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Genealogy & Local History Requests

Research Request

The Kentucky Room collection is strongest in Fayette County materials, though we do have a limited amount of materials for most counties in Kentucky. We do not have out-of-town newspapers, or microfilmed county records for counties other than Fayette. The largest libraries for genealogy research are located in Frankfort at the Kentucky Historical Society, and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives; and the University of Kentucky has a great collection of Kentucky newspaper archives.

Library staff can respond to only the most specific requests. We cannot compile lineages, determine parentage, locate missing persons, or undertake extensive copying projects from books or microfilm. We will provide a free copy of a list of private researchers who can undertake more extensive research on a fee basis.

We are happy to be able to provide this service to everyone, including those living outside of Fayette County and Kentucky.  If you would like to show your support, donations can be made to the Lexington Public Library Foundation.

First and Last
Please remove any "A's" that might be in your library card number.
Contact Information
Your Location
Please be specific and provide as much information as possible. If requesting articles from the Local History Index, please provide the full citation (article title, newspaper name, date, and page number) and limit your request to 4 articles at a time.

WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs, the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyright material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purpose in excess of "fair use" that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Mail In Requests

Mail reference requests may also be made in writing and may be directed to:

Kentucky Room Librarian
Lexington Public Library
140 East Main Street
Lexington, Kentucky 40507

Request Requirements

Examples of appropriate requests:

  • Please search for an obituary for my uncle Robert Mitchell who died on April 17, 1945.
  • Please search for a cemetery record for my great-grandmother Eliza Mitchell who is buried in Fayette County (date of death is helpful).
  • Please check the 1925 city directory for people by the name of Rodes.
  • Please check Perrin’s History of Fayette County for biographical information on James Wright.
  • Please search for the death certificate for Benjamin Whitaker who died in Kentucky on October 1, 1926.

Examples of research requests we cannot handle:

  • Please send me everything you have on the Jackson family in Kentucky.
  • Please copy all the obituaries in your newspaper for the names Allen, Bowman, and Reed.
  • Please copy all Kentucky census records for the Davis families.
  • Please send me lists of Kentucky death certificates.