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Digital Archives - Collection

The Kentucky Pioneer Genealogy and Records Magazine published various articles about early Kentucky history as a quarterly publication from 1979-1985, then annually 1986-1988. It later became the official publication of the Society of Kentucky Pioneers.

All issues have been digitized. Most of the submissions focus on tax records, early military and militia records, family cemeteries, newspapers, and transcriptions of early vital records. They are word searchable. 

Digital Archives - Collection

The Council of Defense books contain records for Fayette County’s Army soldiers, Navy sailors, Marines, and Army nurses in World War I, and include information regarding the person’s residence, birth place and date, specific units and engagements, commendations, injuries and disabilities, desertions, and discharge or casualty information.

These records are especially distinctive because they include service records from soldiers, sailors, marines, and the Army nurse corps; nurses served throughout various wars in the United States, but World War I became the first time that nurses were given officer ranks and insignia.

At the session of the General Assembly of Kentucky, which convened January 8, 1918, an act was passed and approved on March 15, 1918, creating the Kentucky Council of Defense. This act was approved as the state’s response to the Council of National Defense, which was formed in August, 1916, to support the nation’s war effort in World War I. The Kentucky act gave the state organization the authority and responsibility to coordinate the Kentucky war efforts within the state with the national war effort, for the duration of the war.

Within the act, these responsibilities included appointing representatives through the state ‘to report treasonable acts or utterances;’ coordinate state-wide war efforts; coordinate all voluntary patriotic organizations and committees and supervise donations; acquire its own private donations; encourage support of the war effort through activities and speakers, publishing pamphlets and bulletins; create its own committees for support or advisory boards; and report on its activities to the state governor each year. The lists of committee members are included in the beginning of Volume I.

In addition to the responsibility of supporting the state war effort, the Council was given the authority to investigate questions regarding its responsibilities, through subpoenas of witnesses and petitions when necessary. 

The first state session met in Louisville in March of 1918, and Fayette County’s meeting followed on June 25th, 1918, in the director’s room of the Fayette National Bank in Lexington, on the corner of West Main and North Upper, in what is currently the 21c Museum Hotel.

After the war, each county’s service records were copied, bound, and presented to the county, though many of the Council of Defense books have since been lost. Of 120 counties, the whereabouts of 36 are known. In addition, a Kentucky set is housed in the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs in Frankfort, and the Filson Historical Society houses the entire 144 volume set of the civilian records.

 

- Information regarding the Council of Defense activities and responsibilities from Report of the Activities of the Kentucky Council of Defense to January 1, 1920, p. 8-23.

- Information regarding the current whereabouts of the volumes from Kentucky and the Great War: World War I on the Home Front by David J. Bettez, p. 400-402 (2016)

Are you just starting your family tree, or have you run into a brick wall tracing a distant ancestor? Join us to share tips and learn new research strategies. All levels of experience are welcome!

The Lexington Public Library receives most of its operating funds from an Ad Valorem property tax. By State law, the Library receives five cents for every $100 of assessed property value in Lexington and Fayette County.

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Friends of the Lexington Public Library provides financial, advocacy and volunteer support to the Library.  Shop at the Friends Book Cellar in the Central Library for a great selection of used books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, audiobooks, and vinyl records, all at discounted prices.

The William Stamps Farish Fund Theater is a state-of-the-art facility in one of Main Street’s busiest places.

Fully renovated and updated, the theater on the Central Library’s first floor is home to theater, dance, live music, film, community events, and meetings. The Lexington Public Library makes the facility available at some of the city’s best prices, with affordable business, nonprofit, and government rates.

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All databases are available from this page.

Digital Archives - Collection
St. Paul Catholic Church is one of the oldest existing churches in Lexington. The records for the parish go back to 1854. The ledgers are part of the church's historical archive, and contain unique records for Lexington's history. Bishop Stowe, the bishop of the Lexington diocese, has given permission for ledger records 100+ years old to be made public.
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Discover unique resources in our Digital Archives that tell the story of Fayette County.  Visit cemeteries throughout Central Kentucky using our cemetery maps.  Contact our resident experts in the Central Library's Kentucky Room with questions.

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This is your gateway to our most popular resources.  Search for books and eBooks, access tools for research and learning, and discover our unique collection of genealogy and local history materials.

Library meeting rooms are available for individuals, non-profit, for profit, study groups, and community organizations seeking to hold meetings, trainings, and workshops.

Board Member
Board of Trustees

Casandra Hockenberry is a Program Manager with The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation, where she works across a broad number of initiatives at the crossroads of data, technology and improved outcomes for citizens. She manages the Apprenticeship Data Alignment and Performance Technical Assistance Center, which is dedicated to assisting states to improve their data collection on apprentices in order to support successful programs throughout the country, the Overseas Voting Initiative, which researches ways to improve the voting process for military and overseas citizens.

Prior to joining The Council of State Governments, she worked for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy as a public defender representing indigent clients charged with felonies and misdemeanors. Casandra received her degree in Political Science from Clarion University and her Juris Doctor from Case Western University. Casandra always enjoys a good book, heated debates about music, and time with her sausage dog, Remington.

E-mail Casandra Hockenberry

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Join us for Kentucky Legends: a series of programs exploring Kentucky culture, history, and lore. Programs include author visits, Chautauqua performances, live music, activities and crafts, and more.

Digital Archives - Collection - Group
Kentucky Progress magazine

The Publications Collection contains runs of historical Kentucky newspapers, almanacs, and magazines. 

Digital Archives - Collection - Group
historic frankfort kentucky

The Kentucky History collection contains Kentucky-related documents not specifically related to Fayette County.

 

Check for current job openings and apply to work at the Lexington Public Library.

Digital Archives - Collection - Group
group of children in Grade 5B at Constitution School
The Community Collections consist of objects shared from local community residents and organizations. Individuals have lent items of local significance to the library to give the larger community awareness and access. The original objects are not owned by the Lexington Public Library. 
 
Submissions for the Community Collections are open. If you are an individual or organization interested in possibly lending items to be digitized by the library, please contact elibrarian@lexpublib.org. We consider item age, location, content, relevance, privacy considerations, and item condition when determining items to add. Content donors must be the legal copyright holders if the item is not in the public domain.
 
Kentucky History Awards Icon noting this collection received the award in 2019.

 

Board Member
Board of Trustees
Vice Chair

Ralph Coldiron has been instrumental in building and developing major commercial projects in downtown Lexington and around the country while working for Wilkinson Enterprises, Gray Construction, Centex Engineering & Construction, and The Webb Companies.  Additionally, Ralph served in the Carter/Mondale White House as Director of Advance for the Southeast US.   Also, Ralph has served in administrative positions in the administrations of Governor Julian Carroll, Governor John Y. Brown, Governor Wallace Wilkinson, and Governor Steven Beshear.  Ralph’s passion is giving back to the community and state in which he lives. Ralph is married to his wife Susan, and has three children Christopher, Lorrie, and Catie.

E-mail Ralph Coldiron

Board Member
Advisory Board

Shawntaye Hopkins is the Marketing and Communications Director at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. Before landing at the University of Kentucky, Shawntaye worked as a newspaper reporter, a public relations specialist at another university, and as a communications associate for a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization serving state governments. Shawntaye has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Western Kentucky University. Her hobbies include reading and writing about books, mostly fiction. Shawntaye is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, but she has resided in Lexington, Kentucky, since 2006.

E-mail Shawntaye Hopkins

Board Member
Advisory Board

Elizabeth has been a member of the Lexington Police Department since 1998.  After retiring from sworn duty in 2019, she returned to the department as a polygraph examiner and background investigator.  In her current position, she coordinates with multiple divisions in the Urban County Government to ensure the fair hiring of qualified applicants.

Prior to joining the Lexington Police Department, she graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in art history.  She also attended Hunter College in New Your City where she interned with the New York Police Department’s Major Case Squad which handled all of the art theft for the department.

She has been a chairman with the Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Fall Festival Committee since 2013 and served as a Battle of the Books coach.

Elizabeth loves traveling with her daughter slightly more than researching and planning all the trips they have yet to take.  She has finally admitted that traveling with Libby on her device is easier than carrying books on a plane.

The Central Kentucky Cemeteries Maps are powered by Google Maps.  Counties include:  Fayette, Bourbon, Clark, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Montgomery, Nicholas, Powell, Scott, and Woodford.