne County was formed December 13, 1800, from Pulaski and Cumberland Counties. It was named after General ” Mad Anthony” Wayne, a hero of the American Revolutionary War as well as the Northwest Indian War. It was his victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers which ended the Indian threat against Kentucky settlers. The Americans lost 33 soldiers during this battle, while the Indians lost twice as many with a retreat to the British-built fort of Miamis on the Maumee River. Wayne County fought for the Confederates during the War Between the States and in 1861, the Confederate Government of Kentucky passed an Act to rename Wayne County to Zollicoffer County in honor of Felix Zollicoffer who died at the Battle of Mill Springs.
Remembering the Restrictions of the Mother Country
When the county records in Kentucky are exhausted, the genealogist directs his eye towards Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is not surprising to learn that this genealogy could easily be traced back to the early 1600s. Generally, people in New England seemed to gravitate Westward, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. The attraction was the land. It was always land because as fields wore out, there was a greater need for fertile soil. Too, the incentive to move westward was not only land grants and homestead tracts, but the idea of mining gold and silver. There were more interesting reasons for moving West than there were to remain behind and build a homestead in the original thirteen colonies. The first settlers in America were true adventurers, with the spirit of freedom. These were the ones who did not wish to remain in European towns and were restricted by class restrictions from individual ambition. Class distinctions were a loud reminder that a yeoman could never be a gentleman or rise in class. Even the gentry was required to dress in the clothes in the clothing of a tradesman, and so on. The American colonies offered broad opportunities. Is it any wonder that there were so many patriots willing to fight the Mother Country for freedom? That is who they were.
Wayne County Genealogy Records Available to Members
Marriages
- Miscellaneous Marriages between 1815 and 1817
Digital Images of Wayne County Wills and Estates 1802 to 1807
- Bartleson, Zachariah
- Bustard, Charles
- Denny, Samuel
- Ingram, Samuel
- Hunter, Edward
- Kerly, Benjamin
- Mullins, Isaac
- Norton, Mercer
- Perryhouse, John
- Smilie, Anne
- Smiley, George