Birth Records Birth records index from 1911 through 1959 -- listed in Department of Vital Statistics black books in Archives reading room Information given in books -- name of person, date of birth, county, number of the certificate Using volume and certificate number, order certified birth certificate from Vital Statistics, 275 East Main, Frankfort, KY 40621. Forms may be obtained on line at www.chfs.ky.gov/dph/vital/birthcert/ Using this link allows you to buy the certificate for $10.00, not the $45.00 charged by Ancestry.com for the same item. Death Records Death certificates -- 1911 through 1953 -- available on microfilm in Archives Death records index -- available on microfiche (through 1999), computer (through 2000) and in bound books in Archives (through 1969) Using these volume and certificate numbers, copies of death certificates from 1911 through 1953 may also be obtained from our Society at $1.00 per copy. Microfilm of all death certificates from 1911 through 1953 may be viewed at the Archives, limit of 1 hour on the microfilm printer if someone else also wants to use the machine. For those deaths after 1953 or for certified copies, use the volume and certificate number, order certified death certificate from Vital Statistics, 275 East Main, Frankfort, KY 40621. Forms may be obtained on line at www.chfs.ky.gov/dph/vital/deathcert/ Using this link allows you to buy the certificate for $6.00, not the $45.00 charged by Ancestry.com for the same item. Early Vital Statistics KY kept no vital statistics prior to 1852 when Sutton's Law was passed, requiring the county tax assessors to record and report births, marriages, and deaths. The law was repealed in 1862 and was never done very well. Some records for 1874-1878 are available following a second attempt at collecting vital statistics and other scattered records for various years in various counties. Logan County has lists under the following headings: Some births from 1852, 1853, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1861, 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1878 Some deaths were reported in 1853, 1854, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1861, 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1878 Some marriages were reported in 1854, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1861, 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1878 These lists are in the KY Archives; a printed copy of our county's reported list by Vanderpool is on shelf under Logan Co., KY, books in the Archives. A better source to check these records is to write to the KY Historical Society, 100 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601-1931. Write to them (include a self-addressed stamped envelope for reply) for they do not accept e-mail or fax requests. White Marriage Records Indexes in county court clerk's office General - 1790-1818, 1938-1950 Bride's - 1818-1938 Groom's - 1818-1938 Marriage records from 1790 through 1818 were destroyed; the only record remaining is a hand-copied record in the pages of the general index listing only the bride, the groom, and the date. Mrs. J. Wells Vick, DAR member, copied the records from a typed copy in the possession of Eugene Nourse whose father was county court clerk at the time records were destroyed due to deterioration. Registers Registers 1 (1818-1840) through 5 (1910-1916) are available. After 1916, registration and bond are in same book. Register book information may give date, parties' names, by whom married, place of marriage, and names of witnesses present. Bond Books Bonds begin with the marriages in 1865. Bond information is varied as is the clerk's attention to detail. Some bonds have only the names of the couple and of the person signing as surety for the bond. Others may list ages, occupations, number of marriages, birthplaces of the groom and bride, names and birthplaces of parents of the couple, and remarks (usually referring to who gave consent for the marriage, the bride or her parents). To speed research, visit Archives and use abstracted books of marriages to locate book and page number before visiting county court clerk's office to view original. To obtain copies by mail, contact the Society volunteers for research to see if records on your ancestor are available. Copies of the original records are $1.00 per page and may be obtained from the Logan Co., KY, Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 853, Russellville, KY 42276-0853. For books available on Logan Co., KY, Marriages, go to BOOKS FOR SALE African American Marriage Records Book #3, the first available in Logan County, is a register giving statements as to length of marriages. These may have been slaves or freedmen as no record has been found of marriages of freedmen. Bond Books cover time from May, 1866, through July, 1936 in chronological order. Book #25 lists bonds from July 1936 through December 1960. There is no Bond book #5 but dates of #4 and #6 are consecutive. Bond Book #8 lists Negro marriages December 1871 through June 1878 under the heading, Auburn, Logan County, KY. After 1960, black marriages are in the same books as white marriages. Visit the Archives or the county court clerk's office to locate the appropriate book or contact the Society members, listed above, if copies are needed by mail. Census Records Books listed below are available for research in the Archives. Microfilm of Logan County, KY, census reports are available at the public library. Library also has Ancestry.com and all the census reports they have on-line. 1790 - KY not yet formed; see 1790 VA records in LIBRARY All other references are available in the Archives. 1800 - See KY's 2nd census, reconstructed "census" by Glen Clift at Archives and cover the state of Kentucky, not just Logan County 1810 -- This booklet lists only names of head of household without number in household 1820 through 1840, available in book form. Only head of household is identified by given name, other household members listed only by number in various age groups 1850 through 1880, available in book form. Several columns of information are given on each family, depending on author of book 1890 - burned in Washington, DC; none available 1900 - available in book form 1910 - not available in book form, microfilm in library 1920 and 1930 -- available in book form Circuit Court Records The circuit courts in Kentucky have been responsible for various records through the years. There are two major divisions, equity and ordinary cases, used for research in Logan County. These law suits range from a few pages into the hundreds and are divided into two categories. 1. Equity cases are civil actions, often involving property rights, where the plaintiff is seeking the courts judgment to make things as fair as possible in a dispute. Estate settlements, divorces, breaches of contracts, and land disputes are some examples of what you find here. The complainants seek "reasonable justice" in these cases. There are 12,189 equity cases in 587 acid-free storage boxes with over 53,000 index cards. Time span covered is March 1802 through 24 May 1940. 2. Ordinary cases are also civil actions in which one person sued another over injuries done to the property, either real or personal, of another. Debts not paid, slander, libel, trespass, assault, and negligence would be some of the cases covered in these files. Ordinary cases number 15,989 in 244 boxes, have over 29,900 cards in the index, and cover 10 November 1800 through 24 January 1942. A third division of files, labeled MISCELLANEOUS, is also found in the Archives. Forty boxes of files were preserved by Western KY University until 1983 when they returned the court cases to the Fiscal Court for preservation in the local Archives. These are preserved in 43 Hollinger boxes. These were removed from the county at some point now unknown. Most are court records or involved in court disputes, some dated before Kentucky was a state. An index is available in book form in the Archives or on-line at Rootsweb, Logan County Records Criminal cases are another function of the circuit court. Records of these cases are public record but have not been indexed by the Society. To find the records in these cases, you need to know the year of the infraction and contact the circuit court clerk to find records. Court depositions or proceedings are not generally available but judgments may be given. Adoption and juvenile records are maintained by the circuit courts in Kentucky but are locked records. To view these, the judge of the county must rule they are to be opened and then only to the specified individual for the specified purpose. Equity, Ordinary, and Miscellaneous cases are available for research in the Archives or copies may be purchased at 25 cents a page. If interested in these cases: 1, Send a request, listing the individual and the approximate dates, to see if he is listed circuit court files. 2. If cases are found and you wish to purchase a copy of the file, request a count of pages. Some cases are a few pages, some run to hundreds of pages. 3. Send check to order the case after being notified of the number of pages and approximate postage cost to mail to you. Land Records While Logan County does have all of its land records intact, finding the exact place one's ancestors lived in the county is difficult. Kentucky is a "state-land state" meaning the state, not the federal government, made up the land grants. Kentucky's survey system used the metes and bounds to describe the corners of the property, not the surveyed grid of meridians, baselines, townships, and ranges used in marking land in states settled later than 1792. To obtain land in early Kentucky, one entered a claim or petition for the land, got official approval for the petition (warrant), got the land surveyed and plat described, and then the state granted title to the land (patent or deed). The description might read, "Beginning at two red elms corner to William Russell's military survey then South 86 east 33 poles to live white oak then South 74 poles to a black Walnut, etc." Needless to say, those elm and walnut trees might be hard to locate today. For that reason, if researchers want to locate the specific tract of land, they are referred to professional title companies or local lawyers. Copies of deeds, however, can be obtained by volunteers of the Society, $1.00 per page. Deeds may reveal name of spouse, relationships of others on deed, previous county or state of residence, and other information. Another resource often overlooked would be a copy of the index page for the surname. The first index book covers October 1792 through January 1937. The Direct or Grantor index lists date of record, surname and given names on the deeds, to whom parcels were sold or type of instrument if not a deed, book and page number, and a brief description, such as "227-A Whippoorwill Creek." The Indirect or Grantee index book lists the same information except from the side of the buyer. Deed Books Deed books for research are in the county court clerk's office, West 3rd Street, Russellville, KY. Index books for all deeds, both grantor and grantee, are located in same area. Deeds after 1992 are indexed on computer but hard copies of indexes are also available. Other books in this office involving deeds are also available for research, including survey books, commissioner's deeds, mortgage books, highway books, etc. Survey Books Survey books are located in the county court clerk's office. These give the description of the surveyed plots, possibly names of land owners of adjoining land but no location on a master plat of Logan County. While many warrants were never used, if the person arranged for a survey, they usually followed through with and got a patent or "first deed" for the land surveyed. Wills and Estate Settlement Records Will books are available from 1792 through present. Original wills, when available, are in Archives vault, 278 West 4th St., Russellville, KY. Will books are located in the county court clerk's office on the same block as the courthouse, opening onto West 3rd Street., Russellville, KY. Abstracts of wills through 1900 can be found in Archives to speed research. These books give a short summary of the will, the heirs, and bequests as well as giving location by book and page number. No general index of will books is available. If the person died without a will, a record of the estate settlement may be in circuit court equity cases which are indexed by cards in the Logan Co., KY, Archives and stored there also. Most of these cases are also found in the abstracted books. Dates covered by the will books A – 1795-1816 B – 1817-1823 C – 1823-1827 D – 1827-1831 E – 1831-1835 F – 1837-1838 G – 1838-1847 H – 1848-1857 I-J – 1857-1867 K – 1867-1874 L – 1874-1878 M – 1878-1886 N – 1886-1898 O – 1898-1910 P – 1910-1923 Q – 1923-1937 R – 1937-1949 S – 1949-1959 T – 1960-1966 U – 1966-1968 V – 1968-1971 W – 1971-1973 X – 1973-1976 Y – 1976-1978 Z – 1978-1980 1 – 1980-1982 2 – 1982-1984 3 – 1984-1985 4 – 1985-1987 5 – 1987-1989 6 – 1989-1990 7 – 1990-1992 8 – 1992-1993 9 – 1993-1994 10 – 1994-1995 11 – 1995-1997 12 – 1997-1998 13 – 1998-1999 14 – 1999-2001 15 – 2001-2002 16 – 2002- For books available on Logan Co., KY, wills and estate settlements, go to BOOKS FOR SALE   Home | Records | Books | History | Photos | Maps | Contacts | Links Web Design by Danny Head, Programming by Alan Owens & Danny Head Copyright 2004, All rights reserved