Kentucky

Louisville skyline, 2021.

Kentucky is known as "The Bluegrass State." Kentucky bluegrass, is a perennial, cool-season, sod-forming grass native to Europe that is the predominantly used for grazing . Kentucky became the 15th state to join the union on June 1, 1792. Kentucky is the 37th largest state, covering 40,411 square miles. As of 2023, the population of Kentucky was approximately 4.55 million. Kentucky’s economy ranks 28th in size among states and Washington, DC. It is based on manufacturing, trade, mining, agriculture, and tourism and other services. In the 3rd quarter of 2023, the real GDP growth rate for Kentucky was 4.9% per year.

Every single Post-It note originates in Cynthiana, Kentucky. Every Corvette in the world has been manufactured in Bowling Green since 1981. Georgetown, Kentucky, is home to the largest Toyota manufacturing plant in the world. Some of the state’s most attractive features include the Kentucky Derby, the oldest horse race held continuously in the world, the stunning Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest cave system in the world, and the birthplaces of Abraham Lincoln, Muhammad Ali and Bill Monroe, icons of American history and culture.

Although the culture of Kentucky is considered to be firmly Southern, it is also influenced by Southern Appalachia, blending with the native upper Southern culture in certain areas of the state. The state is known for bourbon and whiskey distilling, tobacco, horse racing, and college basketball. Kentucky culture is diverse and distinctive, with influences from folk artists, poets, spiritual pioneers, musicians, chefs, and African-American trailblazers.

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History of Kentucky

The prehistory and history of Kentucky span thousands of years, influenced by the state’s diverse geography and central location. Archaeological evidence of human occupation in Kentucky begins approximately 12,000 BCE. The first Europeans to visit Kentucky arrived in the late 17th century via the Ohio River from the northeast, and later, in the late 18th century, from the southeast through natural passes in the Appalachian Mountains.

Daniel Boone (November 2, 1734 – September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of the Thirteen Colonies. In 1775, Boone blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky. He founded Boonesborough, one of the first English-speaking settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Kentucky was a southern border state of key importance in the American Civil War. It officially declared its neutrality at the beginning of the war, but after a failed attempt by Confederate General Leonidas Polk to take the state of Kentucky for the Confederacy, the legislature petitioned the Union Army for assistance.

19th and 20th Century Development: Following the Civil War, Kentucky underwent a period of Reconstruction, during which the state’s political and social structures were reshaped to reflect the post-war era. Industrialization rose in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the coal mining and manufacturing industries playing a significant role in the state’s economy.

Demographics of Kentucky

The demographic distribution of Kentucky is as follows:

• White: 85.5%
• Black or African American: 8.05%
• Two or more races: 3.54%
• Asian: 1.53%
• Other race: 1.14%
• Native American: 0.16%
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.09%

Most common surnames in Vermont

This list of common surnames in Kentucky comes from Forebears.io.

Surname	Incidence	Frequency
Johnson	33,998	1:132
Jones	30,292	1:148
Brown	28,969	1:155
Williams	24,612	1:182
Miller	24,456	1:183
Wilson	20,778	1:216
Davis	20,446	1:219
Hall	19,540	1:230
Moore	17,382	1:258
Taylor	17,293	1:259

Researching family history in Kentucky

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Genealogical Research Library is located in Louisville, Kentucky and houses over 55,000 items, including family histories, local, county, and state records. The National Archives at Atlanta has records from over 100 federal agencies and courts in Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives has records that include deed books, marriage records, will books, tax lists, circuit and appellate court case files, census and military records, and records from many state agencies. The Department for Libraries and Archives also has the Kentucky State Digital Archives. The Kentucky Historical Society and the Filson Historical Society Library both have outstanding collections of historical manuscripts and documents. There are also a number of local county historical societies. There is also a Kentucky Genealogical Society.

Kentucky county list

Adair	Allen	Anderson	Ballard
Barren	Bath	Bell	Boone
Bourbon	Boyd	Boyle	Bracken
Breathitt	Breckinridge	Bulitt	Butler
Caldwell	Calloway	Campbell	Carlisle
Carroll	Carter	Casey	Christian
Clark	Clay	Clinton	Crittenden
Cumberland	Daviess	Edmonson	Elliott
Estill	Fayette	Fleming	Floyd
Franklin	Fulton	Gallatin	Garrard
Grant	Graves	Grayson	Green
Greenup	Hancock	Hardin	Harlan
Harrison	Hart	Henderson	Henry
Hickman	Hopkins	Jackson	Jefferson
Jessamine	Johnson	Kenton	Knott
Knox	LaRue	Laurel	Lawrence
Lee	Leslie	Letcher	Lewis
Lincoln	Livingston	Logan	Lyon
Madison	Magoffin	Marion	Marshall
Martin	Mason	McCracken	McCreary
McLean	Meade	Menifee	Mercer
Metcalfe	Monroe	Montgomery	Morgan
Mulenberg	Nelson	Nicholas	Ohio
Oldham	Owen	Owsley	Pendleton
Perry	Pike	Powell	Pulaski
Robertson	Rockcastle	Rowan	Russell
Scott	Shelby	Simpson	Spencer
Taylor	Todd	Trigg	Trimble
Union	Warren	Washington	Wayne
Webster	Whitley	Wolfe	Woodford

Explore more about Kentucky

MyHeritage.com has 38 collections for Kentucky Including Kentucky Births, 1911 - 1999, Kentucky Marriages, Kentucky Deaths, 1900 - 1999, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, Kentucky Marriages, 1960 - 1993, and Kentucky Newspapers, 1848-2009. The Kentucky Collection Catalog has additional valuable records.

References

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