Kentucky Genealogical Periodicals and Publications

One of the most formidable challenges facing genealogists is finding all the information for a particular ancestor and a specific geographic area of interest—the challenge of comprehensive searching. So much of the success one enjoys—or the frustration one endures—is directly tied to finding and using the widest range of sources. The many different kinds of magazines and periodicals published by individuals and organizations in the field are often overlooked sources of genealogical clues.

With the many thousands of periodicals currently being published or having been published, the task of finding specific geographic and surname data may at first appear daunting. But there are numerous ways of both finding the right periodical and locating the meaningful articles for research. These ways come in the form of directories and lists as well as a wide variety to indexes providing access to the world of genealogical periodical literature.

Several statewide, regional, and local genealogical publications are available for Kentucky. Most can be found at either the Kentucky Historical Society, the University of Kentucky Library, the Filson Club Library, regional libraries, or the FHL. Some local libraries maintain copies pertaining to their area. Many genealogical publications are maintained in the Kentucky Genealogical Society's collection housed at the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.

• Search The PERiodical Source Index
• The Bull (1968–present)West-Central Kentucky Family Research Association
• Bluegrass (1973–present)Kentucky Genealogical Society
• Tree Shaker. (1982–present) Ashland, Ky: Eastern Kentucky Genealogical Society.
• The East Kentuckian: Journal of Genealogy and History. (1965–present)
• Lexington, Ky.: published privately by Clayton R. Cox
• Filson Club Historical Quarterly. (1926–present)Louisville, Ky.: Filson Club
• Kentucky Ancestors. (1965–present)Frankfort, Ky.: Kentucky Historical Society
• Kentucky Family Records. (1969–present)West-Central Kentucky Family Research Association
• The Kentucky Genealogist.(1959–present) James R. Bentley, ed.
• Kentucky Kinfolk. (1985–present) Kentucky Tree-Search.
• Kentucky Pioneer Genealogy and Records. (1979–present) Cook and McDowell Publications.
• The Register of the Kentucky Historical(1903–present) Kentucky Historical Society
• South Central Kentucky Historical and Genealogical Society Quarterly. (1974–present)
• South Central Kentucky Historical and Genealogical Society. Changed name to Traces in 1982.
• Western Kentucky Journal, PO Box 325, Newburgh, IN; Covers the following counties:Henderson, Union, Webster, Trigg, Caldwell, Crittenden, Livingston, Lyon, Hopkins