Kentucky - Wills Index (1700-1851)

This data set is an index to Kentucky wills recorded between 1700 and 1851. Recorded wills include those that have been copied into will or probate books. Undoubtedly there are many wills that were never recorded or never copied into county will books. These types of wills will obviously not be included in this data set. This index was compiled from will and probate books on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Information contained in this index includes the name of the testator, the county and state in which the will was probated, the page number the will is located on in the original will book, the will book number or volume, and the year in which the will was probated.

Wills are important sources for genealogists. They often provide information on relationships as names of family members and other individuals who were the recipients of bequeathed items are mentioned. Wills also can provide a unique perspective on an individual’s life as information pertaining to the individual’s real estate and property is included. These items can provide clues about social stature, occupation, religion, family structure, and so forth.

It is important to use the information found in this index to locate your ancestor in the original record. One way to do this is to contact the appropriate county court and inquire about their will books. Another option is to use the microfilmed copies of these records available from the Family History Library and accessible through its branch Family History Centers. For more information about Family History Centers or locating the appropriate microfilm number of your will of interest through the Family History Library Catalog, visit www.familysearch.org.

Field Example

Generally, you'll find the following information about an individual included in this data set:

Testator Name — The name of the testator or the individual making the will.

You may have difficulty locating some names for the following reasons:
• Some given names have been abbreviated. For example, "Robert" may appear as "Robt," and "Elizabeth" as "Eliz."
• Some given names are misspelled, contain typos, or may be spelled unusually.
• Some given and middle names are truncated. Specifically this happens when the name, including the spaces between the given name, middle name, and last name, is longer than twenty-three characters. For example, "McCormack, Annabelle Margaret" would be listed as "McCormack, Annabelle Mar." If you are unable to locate a particular given name and surname, try switching the given name to an initial, abbreviation, or possible misspelling. If the surname is not common, you may want to search only on the surname.

State — The state in which the will was probated. For this data set this should always be “Kentucky.”

Page Number — The page number on which the will can be found in the original will book (see volume or book number for reference).

Book Number — This is the volume or book number of that particular county’s will books in which the will is located.

Year — This is most often the year in which the will was probated. In some cases this may be the year in which the will was written.