Family Historians

The Kentucky Historical Society is a premier resource for genealogists working on their family's Kentucky ancestry. The Martin F. Schmidt Library at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History has resources for the beginner and expert alike!

New Genealogy Programs for 2013!

Tea & Sympathy
Join us on the fifth Saturday of every month from 2 to 4 p.m. for tea time and good ole fashioned conversation. Have an ancestor that is eluding you? Confused about which source to use next? Have questions about the proof standard or how to get the kids involved? Bring along your genealogy issues, hot topics or questions and the group will try to help you out. Even if we can’t solve your problem, we promise to provide lots of tea and sympathy! All research levels welcome – let’s learn from each other’s experiences!

Tea & Sympathy will be held on 5th Saturdays:

• March 30th


• June 29th


• August 31st


• November 30th

Thursday Night Genealogy Live!
Join us each Thursday evening in the Library Reading Room during regular season hours for a full hour of genealogy instruction. These genealogy sessions will take place each Thursday night from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., beginning March 14th and running until December 12th. All it takes is an hour to hone your research skills, get started on the basics, preserve your documents, get organized, become more familiar with genealogy software or share your genealogy success stories! Sessions are free and registration is NOT required.

Thursday Night Genealogy Live! Schedule:

March 14th: Getting Started with Genealogy
March 21st: Genealogy Stories
March 28th: Getting organized – Paper & Digital Tips
April 4th: Introduction to KHS Library Collections
April 11th: Genealogy Stories
April 18th: Genealogy for Kids (How to attract their Interest)
April 25th: Document/Photo Preservation
May 2nd: Introduction to Using Census Records
May 9th: Getting Started with Genealogy
May 16th: Genealogy Stories
May 23rd: Using FamilySearch.org
May 30th: Using Ancestry.com
June 6th: Using Heritage Quest
June 13th: Genealogy Stories
June 20th: Using Legacy Family Tree Software
June 27th: Using RootsMagic Family Tree Software
July 4th: Closed – Holiday
July 11th: Getting Started with Genealogy
July 18th: Genealogy Stories
July 25th: Accessing Oral Histories Across the State



Resources for Family Historians
The library resources page describes what resources and original records are available in our collections. Researchers unable to come to the Center to do research can use our fee-based research services. See the KHS Research Services page for more information, fees and forms.

Members can subscribe to Kentucky Ancestors, the Society's genealogical quarterly. Learn more about membership.

Special programming just for genealogists occurs throughout the year. Monthly family history workshops provide hands-on training. To see a list of upcoming events, check out our event calendar, at right.


Questions?
Contact the KHS Reference Desk Staff at 502-564-1792, ext. 4460 or KHSrefdesk@ky.gov.