Meade County was formed on December 17, 1823 from Hardin and Breckinridge Counties. The seventy-sixth county in order of formation,
Meade County is located in the northwestern section of
Kentucky along the Ohio River. The County is bordered by Perry County, IN (northwest), Crawford County, IN (north), Hardin County (southeast), Breckinridge County (southwest), Harrison County, IN (northeast). Cities, Towns and Communities include Brandenburg, Ekron, Muldraugh, Guston, Flaherty, Payneville, Battletown. The county
was named in honor of Capt. James Meade of Woodford County,
who fought in the Battle of Tippecanoe and was killed at
the Battle of the River Raisin in 1813. The county seat
is BRANDENBURG.
The topography of Meade County is level to
undulating. Rich river bottomlands extend to rolling hills
covered with woods and pasture. Sixty percent of the land
is in farms, of which 66 percent are cultivated with tobacco,
corn, and vegetables and which raise livestock, poultry,
and hogs.
Before settlement, herds of wild game, such
as buffalo, deer, and elk, abounded in the area, which
attracted pioneers who were seeking homes in the Kentucky
wilderness as well as Indian tribes who hunted there. Among
the early settlers were Squire Boone and his son Enoch.
In 1780 Boone claimed 1,000 acres at the head of Doe Run
for Joseph Helm. That same year, John Essery and others
claimed land in Buck Grove. Boone claimed 6,000 acres below
Doe Run for himself in 1783. Wolf Creek was the first permanent
settlement in the county. Periodically, the Indians from
across the Ohio River would raid the Meade County area.
Lookouts were placed on the hills above the river to detect
the approach of hostile Indians.
The county owes much of its early development
to churches. Local historian George Ridenour placed the
first Baptist church gathering between the forts of Thomas
Helm, Andrew Hynes, and Samuel Haycraft in Severn's Valley
on June 18, 1781. Four churches met on October 29, 1785,
to form what later became the Salem Association of Baptists.
During the early years of the
nineteenth century, John James Audubon came through Meade
County making sketches of the birds for which later he
became famous. During the Civil War, Meade County was
the site of a daring raid by Confederate Gen. John Hunt
Morgan's troops on July 7, 1863. The Confederates captured
two steamboats, the John T. Combs and the Alice Dean,
and Morgan stopped briefly in Brandenburg before invading
Indiana and Ohio. During the war, Confederate guerrilla
Marcellus Jerome Clarke ("Sue Mundy") was captured
near the community of Guston.
The FORT KNOX Military Reservation, established
in 1918, occupies 15,000 acres in Meade County. The Meade
County economy is aided by the proximity of the fort, which
employs 21 percent of the county's work force. The Olin
Corporation located in the county in 1952 and produces
chemicals. The county is served by CSX Transportation,
U.S. 60, and U.S. 31W. Tourism expenditures in 1988 were
$5.9 million, a 26 percent increase over the previous year.
Recreation facilities are available at the 3,000-acre Otter
Creek Park. Each September, the Down by the Riverside Festival
is held.
The population of Meade County was 18,796 in
1970; 22,854 in 1980; and 24,170 in 1990. The Official County Website is located at http://www.visitmeadecounty.org/ .
A tornado on 3 Apr 1794 destroyed the courthouse and some records.. See Extended History for More information.
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information. A tornado on 3 Apr 1794 destroyed the courthouse and some records.
Meade County Clerk has Marriage
Records from 1824 and Land Records from 1824 and is located at PO
Box 614, Brandenburg,
KY 40108-0614; Phone:
(270) 422-2152, FAX:
(270) 422-2158, [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
Meade County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Probate Records from 1824 and Court Records from 1824 and is located at 516 Fairway
Drive,
Brandenburg, KY 40108;
Phone Numbers: (270)
422-4961, Fax: (270) 422-2147 . 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.
Below is a list of online resources for Meade County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Meade County Court Records by clicking the link below:
Kentucky Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search Kentucky Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
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 & Death Certificates: The Vital Statistics Law of Kentucky, providing for and legalizing the registration of births and deaths, was enacted by the General Assembly of 1910 and became effective Jan. 1, 1911.
The Office of Vital Statistics has no records of births and deaths occurring prior to the above date except delayed records of births for those born before 1911, which have been established by affidavits and documentary evidence.Fees are listed below. You can download an application online for Birth Certificates or Death Certificates.
Marriage & Divorce Certificates: Central registration of marriages and divorces began in Kentucky in June 1958. The Office of Vital Statistics has no records of marriages and divorces prior to that date. Copies of marriage certificates prior to June 1958 may be obtained from the county clerk in the county where the license was issued. Records of divorce proceedings are available from the Meade County clerk of the circuit court that granted the decree.You can download an application online for Marriage Certificates or Divorce Certificates.
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Cost of certificates: Birth: $10 per certificate;
Death, Marriage and Divorce are $6 per certificate In Person: You can stop in the office at 275 E. Main St. in Frankfort and obtain a certified copy of a birth, death, marriage or divorce certificate by completing an application form between the hours of 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. EST, Monday-Friday. There is approximately a one-hour wait to receive the certificate. Directions to Vital Statistics Office By Mail: Mail a check or money order (no cash) payable to the "Kentucky State Treasurer" along with the necessary information to the following address: Office of Vital Statistics, 275 E. Main St. 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621. Please include return address on envelope and application form. Processing Time: Please allow up to approximately 30 working days for processing of all type of certificates when ordered through the mail. Birth Records: Expect longer delays during peak request periods from May through September. You should request certified copies of your birth certificate early enough to avoid delays if you are planning retirement, sporting events for the children, travel/passports, children entering school for the first time, etc. Death Records: There may be delays in issuing new certified death certificates if the original certificate is not promptly filed in Frankfort by the funeral homes. Phone, Fax, On-Line, or Credit Card: 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 Meade County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Meade County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Click Here to Search Kentucky Voter Lists & Census Records! - 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 Meade County, Kentucky are 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 Meade 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 Meade County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Meade 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 Meade County Maps. Email us with websites containing Meade County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search Kentucky Military Records! - 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 Meade County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Meade County Military Records by clicking the link below:
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of Kentucky (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
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 Meade County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Meade County Tax 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 Meade County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Meade County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Kentucky Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search Kentucky Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. 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.
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 Meade County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Meade County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers throughout the world.
Click Here to Search Kentucky Family Tree Records! - 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 Meade County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Meade County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
Kentucky Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
Meade County, the 76th county in Kentucky, was established by Legislative action December 17, 1823 from both Hardin and Breckinridge counties and was named in honor of Captain James M. Meade. It is bounded north and northeast for a great length by the Ohio River, east by Hardin, south by Hardin and Breckinridge County.
Early settlers arrived in the Wolf Creek Area around 1785, but the first permanent settlements were Hill Grove, Stith's Valley, Doe Run Creek and Otter Creek in 1792. There was an abundance of game for food but the Indians were a problem making it necessary to build solid stockades. Land was cleared and planted. Grinding mills were built on Doe Run and Otter Creeks using the fast flowing creeks as power for the mills. The first mill (Lincoln's father was the stonemason) on Doe Run Creek is now an Inn featuring Kentucky foods. Small distilleries dotted the county as apple and peach orchards thrived in the area. Meade County's apple brandy was reputed to be the best in the world.
Meade County is well-watered with streams such as Otter, Doe, Wolf, and Spring Creeks. Topographically, Meade County is made up of "barrens" as well as gently rolling river bottoms. The soil is clay with an abundance of limestone and fertile nature. Tobacco and corn have been leading crops throughout the years, as well as the raising of livestock, grains, etc. in the farmers livelihood.
Brandenburg, is the county seat, situated along the Ohio River, 40 miles below Louisville. It was named for Colonel Solomon Brandenburg and became incorporated in 1825. Circa 1870, the population stood at 427.
1974 - Before The Tornado
The tornados on the afternoon of April 3, 1974 touched down in at least 28 known areas in a six state area. From East St. Louis to Indianapolis, and from Brandenburg to Louisville and on to Paris, Kentucky, and also at Athens and Huntsville, Alabama, the tornado touchdowns that afternoon claimed 120 lives and caused over a billion dollars of property damage altogether.
At 4 o'clock Wednesday, April 3rd, 1974 disaster struck, and no one who experienced that terror will ever forget. Two dozen tornados raged through Kentucky and Indiana that day, and with almost no warning, Meade County was changed forever. Thirty one people lost their lives, one hundred and fifty were injured, and over half of Brandenburg's houses were destroyed or severely damaged. Property damage was estimated at $22 million. Historic Main Street was never to be the same.
July 6, 1863
General Morgan sends Captains Clay Merriweather and Samuel Taylor, each with 150 men, ahead toward Brandenburg. They derail the Nashville train, take Union supplies, and burn the railroad trestles. Captain George Ellsworth, General Morgan's personal telegrapher, taps the telegraph lines between West Point and Muldraugh Hill. Sending a message to Northern General Judah in Cincinnati, he says: General J. H. Morgan's large army - more than 4000 cavalry and soldiers, is marching on Louisville. The message sends Louisville into a panic, resulting in a military curfew.
July 7, 1863
General Morgan, his brother Colonel Richard Morgan, Colonel Basil Duke, and a Brigade totaling 2000 men approach Brandenburg, the place chosen to cross the Ohio River into Indiana. The long march from Bardstown and climb up Muldraugh Hill is exhausting, and the men stay a few hours in Garnettsville, bathing and washing their clothes in the cool waters of Otter Creek. Captains Merriweather, Taylor, and their men, moving swiftly, are now encamped on farmers' fields in Brandenburg. Captain Thomas Hines rejoins the group here, after a scouting raid around Seymour, Indiana. There he encountered heavy opposition; his men captured, he escaped alone, swimming across the Ohio to elude the Corydon Home Guard. In Brandenburg, the Confederates place two Parrott guns on East Hill and one on West Hill.
Shortly after lunch time, the John T. Combs mailboat arrives and docks at the foot of Main Street. The captains and their men storm the boat and without firing a shot, board the vessel, capturing it and holding it on the bank. Anticipating the next boat, the Confederates order Captain Pepper of the John T. McCombs to send distress signals. The Alice Dean, a luxury boat carrying passengers bound for Louisville, alters course and comes along side to offer assistance. The two boats are lashed together with hawsers and travel to the Brandenburg dock where they tie up. Not only do the Confederates treat passengers with respect, but they also open the safe in the purser's office and return the $10,000 placed there for safekeeping to the passengers. The passengers from both boats are let ashore in Brandenburg and warned not to raise an alarm.
July 8, 1863
Ohio River PictureMeanwhile, across the Ohio River, the Indiana Home Guard has worked throughout the night to place an old cannon on a bluff across from Brandenburg. General Morgan's division marches from Garnettsville shortly after midnight, and by 9 or 10 a.m. the next morning General Morgan and his men march down Main Street to the river and begin boarding. On the first trip of the John T. McComb the Union men fire the cannon - the three shots all going wide of their mark, the Alice Dean. However, the first shot tears through the upper rigging of the John T. McComb and wounds W. W. Wilson, quartermaster of Morgan's First Brigade. The Confederates open fire with their Parrott guns and their answering three shots hit the cabin by the cannon and scatter the Union men. Extremely accurate artillery fire from the Confederates kills two of the Union men. The crossing takes nearly 17 hours to complete
The Confederate army is ferried across to Indiana, meeting only small further resistance from Indiana's Home Guard on the opposite shore. General Morgan and his staff watch from the porch of Colonel Robert Buckner's home on West Hill. Morgan, who served with Colonel Buckner in the Mexican War, is received at the Buckner home and a fine dinner is set in Morgan's honor.
Buckner HouseLoading is temporarily halted by the appearance of the Union gunboat, Springfield, and the firing of three cannon balls: one into the Meade Hotel, one into the dock killing two horses, and the third short of the Alice Dean in midstream. The answering Parrott guns on East Hill engage the Springfield for an hour but she runs out of ammunition and leaves for New Albany to replenish her supply. This entire exchange is watched by General Morgan and the men from the Brandenburg bluffs. General Morgan was apprehensive because two of his regiments ferried to the Indiana side of the River were afoot as their horses were still on the Kentucky side. As soon as the Springfield leaves, the horses are ferried across. At about 5 p.m. the gunboat returns, but is sent quickly on its way by the Parrott guns.
July 9, 1863
Ohio River PictureThe loading and crossing are finally completed. Then flames shoot into the sky as the Alice Dean is set afire. Released, she floats toward the Indiana shore, finally sinking near the Kentucky side. The steamer is burned because it is under hire by the Union Army. However, Colonel Basil Duke was an old friend of the John T. McComb's Captain Ballard, who agrees to take his boat upstream to Louisville so it could not be used to pursue the raiders. An advance guard of the Union Army, led by Union General Edward Hobson, arrives at Brandenburg after the crossing and burning of the Alice Dean. Hobson had inexplicably stopped in Garnettsville while the crossing was accomplished.
