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Does the Secretary of State’s Office have the official maps of county boundaries?
No. Although the Secretary of State’s Office files and certifies maps regarding Kentucky Cities and state boundaries for Kentucky-Illinois, Kentucky-Indiana, and Kentucky-Ohio, the legislation establishing Kentucky’s individual counties did not include a mandate for mapping each county as it was formed.
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How are counties established in Kentucky?
Under the provisions of Sections 63, 64 and 65 of the Kentucky Constitution, counties are created and abolished by Act of the Kentucky General Assembly.
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What statutes define the process for consolidating Kentucky counties?
See Chapter 67 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes.
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How are county boundaries changed in Kentucky?
See Acts of the Kentucky General Assembly for changes to county boundaries. Also see (Kentucky Revised Statute) KRS 67.030 & (Opinion of the Attorney General) OAG 95-35.
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Can the county seat of a county be moved?
Yes. The process for removing a county seat is defined in KRS 67.020.
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Are all Kentucky counties included on your website?
Yes. Our database includes the complete text of all Acts of the Virginia General Assembly and Kentucky General Assembly establishing all 120 Kentucky counties as well as text of legislative acts regarding Fincastle, Kentucky, Henrietta and Beckham counties.
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Are all county boundary changes included on your website?
No. Additional changes to county boundaries will be added as they are identified.
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Where was Fincastle County, Virginia?
In 1772, the Virginia General Assembly created Fincastle County from western Botetourt County and territory extending from the New and Kanawha Rivers to the Mississippi River. The county included western Virginia and the present-day states of West Virginia and Kentucky.
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Why isn’t Fincastle County, Virginia, included on modern maps?
On December 7, 1776, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation introduced by Thomas Jefferson on October 26, 1776, which divided Fincastle County into three new counties: Kentucky, Washington and Montgomery. The legislation was signed into law by Virginia Governor Patrick Henry. When the legislation became effective on December 31, 1776, Fincastle County ceased to exist.
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Where was the county seat of Fincastle County, Virginia?
The county seat was established at Lead Mines, now Austinville, Virginia, about 140 miles east of the present-day boundary of Kentucky. (ref: “The History of Harrodsburg & the Great Settlement Area of Kentucky, 1774-1900”, by Col. George M. Chinn, 1985, pg. 12)
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Where may the original land entries and survey books for Fincastle County be researched?
The original land entries and survey books for Fincastle County, Virginia, are found in the Montgomery County, Virginia, courthouse in Christiansburg. (ref: “Early Kentucky Land Records, 1773-1780” by Neal Hammon, 1992, pgs 1 & 17). For land patents in the Kentucky portion of Fincastle County, contact the Land Office, Kentucky Secretary of State, Frankfort.
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Where was the county seat of Kentucky County, Virginia?
The Act of the Virginia General Assembly establishing Kentucky County designated Harrodsburg as the county seat.
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How long did Kentucky County exist?
The Act of the Virginia General Assembly establishing Kentucky County became effective on December 31, 1776; the county ceased to exist on November 1, 1780, when the county was divided into three separate counties: Lincoln County, Fayette County, and Jefferson County.
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Where were the county seats for Kentucky’s original three counties?
The original county seat for Lincoln County was Harrodsburg; the county seat for Fayette County remains Lexington, and the county seat for Jefferson County remains Louisville.
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Where are the records of the original three counties located?
Contact the county clerk for each county for information on Deeds, Wills and Marriages. Also contact the Kentucky History Center or the Department for Libraries & Archives, both in Frankfort.
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Where was Henrietta County?
Henrietta County was located within the limits of Trigg and Marshall counties in western Kentucky.
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Why isn’t Henrietta County included on lists of Kentucky Counties?
Although the county was proposed by an Act of the Kentucky General Assembly on January 26, 1867, the actual establishment of the county was submitted to the qualified voters in the area for final approval. The majority voted against the establishment of Henrietta County.
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Where was the county seat of Henrietta County?
The legislative act regarding Henrietta County did not define a county seat. The location was to be decided by the voters during the election regarding the final establishment of the county.
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Where was Beckham County?
Beckham County bordered Carter, Elliott, Rowan and Lewis counties in northeastern Kentucky.
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Where was the county seat of Beckham County?
On February 19, 1904, the Kentucky General Assembly approved legislation establishing Beckham County; the county seat was designated as Olive Hill.
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Why isn’t Beckham County included on lists of Kentucky Counties?
The Court of Appeals dissolved Beckham County on April 29, 1904.