Guide to Genealogical Research on Kentucky Ancestors in the Civil War
Prepared by Don Rightmyer, Reference Librarian
Boyle County Public Library, Danville, Kentucky
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Book Sources
1. Adjutant General's Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky. Confederate Volunteers, War 1861-1865. 2 Vols. (1915) Frankfort, KY (4,8, 9)
-- Publication of the muster rolls and records of all Kentucky units in the Confederate army during the Civil War.
2. Adjutant General's Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky. Union Kentucky Volunteers, War 1861-1865. Vol. I (1866). Vol. II (1867). Frankfort, KY. (4,8 microfilm only, 9)
-- Publication of the muster rolls and records of all Kentucky units in the Union army during the Civil War. Vol. II also contains some lists of Kentucky Home Guard units and men buried in various cemeteries.
3. Allardice, Bruce S. More Generals in Gray Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. (1,2,3,4,9)
-- Additional generals in the Confederate service not included in Warner's Generals in Gray.
4. Amann, William F. Personnel of the Civil War: The Confederate Armies. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1961. (1)
5. Clift, G. Glenn. History of Maysville and Mason County. Vol. I. Lexington: Transylvania Printing, 1936. pp. 202-245. (2,3,4,8,9)
6. Corn, James F. Jim Witherspoon: A Soldier of the South. n.p., 1962. (5)
7. Dyche, Russell. Laurel County, Kentucky London: The Sentinel-Echo, 1954. (1,9)
-- Civil War participants, pp. 218-228.
8. George, Henry. History of the 3d, 7th, 8th and 12th Kentucky, C.S.A. Lyndon, KY: Mull-Wathen Press, 1911. (3,4,9)
-- Biographical Sketches, pp. 146-155.
-- Muster Roll of Kentucky Volunteers, C.S.A., pp. 157-188.
9. Holman, Kurt, compiler. Roster of the 19th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. (1) (Typescript in the Boyle County Library)
10. Johnson, Adam R. The Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army. Reprint, Austin, TX: State House Press, 1995.(2,9)
-- Part II -- Roster of the Rangers, pp. 279-342.
11. Johnston, J. Stoddard. "Kentucky" in Clement A. Evans, Ed., Confederate Military History, Vol. IX. (1,2,3,4,5,9)
-- Biographical section, pp. 227-257. The Expanded editions of the Confederate Military History series contain additional biographical information.(1)
12. Magee, M. Juliette. Ballard's Brave Men.
-- pp. 29-209 Biographies of Ballard County men serving in the Civil War (pp. 29-191 Confederate soldiers, pp. 129-209 Union soldiers, pp. 210-250 men from Calloway, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, McCracken, Marshall counties and the Purchase area)(7,8,9)
13. Meacham, Charles M. A History of Christian County, Kentucky: From Oxcart to Airplanes. Nashville, TN: Marshall & Bruce Co., 1930 (4,9)
-- Confederate Volunteers, pp. 137-142; Federal Volunteers, pp. 143-146.
14. Mosgrove, George D. Kentucky Cavaliers in Dixie: Reminiscences of a Confederate Cavalryman. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press reprint, 1999. (1,9)
-- Biographies and rosters listed throughout the book. Roster of the Fourth Kentucky Cavalry, C.S.A. -- pp. 19-37.
15. Official Records of the Rebellion (128 vols.) and Official Records Supplement (100 volumes upon completion). (2,3,4)
-- Names of individual soldiers are often mentioned in reports, correspondence, and troop strengths. (The Official Records Supplement is currently being printed by Broadfoot Publishing, Wilmington, North Carolina. This new reference series contains battle reports, correspondence, and unit histories not available when the original set was produced in the late nineteenth century.)
16. Owen, Kathryn. Civil War Days in Clark County. No publisher or date. (4,9)
-- Unit members information found on pp. 37-38, 40, 43-86.
17. Perrin, W.H., J.H. Battle, and G.C. Kniffin. History of Kentucky. Louisville: F.A. Battey & Co., 1887. (8,9)
Kentucky Union units (infantry, cavalry, and artillery), pp. 588-624; Kentucky Confederate units, pp. 627-630
18. Pike County Historical Papers. "Roll of Company E of the 39th Mounted Infantry Volunteers of the Union Army in the War Between the States." 5:31-33. (1)
19. Preston, John David. The Civil War in the Big Sandy Valley of Kentucky. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1984. (4,5,9)
20. Pulaski County Historical Research, Book II. pp. 21-47. (1,8)
21. U.S. Army Quartermaster's Department. Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers Who Died in Defense of the American Union, Interred in the National Cemeteries. Numbers XVI-XVII. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1994. Reprint of 1868 publication.(1)
-- Listings of Union soldiers buried in the following cemeteries:
Cave Hill, Louisville; Eastern cemetery, Louisville; Camp Nelson, Jessamine County; Mill Springs, Pulaski Co.; Lexington Cemetery, Fayette County; Lebanon, Marion Co.; Frankfort, Franklin Co.; Danville, Boyle Co.; Richmond, Madison Co.; London, Laurel Co.; Perryville, Boyle Co.; Linden Grove, Kenton Co.; Tompkinsville, Monroe Co.
The Roll of Honor was compiled by the Army's Quartermaster Department between 1865 and 1871 and the series contains the names of over 228,000 Union soldiers buried in national cemeteries, post cemeteries, soldiers' lots, and private cemeteries. Over two-thirds of the men were reinterred from original burial sites on or near the battlefields.
The Roll of Honor was published originally in 27 volumes (called Numbers) and was reprinted in 1994 in ten volumes. The recorded information provides, generally, the soldier's name, rank, company, regiment, anddate of death. A 1200-page single volume index has also been compiled and produced for the entire Roll of Honor. (8 CD-ROM, 9)
The primary volume for listings of burials in Kentucky is Number XVII. Over two-thirds of this Number is devoted to burials in this state. Many of the Union troops buried here were Kentucky men but there were also soldiers from several other Northern and Midwest states. Any of the voumes may be referenced for states where Kentucky soldiers served and died. Use of the Index to the Roll of Honor will be important in locating the burial site of any Union soldier.
Other relevants Numbers would be: VII-X (Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee); XI-XIII (Tennessee -- Knoxville, Chattanooga, Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge); XIV-XV (12,000 men buried in prison camps in rebellion states); XX-XXI (Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., Memphis, Corinth, Miss); XXII-XXIII - national cemetery in Nashville, Tenn; XXVI-XXVII Burials at Vicksburg, Natchez, Miss, and Pitssburg Landing, Tenn.
22. Reid, Richard J. War Comes to Butler County. Privately published. (9)
-- Personnel listings, pp. 24-27.
Available for purchase at Perryville Battlefield State Park, Perryville, Kentucky.
23. Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confederate Armies: Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, and the Confederate Units and the Indian Units. New York: Facts on File, 1995. (1,2,3,4,8,9)
24. Speed, Thomas B. The Union Cause in Kentucky, 1860-1865. New York: G.P. Putnam's, 1907. (4,5,9)
25. Speed, Thomas B.
The Union Regiments of Kentucky. Louisville: Courier-Journal, 1897. (4,5,9)
26. Tarrant, Eastham. The Wild Riders of the First Kentucky Cavalry. Louisville: R.H. Carothers, 1894. (2,3,4,5,8,9)
27. Thompson, Ed Porter. History of the Orphan Brigade. Louisville, 1898. (2,4,8,9)
-- Detailed biographical matter.
28. Tibbals, Alma Owens. A History of Pulaski County, Kentucky. Bagdad, KY: Grace Owens Moore, 1952, pp. 209-224. (1,9)
29. Van Horne, Thomas B. History of the Army of the Cumberland. Vol. II. (3,9 Rare Books)
-- List of officers of the Army of the Cumberland who were killed in action or died of wounds or disease during the war, pp. 386-437.
-- Kentucky Units, pp. 406-411.
30. Warner, Ezra. Generals in Blue. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. (1,3,4,5)
31. Warner, Ezra. Generals in Gray. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. (1,3,4,5)
32. Warren, K.S. Sol. A History of Knox County, Kentucky. Barbourville: Daniel Boone Festival, Inc., 1976. pp. 155-183. (1,9)
33. Wells, John Britton III and James Prichard. 10th Kentucky Cavalry, C.S.A.: May's, Trimble's, Diamond's "Yankee chasers". Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1996. (2,4)
34. Wells, J.W. History of Cumberland County. Louisville: The Standard Printing Co., 1947. pp. 211-225. (1)
35. Heady, Peyton. Union County, Kentucky in the Civil War, 1861-1865. Morganfield, KY, 1985. Indexed.
Facing page 1 -- list of Confederate dead from Morgan County on the Confederate shaft in the Morganfield City Cemetery.
Extensive listings of names of men from Union County.(5)
36. Chenault, John C. Old Cane Springs: A Story of the War between the States in Madison County, Kentucky. (5)
-- Roster of the 11th Kentucky Cavalry, C.S.A., pp. 231-241.
Deaths in the Eleventh Kentucky at Camp Douglas, Illinois, pp. 241-242.
37. Blackburn, John. A Hundred Miles, A Hundred Heartbreaks. Reed Printing, 1972.
pp. 200-279 Muster Roll for the 17th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry.(5)
38. History of the Ohio Falls Cities and Their Counties. Cleveland: L.A. Williams & Co., 1882.
Vol. I -- pp. 97-148 Various rosters of units raised in that area.(1)
39. Reinhart, Joe. A History of the 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, U.S.: The Boys Who Feared No Noise (Book may be purchased at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, and Barnes and Noble. Published in late 2000)(8)
Author's website: www.oocities.org/jreinhart_us.
40. Lynn, Stephen D. Confederate Pensioners of Kentucky: Pension Applications of the Veterans & Widows, 1912-1946. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 2000. Out of print)
This is an excellent finding aid for those seeking a Confederate veteran in Kentucky. Stephen D. Lynn has included an alphabetical listing of the pension applicants, an index of pensioners by county, and Kentucky Civil War units represented in the applications by infantry, artillery, and cavalry. He also included a list of pension applicants for those serving in non-Kentucky units. This book documents the pension applications archived in the Kentucky state library in Frankfort.(1,6,8) Book is now out of print.
41. Ragan, O.G. History of Lewis County, Kentucky. Connecticut: Jennings and Graham, 1997 Reprint.(7)
42. Jennings, Dorothy and Kerby. The Story of Calloway County, 1822-1976. Published by Dorothy and Kerby Jennings, 1978.(7)
42. Belew, Mildred B. Pendleton County: The First 200 Years.(7)
43. Wells, Charles C. 1890 Special Veterans Census for Eastern Kentucky. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 2000. 334 pp.(in print)(1)
This book contains the names of Civil War veterans living in 30 counities in eastern Kentucky when this special census was conducted in 1890. Information for each man contains name of the soldier, rank, regiment and enlistment/discharge dates when those were available. Census is organized by county and a name index is provided at the end of the book for reference. (Book is currently [February 2001] available from Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, Kentucky)
44. Hafendorfer, Kenneth A. Mill Springs: Campaign and Battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky. Louisville: KH Press, 2001.(1,8)
Contains name listings of Union and Confederate casualties at the battle on January 19, 1862. Of special interest to Kentucky geneaology are names of Union casualties in the 1st Kentucky Cavalry and the 4th Kentucky Infantry Regiment. The Confederate casualties at the battle were from Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
45. Calico, Forrest. History of Garrard County Kentucky and Its Churches. New York: The Hobson Book Press, 1947. (1,4)
pp. 126-159 contains narratives about Garrard County men in the war and listings of men from the county who served in the Union or Confederate armies.
46. Meece, O'Leary M. Pulaski County in the Civil War.Somerset: Mill Springs Battlefield Assocation, 1998. Men serving in the war from Pulaski County listed following page 128 in book. Entails 92 pages of listings including: rosters of Patterson's Company of Mechanics and Engineers (Union), First Kentucky Cavalry (Union), Second Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry, Twelfth Kentucky Infantry, Thirtieth Kentucky Volunteer Mounted Infantry, Thirty-Second Regiment Kentucky Infantry, Forty-Ninth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, Hall's Gap Battalion, Sixth Regiment Confederate Cavalry and the Federal and Confederate casualties at the battle of Mill Springs (pp. 71-92).
47. Watson, Mike. An Adair County, KY History.. McDowell Publications, 2001. An excellent new county and genealogical history of Adair County. Pages 367 through 404 contain extensive information on the men from Adair County who served in either the Union or Confederate army during the Civil War. (1)
48. Lynn, Stephen D. Confederate Soldiers of Kentucky: A Roster of the Veterans, 1861-1865.(1) 386 pages. Printed 2002. Book is available direct from the author: Stephen D. Lynn, 713 Pinnacle Court, Lexington, KY 40515-6311. Phone: (859)272-8692
49. Lynn, Stephen D. History and Roster of Company K, Tenth Kentucky Partisan Rangers, C.S.A.(1) 93 pages. Printed 2003. Book and price is available direct from the author: Stephen D. Lynn, 713 Pinnacle Court, Lexington, KY 40515-6311. Phone: (859)272-8692
This is an excellent Civil War genealogical resource because the author has provided an indepth biographical sketch for each member of this company in the Tenth Kentucky. Check out the author's website:www.kycivilwarbooks.netfirms.com
50. Jenkins, Kirk. The Battle Rages Higher: The Union's Fifteenth Kentucky Infantry.Excllent unit history of the Fifteenth Kentucky.
51. Gorin, Betty J. "Morgan is Coming!": Confederate Raiders in the Heartland of Kentucky.
52. Lair, John. Rockcastle Recollections. Mt. Vernon, KY: Polly House Publications, 1991. Appendix 8 includes a roster of the Union officers and Home Guard from Rockcastle County.
In addition to an excellent narrative of Civil War history, the author includes: casualties of the 13th Kentucky at Shiloh, Federal Casualties at battle of Tebb's Bend, Confederate casualties at the same battle, Federal and Confederate casualties at the battle of Lebanon, and a listing of Taylor County soldiers in the Civil War. This is an excellent new addition to our published Civil War history in Kentucky and to our sources of Kentucky Civil War genealogical information.
53. Hughes, Mark. Bivouac of the Dead. Bowie: MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1995. Book contains three sections: 1. History of the National Cemetery system. 2. Index to the Final Burial Sites of U.S. Soldiers (Civil War and Indian Wars). 3. Descriptions of Cemeteries Listed by State. (9)
Article Sources
1. Harrison, Lowell. "Kentucky-Born Generals in the Civil War." The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 64, No. 2. (April 1966).
2. "Kentucky Confederates Buried at Camp Douglas, Illinois." The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 46 (1948), 404-409.
3. Quisenberry, A.C. "The First Kentucky Cavalry, C.S.A." The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 18, No. 53 (May 1920), 15-20.
4. Quisenberry, A.C. "Kentucky Union Troops in the Civil War." The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 18, No. 54 (September 1920), 13-18.
5. Weller, John H. "History of the Fourth Kentucky Infantry. Address before the Louisville Branch of the Southern Historical Society." Southern Historical Society Papers. Vol. IX, No. 3 (March 1881), 108-115.
6. Walden, Geoffrey R. "Burials in the Confederate Veterans Home Cemetery, Pewee Valley, Kentucky." Kentucky Ancestors, Spring 1996, pp. 135-142. This list was compiled from the gravestones at the Confederate Veterans Home Cemetery. Most entries contain the name, the company and the unit in which the veteran served in the war.
7. Watkins, Raymond W. (compiler) "Some Kentucky Confederate Veterans Who Died in Arkansas." Kentucky Ancestors, Autumn 1998, pp. 35-38.
8. Watkins, Raymond W. (compiler) "Kentucky Confederate Soldiers Buried at Various Locations." Kentucky Ancestors, Spring 1999, pp. 154-157.
9. "Members of the Confederate Association of Kentucky, 1893." Kentucky Ancestors, Summer 1998, pp. 187-197.
10. Walden, Geoffrey R. and Raymond W. Watkins, compilers. "Some Kentucky Confederate Soldiers Buried in Georgia." Kentucky Ancestors, 1995-1996, pp. 3-7.
Watkins, Raymond W., compiler. "Some Kentucky Confederates Buried in Tennessee, Illinois, and Georgia." Kentucky Ancestors, 1994-1995, pp. 68-70.
Watkins, Raymond W., compiler. "Kentucky Confederates Buried in Georgia." Kentucky Ancestors, Spring 1996, p, 134.
Neill, Jon P., compiler. "Kentucky Confederate Prisoners of War Buried at Johnson's Island Military Prison Camp, Lake Erie." Kentucky Ancestors, Spring 1996, p. 143.
Walden, Geoffrey R., compiler. "Additional Kentucky Confederates Buried in Oakland Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia." Kentucky Ancestors, 1994-1995, pp. 145-146.
Walden, Geoffrey R., compiler. "Kentucky Confederate Soldiers and Civilians Buried in the Confederate Sections and National Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky." Kentucky Ancestors, 1994-1995, pp. 147-149.
Watkins, Raymond W., compiler. "Some Kentucky Confederate Burials." Kentucky Ancestors, 1994-1995, pp. 188-194.
Trowbridge, John M., compiler. "Union African American Soldiers in Green Hill Cemetery, Franklin County." Kentucky Ancestors, Spring 2001, pp. 125-129.
Civil War training camps in Kentucky where Kentucky soldiers were mustered, trained, and equipped.
For further information, please contact Don Rightmyer at drightmyer@yahoo.com
If you are aware of other titles which contain lists of Kentucky men in Civil War units, please let me know. I'd love to add them to this list.
Other Kentucky Civil War Links
Bibliography of Books and Articles -- The Civil War in Kentucky
A general bibliography of books and articles on the Civil War in Kentucky was added to this website on February 24, 2001. Note: The author of this genealogical research "finding aid" is currently working on a comprehensive history of the Civil War in Kentucky tentatively entitled, Twixt North and South: The Civil War in Kentucky. His research on this book is based on this research bibliography. The book bibliography is comprehensive so it takes a little while to load onto your computer.
Confederate Generals from Kentucky
Union Generals from Kentucky
Coming Soon:
Web links to as many Kentucky Civil War websites as possible.
We will also begin adding the actual names of the Kentucky men listed in many of the documents shown on this website. That will be a progressively growing addition -- please keep checking back.
This website is proud to be included on the "Reference Desk" in the Kentucky Virtual Library website -- www.kyvl.org.
Edition: Updated August 13, 2008
