Free Online Kentucky City Directories

The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
______________________________________


City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and are another important source of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

This activity of presenting links is a collaborative effort between The Ancestor Hunt and Miriam Robbins, who for years has made available the Online Historical Directories website, which presents links to directories of all types that are available online, including free collections as well as those available only via subscription. I wish to thank Miriam for her help in launching this category of records at The Ancestor Hunt.

So, what kinds of directories are available to the researcher?  Naturally city and business directories, but also telephone directories, and alumni, farm, lodge, rural, and social directories.

What can you find in these records? How about:

  • Full names, including middle names
  • Spouse name
  • Occupation
  • Widows, working women, and adult children at home.
  • Maps
  • Businesses (and index to advertisers).
  • Addresses and maps of churches, schools, funeral homes, cemeteries, post offices, courts, hospitals, benevolent associations, and newspapers.
  • Whether a woman is a widow (including the name of her husband).
  • List of marriages and deaths of the previous year.
  • Death date.
  • etc.

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching historical city and other directories:​

And here are various places where you can find other city directories online: 

Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

Kentucky City Directories

Links to these free collections are presented initially with statewide collections, followed in alphabetical order by city or county. Generally, the publishing company is included in the reference to the collection, along with the collection title, and the date(s) of the directory:

Statewide

Annville

Ashland

Barbourville

Bellevue

Booneville

Bromley

Campbell County

Catlettsburg

Clifton

Covington

Dayton

Fayette County

Ford

Fort Thomas

Georgetown

Greenville

Hopkinsville

Ingalls Park

Jefferson County

Kirksville

Latonia

Lexington

Louisville

Ludlow

Madisonville

Maysville

McKee

Milldale

Muhlenberg County

Newport

Nicholasville

Owensboro

Paducah

Richmond

Sand Gap

Versailles

Waco

Winchester

Woodlawn


For all Free Kentucky Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on Kentucky, and then click on the category of interest.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *