Allen County, in south-central Kentucky, is bordered on the north and east by the Barren River, on the west by Warren and Simpson counties, and on the south by Tennessee. SCOTTSVILLE is the county seat. Allen County's 338 square miles of hilly terrain are a source of hardwood lumber and minor amounts of petroleum and natural gas. Tobacco and livestock are the chief agricultural products. The Port Oliver Dam on the Barren River, completed in 1964, created the 2,187-acre Barren River Lake State Resort Park. which draws tourists to the area.
Allen County, Kentucky's fifty-seventh county, was formed in 1815 by combining parts of Barren and Warren counties. It was named for Colonel John Allen, a hero of the War of 1812. The first settlers arrived in the area in 1797, and in 1816 the county seat was created and named in honor of Gov. Charles Scott. A trail through the county between Lexington and Nashville developed into a postal route by 1820. Scottsville lay on a stagecoach line between Louisville and Nashville that in the twentieth century became U.S. Highway 31E. In 1886 the Cumberland & Ohio Railroad built a line from Scottsville to Gallatin, Tennessee. This line, purchased by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1906, was later abandoned.
The County is bordered by Warren County (northwest), Barren County (northeast), Monroe County (east), Macon County, TN (southeast), Sumner County, TN (southwest), Simpson County (west). Cities, Towns and Communities include Adolphus, Halfway, Holland, New Roe, Scottsville
The population was 12,598 in 1970; 14,128 in 1980; and 14,628 in 1990. The Official County Website is located at http://www.allencountykentucky.com/. A courthouse fire on 2 Oct 1902 destroyed some records.

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information. A courthouse fire on 2 Oct 1902 destroyed some records.
Allen County Clerk has Marriage Records from 1815 and Land Records from 1816 and is located at 201 W Main Str, Room 6, Scottsville, KY 42164-0336; (270) 237-3706, FAX: (270) 237-9206, [EMAIL] .
The duties of the county clerk are numerous and varied, falling into the general categories of clerical duties of the fiscal court, issuing and registering, recording and keeping records of various legal instruments, election duties, tax duties, transfers, and titling, and issuance of marriage licenses and much more. One of the most important responsibilities of the County Clerk's office is the recording of land records. The most common documents recorded are deeds, mortgages, and assignments and mortgage releases. The other is Marriage Liscenses
Allen County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Probate Records from 1815 and Court Records from 1826 and is located at 201 West Main Street-Room 202, Scottsville KY 42164; (270)237-3561, (270)237-4734.
The Circuit Clerk's office is responsible for maintaining the records of the circuit court. Divorces, civil litigation, criminal crimes, probate, wills , estates and various other functions.
One of the most valuable sources for early Kentucky until 1892 is its tax records. Most counties have yearly tax records from the date of organization. Some early tax schedules list watercourse, value and acreage of real estate, men over twenty-one, young men between sixteen and twenty-one, slaves, and horses. Extant county tax schedules from the date of organization of the county through 1892 have been microfilmed for most counties and are available from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and the FHL.
Numerous original tax records from 1892 are available at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. The Kentucky Historical Society has tax records to 1875.
Kentucky tax lists are arranged by county and date. Within the counties, residents within its districts are grouped together and names usually arranged under the beginning letter of the surname, although these are not in strict alphabetical order. Some early tax records have been published and are available in research libraries.
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Allen Court Records by clicking the link below:

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.
Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics is located at State Dept of Human Resources, 275 E. Main St. 1EA, Frankfort, KY 40621; (502) 564-4212. They have the following records:
Birth: $10 per certificate; Death, Marriage and Divorce are $6 per certificate
Please allow up to approximately 30 working days for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail.
To obtain a certified copy of a vital record by phone, fax, on-line or purchase with a credit card, please link to VitalChek. There is an additional $10.50 fee for all credit card purchases. Discover, Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted. If faster delivery is required, you may wish to have the certified copy sent by Federal Express. Please state this when placing the order for the copy. There is an additional fee for this service.
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Allen County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable
Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Allen County, Kentucky are 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Earlier U.S. censuses for Kentucky were destroyed, but published tax lists serve as a replacements for the lost 1790 and 1800 censuses.
Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Allen County, Kentucky are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Union Veterans Schedules were conducted in 1890 but only returns for sixty-five Kentucky counties remain of the 1890 Union veterans and widows schedule of the federal census of Kentucky.
Statewide Records that exist for Kentucky are 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Earlier U.S. censuses for Kentucky were destroyed, but published tax lists serve as a replacements for the lost 1790 and 1800 censuses. Extracts and indexes for many of Kentucky's censuses have been compiled and published. Original or microfilm copies of the federal census returns are available at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Several Kentucky indexes to censuses predate those published by AISI.
State School Census for Kentucky infrequently enumerated public school students beginning in 1888. Scattered records are at the office of the respective county Board of Health or Board of Education. Some are maintained by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and the Kentucky Historical Society.
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Allen County Census Records by clicking the link below:

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Kentucky and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for Kentucky showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for Kentucky showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states and State Department of Transportation Maps at County Maps. The Kentucky Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect...
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Maps. Email us with websites containing Allen County Maps by clicking the link below:

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design. A list of Wars fought on American.
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Allen County Military Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Allen County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
There are many churches and cemeteries in Allen County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Allen County Tombstone Transcription Project.
Church membership of early Kentuckians include Baptist, Church of Christ, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic. Some church records were published, others were microfilmed, some are housed in church repositories, but many remain in the local church. Church records and histories may be found in periodicals pertaining to Kentucky. Repositories include the DAR Library, the FHL, Kentucky Historical Society, University of Kentucky Library, and Filson Club Library.
Many collections of cemetery records are available for Kentucky. In 1977 the Kentucky Historical Society began computerizing extant cemetery records for the state. Cemetery tombstone transcriptions are included in the Ardery collection. Kentucky regional libraries and some other large genealogical libraries outside the state have collections of Kentucky cemetery transcriptions. In addition, publications pertaining to Kentucky and Kentuckians frequently contain cemetery records for the state.
Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Allen County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Allen County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Allen County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

Its strategic location on a north-south road brought Allen County into the Civil War. On June 11, 1863, the Union's 1lth Kentucky was driven from Scottsville. On December 8, 1863, Confederate Col. John M. Hughes of the 25th Tennessee Infantry occupied the town and took eighty-six Union soldiers prisoner.
Noted residents of the county include Emma Guy Cromwell, the first woman elected to a statewide office when she became secretary of state in 1924. Opie Read, a regional writer and humorist, edited the Scottsville Argus in the 1890s. Mordecai Ham and his son of the same name were leaders of the Southern Baptist Church in Kentucky. Ham, Jr.. was a nationally known evangelist and temperance leader in the early twentieth century.
An oil boom pushed Allen County's population to a high of 16,761 in 1920. Although oil had been discovered there in the 1850s and 1890s, the 1915-20 boom eclipsed earlier finds, and by 1920 more than two hundred drilling rigs were in operation.