Researching Lincoln/Boyle/Mercer Counties in Kentucky

Hello everyone. If you have ancestors in pre-1786 Lincoln county, Kentucky this info may help you in your research.

In her booklet, “Our Pioneer Ancestors”, written in 1941, Emma Hynes Riggs, talks about how Boyle and Mercer Counties were carved from the old pre-1786 Lincoln county. She further explains how to search for the old pre-1786 records.

This booklet,which I believe was published privately as a family gene project, was written in 1941. Things could have changed from that time, but it does give you the information available in 1941. I am taking this information at face value and have not done actual historical searches of Kentucky counties to see if her county information is correct.

In her book Emma Hynes Riggs states the following:

“Saumel Dunn’s home was in what is now Boyle County, where the town of Danville now stands. Lincoln County was the original county. Mercer County was cut off from it in 1786, and Boyle County was taken off from Mercer County sometime after 1840, so that in looking up records of property at or near Dannville, Lincoln county books must be examined for the years prior to 1786, those of Mercer County at Harrodsburg between 1786 and 1840’s, and at Danville, Boyle County for the past century.”

I hope this helps in someone’s research.

Samuel Dunn was my ancestor (not NA) and this book is about Dunn descendants. But I thought this information would be helpful to those who may be researching ancestors in early Kentucky

Barbara Dunn Grainger