Pickling Our Past: The Letters of Isaac Shelby

Editor’s Note: This article marks the beginning of another new series in our How-to section, called Pickling Our Past. This is your chance to ask our KHS staff for advice when preserving your family photos, documents, and antiques. Periodically, a new question from readers will be answered by a member …

Collections Corner: New Book Donations from KGS!

Thank You, Kentucky Genealogical Society (KGS)! The Kentucky Genealogical Society recently gave a donation of $1500 to the KHS Martin F. Schmidt Research Library for the purchase of library books, particularly focusing on county publications.  With budget cuts in recent years, the library’s acquisitions have mainly been donations of books and …

The Jackson Family Legacy in Kentucky

Written by Aleta Hodge, a Jackson descendant In July 2011, the Jackson family, descendants of three brothers (Jordan Carlisle Jackson, Jr., Edward W. Jackson and John Henry Jackson and their uncle, Edward C. Jackson) held a reunion and visited four locations in Kentucky to connect with their family history. Despite …

A Taylor Family Reunion! Sept.5-6

For the first time in 20 years, the state of Kentucky will once again play host to the Taylor Family Reunion, September 5-6 in Richardsville and Bowling Green. The family lineage behind this event is long and well documented throughout the United States and beyond. For anyone with Taylor family …

Book Notes – Ohio Photographers 1839-1900

Ohio Photographers 1839-1900. By Diane VanSkiver Gagel.  (2013.  Pp. 371.  $42.75. Paperback. Baltimore: Clearfield Company for Genealogical Publishing Company.  ISBN: 978-0-8063-5669-3.) www.genealogical.com Statewide resources on early photography are few and far between.  A brief check of OCLC’s WorldCat shows just six states with statewide directories, a clue to how difficult …

Kenwick: The History of a Lexington Neighborhood

By:  Jeff Jones, Ph.D., Georgia Southern University  “Here in Henry Clay’s apple orchard where a refugee from the French Revolution’s guillotines taught a young Mary Todd Lincoln, more than 900 ‘Kenwicked’ households continue to create new stories and cherish their own old Kentucky homes.” The lives of every Kentuckian take …

Collections Corner: Naturalization Records on Microfilm

When hunting for immigrant ancestors, naturalization records, or those records created by individuals wanting to become U.S. citizens, can be immensely helpful.  KHS recently received a donation of 10 rolls of microfilm containing naturalization records, specifically Petitions for Citizenship books, for 23 Kentucky counties.  While the earliest records in this …

Repository Roundup: Western Kentucky University

Editor’s note: This article marks the beginning of a new How-to series for KAO – Repository Roundup. Kentucky has a great reputation for being ‘Records Rich’ – but we want to know WHERE the records are located throughout the state. We hope to feature libraries and collections throughout Kentucky that will …