A path to your enslaved ancestors
Research before 1865 requires a different approach. Begin with the state where your ancestors were held (from the first arrivals of the 1600s to Emancipation), then work backward from the 1870 census — the first to name formerly enslaved people.
Kentucky
Statehood 1792 · Border States & D.C.
Kentucky stayed in the Union but kept slavery until the 13th Amendment, since the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply. Louisville and Lexington were major markets that sent thousands south down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Slavery Research Institutions
Where to Search Kentucky Records
Open a pre-filled Kentucky search on each repository. You don't need an account to start.
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Key Records
- County will books, inventories and court order books
- Deed books and emancipation (manumission) records
- 1850 & 1860 Slave Schedules
- Camp Nelson and USCT enlistment records (freedom for soldiers and families)
- Louisville and Lexington slave-trader and court records
Research Tips
- Kentucky vital records of births, 1852–1859, sometimes list enslaved births under the enslaver.
- USCT enlistments in 1864–65 often give birthplace and enslaver's name.
- Follow the Ohio River trade to Natchez and New Orleans for sold relatives.
National Resources, 1600s to Emancipation
Databases that cover every state, from the Atlantic crossings to the search for family after freedom.