Kentucky is
fortunate to have birth and death records dating back to 1852. While they
aren't complete and many contain errors, they can be helpful and are certainly
better than having no records at all. The records begin in 1852 and, for most counties, cover 1853-1859. The law was rescinded during the Civil War, but was reinstated in the 1870s. There are few records during the 1880s and 1890s. Compliance across the state was not consistent until 1911, when it became mandatory in Kentucky to keep a record of these vital statistics.
According to
the law,[1] it was
the duty of all physicians, surgeons and midwives to keep a registry of all
births and deaths at which they had professionally attended, showing, in the case
of deaths, the time, place and cause of death, the name, age, sex, color, and
condition (whether single, married or widowed), name and surname of parents,
occupation, residence, and place of birth of the deceased. When two or more physicians, surgeons or
midwives attended professionally at the event, the oldest one in attendance shall
make the registry.
It was the
duty of the local assessors, while making their lists of taxable property, to
record a list of all births, marriages and deaths which had occurred within
their counties in the 12 months ending on the 31st day of December last
preceding the time of assessment.
In the case
of births, the information on the registry was to include the time and place of
birth, name of father and maiden name of mother, their residence, sex and color
of the child, together with the child's name and whether born alive or dead. If
the birth was for a slave, the owner's name could be given in place of the
names of the parents. The same applied
when listing the death of a slave.
The
following death record was found in
loose papers (Deaths) in the Caldwell County Clerk's Office, Princeton,
Kentucky. Click on the record to enlarge the image.
[1]
The Revised Statutes of Kentucky, Vol. II, Approved and Adopted By the General
Assembly, 1851 and 1852, and in Force From July 1, 1852, (Cincinnati: Robert
Clarke & Co., 1860) Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Chapter
82, p. 234.
Published 28 July 2017, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
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