Owen County, Kentucky genealogy and family history research. Find links to record collections, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your Owen Co., ancestors.
Owen County Quick Facts

- Government Website: www.owencounty.ky.gov
- Created Date / Origin: February 6, 1819 from Scott County, Franklin County, Gallatin County and Pendleton County
- County Seat: Owenton
- Named After: Abraham Owen (1769–1811), killed at the Battle of Tippecanoe
- Bordering Counties: Carroll County (northwest), Gallatin County (northeast), Grant County (east), Scott County (southeast), Franklin County (southwest), Henry County (west)
- Cities & towns include: Gratz, Monterey, Owenton
Owen County Genealogical & Historical Societies and Family History Resources
A list of Owen County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Forums, Message Boards, Libraries, Archives. See Also Kentucky Archives, Genealogical and Historical Societies for statewide Addresses and links.
- Owen County Historical Society, c/o Owen County Library, P.O. Box 296, Owenton KY 40359
- Kentucky State Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- Owen County USGenWeb Archives Project (usgwarchives.org) read and post messages with other county genealogy researchers
- Owen County, Kentucky Message Boards (boards.ancestry.com) read and post messages about your county ancestors
- Owen County, Kentucky Genealogy Forum (genforum.genealogy.com)
- KYOWEN. A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in Owen County, Kentucky. To subscribe send “subscribe” to kyowen-l-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or kyowen-d-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode).
Owen County Courthouse and Government Records
Researchers often overlook the importance of Owen County court, probate, and land records as a source of genealogy and family history information. Buried away in Kentucky courthouses and archives everywhere are the dreams and frustrations of many Kentucky citizens. The chances are great that your ancestors have left a detailed record of at least some aspects of their lives in the Owen County court records.
The following indicates what vital, land, probate, and court records are in Owen county. The dates indicated below are the first known records for each county.
- Owen County Clerk has three main responsibilities. One is the recording of Land records (the most common documents recorded are deeds, mortgage releases,
entries, warrants, surveys, mortgages, assignments, and indexes), Probate records (may include such documents as wills, estates, letters of administration, administrators, executors, probate journals, probate packets,
inventories, settlements, sales, accounts, guardianship, orphans,
insolvent estates, bastardy, apprentices, insanity and adoptions)and Marriage Liscenses- Address: 135 West Bryan Street, Owenton, KY, 40359
- Phone: (502) 484-2213
- Marriage Records: 1819
- Land Records: 1819
- Probate Records: 1819
- Owen County Clerk of the Circuit Courthas countywide jurisdiction over major civil and criminal cases, divorces, and appeals from inferior courts.
- Address: Owen County Courthouse, 100 N. Thomas St., P.O. Box 473, Owenton, KY 40359-0473
- Phone: (502) 484-2232
- Court Records: 1819
- Owen County Tax Information and Contacts. Some early tax schedules list watercourse, value and acreage of real estate, men over age twenty-one, young men between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, slaves, and horses.
- Owen County Elected Officials (ky.gov)
- Kentucky Department of Health (VDH) Office of Vital Records has copies for of birth & deathe certificates (1911 – present), marriage licenses & divorce decrees (since June 1958). There is a fee for each copy requested. Please refer to the information on Statewide Vital Records in Kentucky for current fees and application process.
- Ordering Vital Records – You can also order Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for Birth Certificate, Marriage or Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.
Owen County Genealogy Links
The following are links to Genealogy, Records and Resources relating to Owen County. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.
- Owen Co. KY Books, Newspapers & Publications
- See Also Statewide Newspapers, Books & Publications Links for Kentucky
- Historical Newspapers from Kentucky (1794-1922) (genealogybank.com)
- Owen County, Kentucky Books (amazon.com)
- Kentucky Newspapers (newspaperarchives.com)
- Owen Co. KY Birth, Marriage & Death Records
- See Also Statewide Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records in Kentucky
- Owen County, Kentucky Marriage Project (http://usgwarchives.net)
- Kentucky Vital Records Index (ukcc.uky.edu) The vital records index data was obtained from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics in 1994 for a research project.
- Kentucky Social Security Death Index (search.ancestry.com) Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research.
- Owen Co. KY Court, Probate Land and Tax Records
- See Also Kentucky Court, Land, Tax & Probate Records
- Will/Probate Record Request Form (kdla.ky.gov)
- BLM Land Records (glorecords.blm.gov)covers the State of Kentucky. Many pioneers and settelers bought land from the government instead of individuals.
- Owen Co. KY Census Records
- See Also Statewide Census Links for Kentucky
- Owen County, KY Census Records (census-online.com)
- Owen County, KY Census QuickFacts (quickfacts.census.gov)
- Owen County Census Records (search.ancestry.com)Learn where your ancestors lived, who lived in the household, ages, places of birth, occupation, actual images of the Federal Censusrs and more.
- Owen Co. KY Cemeteries & Graveyards
- See Also Statewide Cemetery Links for Kentucky
- Owen Co., Kentucky Graves (findagrave.com)
- Owen County Tombstone Transcription Project (usgwtombstones.org)
- Owen Co., Kentucky Cemeteries (Internment.net)
- Topographic Cemetery List and Map for Owen County, Kentucky (topozone.com)
- Owen Co., Kentucky Cemetery Books (amazon.com)
- Owen Co. KY Church & Bible Records
- See Also Statewide Church & Bible Links for Kentucky
- Topographic Church List and Map for Owen County, Kentucky (topozone.com)
- Owen County, Kentucky Church Books (amazon.com)
- Owen Co. KY Family Websites, Pictures & Histories
- Owen Co. KY General and History Websites
- Owen County Kentucky (genealogytrails.com)
- Owen County Community Website (oldhamcounty.com)
- Owen County, KY History (kyenc.org) The Kentucky Encyclopedia
- Owen County, Kentucky Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- Owen County, Kentucky Wiki (familysearch.org)
- Owen Co. Kentucky Genealogy (kindredtrails.com)
- Family History Library (familysearch.org) has the largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records.
- Owen County, Kentucky (linkpendium.com) Family History & Genealogy, Census, Birth, Marriage, Death Vital Records & More
- Cyndi’s List – United States – Kentucky – Counties – Owen (cyndislist.com)
- Owen Co. Kentucky Genealogy (kykinfolk.com)
- Owen County Genealogy Queries (cousinconnect.com)
- Owen Co. Data Collections (search.ancestry.com)
- Owen Co., KY Immigration & Naturalization
- Owen Co. KY Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
- See Also Statewide Maps and Atlas Links for Kentucky
- Owen Co. D.O.T. 2011 Highway Map (transportation.ky.gov)
- 1895 Owen County Map (livgenmi.com)
- Owen Co. KY Military Records
- See Also Statewide Military Links for Kentucky
- Kentucky Military Records (Fold3.com) provides access to military records, stories, photos, and personal documents of the Kentucky men and women who served. Perfect for Perfect for Owen County genealogists, researchers, historians and more.
- Owen Co., KY Schools & Directories
- ?