Daviess County, the fifty-eighth county in order
of formation, was formed from a part of Ohio County on
January 14, 1815. The county's borders were altered in
1829 to form Hancock County, in 1830 to absorb a small
area surrounding Whitesville, in 1854 to cede land to
McLean County, and in 1860 to annex forty-four square
miles from Henderson County. Daviess County measures
463 square miles, making it eighteenth in size in the
commonwealth. The county seat is Owensboro.
The County is bordered by Warrick County, IN (northwest), Spencer County, IN (northeast), Hancock County (east), Ohio County (southeast), McLean County (southwest), Henderson County (west). Cities, Towns and Communities include Masonville, Owensboro, Whitesville
William Smeathers (Smothers) settled at
YELLOW BANKS, later Owensboro, in 1797 or 1798, about
the time that Valentine Husk settled at Pup Creek. Other
settlers were attracted to the healthy, well-drained
hill country between Pup Creek and Blackford, especially
along the many Indian trails that bisected this region,
such as the Elizabethtown-Shawneetown trail. Another
led from Iceland Landing on the Ohio to the town of Hartford
in Ohio County. Yelvington, at the intersection of these
two trails, became the first settlement in Daviess. The
county was named to honor Col. Joseph Hamilton
Daveiss, a major landowner and lawyer killed
at the Battle of Tippecanoe. At the creation of the county,
the enrolling clerk misspelled the county name, making
it officially Daviess. Later the General Assembly passed
an act making the spelling Daveiss legal, but the error
persisted.
Originally most of the county was timbered,
and woodworking industries thrived in the nineteenth
century. Some timber remains as an exploitable resource,
but with the draining of the Panther Creek bottoms in
the 1920s, the main area for timber exploitation was
clear-cut and converted to agricultural use. Coal mining
began commercially in the 1880s, and Daviess County became
a major producer with the development of strip mining
technology in the 1950s. Production peaked in 1984 at
1,482,779 tons. Oil production, which began in 1925,
topped out in 1958 at 1,835,526 barrels of crude oil.
Sand and gravel from the bed of the Ohio River are other
major resources of the county. From the settlement era,
the primary source of income in Daviess has been agriculture.
By 1870 Daviess County was a major producer of corn,
tobacco, hogs and cattle, and soybean cultivation was
introduced in the 1930s. By 1963 Daviess had become Kentucky's
primary soybean producer, and two years later soybean
acreage exceeded that of corn for the first time. By
1980 soybean acreage was nearly twice that of corn. By
the 1970s Daviess also ranked in the top ten Kentucky
counties in the production of hogs and cattle.
Early settlers stayed along the higher
elevations to avoid the malaria-infested bottoms and
swamps. The disease remained a problem until the draining
of the Panther Creek bottoms in the 1920s. The rich soil
made slave labor profitable, and by 1860 Daviess counted
3,515 slaves and seventy-six free blacks, accounting
for more than 20 percent of the county's total population
of 15,549.
Strong emotional ties to the South made
many Daviess County residents supporters of the Confederate
cause during the Civil War. The county gained a reputation
as a hotbed of rebellion, although most residents preferred
a neutral position and opposed only Lincoln and the prospect
of emancipation. Lincoln and the Republicans could attract
only seven votes in Daviess in the election of 1860,
as a majority of voters maintained the county's former
Whig allegiance by voting for the candidate of the Constitutional
Union party. While guerrilla raids were common, only
one formal battle took place in Daviess County: a skirmish
at Panther Creek that drove a Confederate force south
from Owensboro.
Daviess County's first industrial boom
came in the 1870s from the distillery industry. Eighteen
distilleries were erected in a period of a few years.
Plenty of corn, adequate supplies of white oak timber
for barrels, and cheap transportation by steamboat made
Daviess the leading producer of sour-mash bourbon. The
competition from cheap whiskeys and beer, however, coupled
with a high federal tax on bourbon in bonded warehouses,
quickly brought an end to the boom.
Railroads arrived in the 1870s and 1880s
to link Daviess County to markets. Factories making products
as diverse as light bulbs, wagons and buggies, and sewer
tile provided employment for town dwellers and markets
for foodstuffs, forest products, and other materials
from clay to coal. In twentieth-century development,
plants were built to process meat, dairy products, grain,
and tobacco. The county was recognized by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture as a part of the Corn Belt area, where
most of the nation's corn is grown. The Official County Website is located at http://www.daviessky.org/ .
No records were lost in a courthouse fire on 4 Jan 1865.
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. No records were lost in a courthouse fire on 4 Jan 1865.
Daviess County Clerk has Marriage Records
from 1815 and Land Records from 1815 and is located at P.O.
Box 609, Owensboro, KY
42302-0609; (270) 685-8434,
FAX: (270) 686-7111,
[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
Daviess County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Probate Records from 1815 and Court Records from 1815 and is located at Courthouse, 100
E. 2nd St.,
P. O. Box 277,
Owensboro, KY 42302-0277;(270)
687-7220,
Probate (270) 687-7207 . 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 Daviess County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess 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 Daviess County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County, Kentucky are 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. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your family tree in Daviess 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 Daviess County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County Maps. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Daviess 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 Daviess County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information . Email us with websites containing Daviess 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.
