Using JSTOR for Genealogy Research

State history journals can be a treasure trove of useful information for family historians and local history enthusiasts alike. Many state historical societies included a journal focusing on the early history of their region among their earliest offerings to members and scholars.  In addition to articles on a wide array …

Using the Draper Manuscripts to Find Early Settlers

By: Cheri Daniels, KAO Editor & KHS Head of Reference Services One of the most underutilized resources we have here in the library is the Draper Manuscripts Collection on Microfilm. The primary strength of the Draper Collection lies in its early settlement information, specifically on the individual level. When Lyman Copeland Draper …

Book Notes – The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia

The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. Edited by: Gerald L. Smith, Karen Cotton McDaniel, and John A. Hardin. (2015. Pp. 596. $49.95. Hardcover. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington KY 40508-4008. www.kentuckypress.com) ISBN: 978-0-8131-6065-8. The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia is the first encyclopedia to record the history of …

Image research in the Ronald Morgan Kentucky Postcard Collection

Kentucky genealogists have a tremendous resource available to them in the form of the Ronald Morgan Kentucky Postcard Collection.  Anyone wanting to research the landscape their ancestors walked through can search through thousands of digitized images of Kentucky towns, places and subjects. Searching the Library Catalog There are two ways …

National Library Week: Ancestor Selfie

Since the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library at KHS houses the largest genealogy collection in the state, the majority of our visiting researchers are actively searching for their ancestors. One thing we encourage around here: Ancestor Selfies. When you find your ancestor within the pages of a book, or deep …

It’s National Library Week! What Are YOU Reading?

Welcome to National Library Week! All across the country, people are celebrating the value of libraries in our communities! The theme this year is: Unlimited possibilities @ your library®.  “First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across …

Tax Lists (1841-1860): An Overlooked Resource for Kentucky History and Land Titles

By Kandie Adkinson, Administrative Specialist, Land Office Division, Office of the Secretary of State The Second in a Series of Four Articles Regarding the Significance of Tax List Research Shortly before Thanksgiving 2009 a researcher stopped by the Land Office and requested copies of land patents for family study during …

Tax Lists (1792-1840): An Overlooked Resource For Kentucky History and Land Titles

By Kandie Adkinson, Administrative Specialist, Land Office Division, Office of the Secretary of State Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a wonderful series written by Ms. Adkinson and originally published by Kentucky Ancestors in 2009. Stay tuned for the next three articles in this series to be published …

New Year, New Genealogy: “Do-Over” or “Do-Better?”

With all the buzz and commentary in the news right now about Thomas MacEntee’s Genealogy Do-Over, it got us to thinking.  As the editors of an online publication devoted to Kentucky genealogy and local history, how could, or should, we participate in this year-long research “do-over”?  At first, we thought it …