The National Library of Medicine’s Digital Collections for the Genealogist

By: Bill Burchfield, MSLS, Kentucky Historical Society Librarian We all know that the early history of the United States is filled with disease epidemics. Kentucky has shared in their sometimes-disastrous outcomes. Cholera was an especially dreadful disease that cropped up from time to time in various locations throughout the Commonwealth …

Document! Document! Document!

By: Jama Watts, MLIS, Reference & Genealogy Librarian, Marion County Public Library They say that in real estate, the key is “location, location, location.”  In genealogy, the key is “document, document, document!”  Even if you’re not planning on publishing a book about your family history or applying to a society like the …

Elmer Beville’s War (Part 1)

By: David Baker Editor’s Note: This article, along with Part 2 to be published later in November 2018, showcases two different approaches to incorporating primary sources into family history writing. Part 1 will provide examples of how one can fact check a letter or diary to better understand what the …

Book Notes – Before Abolition: African-Americans in early Clark County, Kentucky

Before Abolition: African-Americans in early Clark County, Kentucky. By Lyndon Comstock. (2017. Pp. 812. $26.95. Paperback. Lexington: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.) ISBN: 978-1-9740-9411-0. The rising interest in genealogy can’t be understated. It’s the second most popular hobby in the United States, the second most visited type of website, and is …

FamilySearch Restricted Records Available @KHS

Since 2009, the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library has been a Family Search Affiliate Library. This affiliate status designated our location as a “FamilySearch Center” and delivery point for the microfilm lending program. For almost a decade, Kentucky researchers have been able to borrow records on microfilm from the FamilySearch …

New Digital Resource: The Civil War Governors of Kentucky

By: Patrick A. Lewis, Ph.D., Project Director, Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition The Civil War Governors of Kentucky Digital Documentary Edition digitally publishes the papers of Kentucky’s five wartime governors, but don’t let the name fool you. This isn’t a project about the governors; it’s a project that …

Collections Corner: Southern Revolutionary War Pensions & Rosters

This month’s Collection Corner comes to us from Kandie Adkinson at the Kentucky Secretary of State Land Office. At a recent event at Boonesborough, Kandie shared one of her favorite secret weapons when researching Revolutionary Soldiers in connection to land records: The Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements and Rosters …