Nelson County, Kentucky Genealogy Records

Records that survive

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) keeps microfilm of every county's records. These are the years its inventory lists for Nelson County's most-used records. Gaps are common, and the full microfilm guide lists every roll.

Search KDLA's full microfilm guide

Source: KDLA County Records Inventory. Counties registered births and deaths only in scattered years between 1852 and 1910; statewide registration began in 1911.

Where to find the records

• Nelson County official website

  Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk's office and the circuit court clerk's office, and any online record search the county offers.

• The county clerk's office

  Kentucky county clerks record deeds, issue marriage licenses and record wills. Many offices hold their books from the county's beginning, unless they were lost in a courthouse disaster.

• The circuit court clerk's office

  Civil and criminal case files. Many older case files have been transferred to KDLA in Frankfort.

• KDLA Microfilm Guidefree

  Every roll of county records held at the Kentucky State Archives in Frankfort, searchable by county, office, record type and date.

• KDLA: County Courthouse Disasters in Kentuckyfree

  The years of known courthouse fires and other disasters for every county.

• FamilySearch Catalogfree

  Search by place for "Kentucky, Nelson" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Jefferson County

Check the parent county for earlier records: Jefferson County

Later formed partly from Nelson County: Bullitt County, Green County, Hardin County, Spencer County, Washington County

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1785, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.