Clay County (Ky.). County Clerk.

Dates:
Active 1855
Active 1965
Active 1894
Active 1932
Active 1909
Active 1935
Active 1851
Active 1938
Active 1919
Active 1921
Active 1884
Active 1890
Active 1892
Active 1893
Active 1904
Active 1911
Active 1856
Active 1904
Active 1856
Active 1857
Active 1808
Active 1925
Active 1807
Active 1851
Active 1907
Active 1916
Active 1807
Active 1909
Active 1878
Active 1896
Active 1895
Active 1900
Active 1900
Active 1903
Active 1905
Active 1907
Active 1878
Active 1933
Active 1920
Active 1928
Active 1875
Active 1931
Active 1810
Active 1823
Active 1826
Active 1965
Active 1852
Active 1887
Active 1890
Active 1895
Active 1887
Active 1895
Active 1806
Active 1859
Active 1910
Active 1928
Active 1807
Active 1986
Active 1843
Active 1867
Active 1881
Active 1898
Active 1875
Active 1933
Active 1901
Active 1903
Active 1848
Active 1850
Active 1875
Active 1881
Active 1855
Active 1953
Active 1877
Active 1899
Active 1832
Active 1854
Active 1934
Active 1935
Active 1839
Active 1855
Active 1807
Active 1903
Active 1902
Active 1906
Active 1899
Active 1902
Active 1879
Active 1909
Active 1848
Active 1853
Active 1830
Active 1845
Active 1899
Active 1916
Active 1883
Active 1907
Active 1899
Active 1904
Active 1806
Active 1964
Active 1802
Active 1871
Active 1898
Active 1903
Active 1828
Active 1896
Active 1862
Active 1900
Active 1836
Active 1838
Active 1815
Active 1886
Active 1852
Active 1916
Active 1928
Active 1943
Active 1900
Active 1904
Active 1807
Active 1922
Active 1875
Active 1927
Active 1852
Active 1910
Active 1860
Active 1878
Active 1808
Active 1906
Active 1807
Active 1827

History notes:

Clay, the forty-seventh Kentucky county, was formed in 1806 from parts of Floyd, Knox, and Madison Counties. Manchester is the county seat. The county is named for General Green Clay.

The Clay County Clerk, whose duties are numerous and diverse, records and maintains various legal instruments and Fiscal Court records. In addition, the clerk registers motor vehicles (KRS 186.020); issues and records marriage licenses and certificates (KRS 402.080, 402.220, 402.230); and receives, maintains, and reports voter registrations (KRS 116.045, 116.075, 116.095). The county clerk also serves as chair of the county Board of Elections (KRS 117.035) and has a variety of primary and regular election responsibilities.

The Office of County Court was established in each county when Kentucky became a state in 1792. Many of the duties and functions of the new county courts were carried over from those of the existing courts of Virginia, and as such may not have been specified in the Kentucky Constitution or by the Kentucky General Assembly (1792 Acts, Ch. 23, Sect. 6). The stated jurisdiction of the county courts included appointing guardians, recording deeds and wills, and overseeing matters concerning mills and roads. Justices of the peace in each county were appointed by the governor. The justices duties included presiding over a monthly meeting of the county court (1792 Constitution, Art. II, Sect. 8; 1792 Acts, Ch. 23, Sect. 1-4). In 1796, each county court was given the power to erect and maintain a courthouse and a jail (1796 Acts, Ch. 256, Sect. 5).

Each county court was permitted to appoint a clerk (1792 Constitution, Art. VI, Sect. 5). The constitution of 1850 provided for the election of a county clerk, a presiding judge, and two associate judges to four year terms (Art. IV, Sect. 29-30; Art. VI, Sect. 1). The associate judge offices were abolished the next year (1851 Acts, Ch. 419, Sect. 1). The 1891 constitution reaffirmed the election to four year terms of a county judge and county clerk (Sect. 99).

Occasionally, the jurisdiction of the county court was altered by the General Assembly. For example, in 1851 the county courts were given concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit courts in all actions involving sums of over fifty dollars but less than one hundred dollars, and in granting writs in relation to idiots and lunatics (1851 Acts, Ch. 419, Sect. 9, 11). In 1851, the judge of the county court also became judge of the newly created quarterly court in each county (1851 Acts, Ch. 419, Sect. 8). In 1906, a juvenile court was formed as a branch of the county court, with the county judge presiding and the county clerk in charge of its records (1906 Acts, Ch. 64, Sect. 2).

In the 1970s, the General Assembly made significant changes to Kentucky's court system. The office of county judge/executive was created, and the various judicial duties of the county judge and county court clerk were transferred to the circuit and district courts. Since the county judge/executive is in charge of the administrative affairs of the county (1976 Acts, Ch. 20, Sect. 2-6), the title "county clerk's office" is now used to more accurately reflect its present nature.

The county clerk may, except in counties with a city of the first class, serve as clerk of the fiscal court. The county clerk's office also serves as the official repository for fiscal court records (KRS 67.120).

From the description of Agency history. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145414100

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Subjects:

  • County clerks
  • County officials and employees
  • Court records
  • Deeds
  • Deeds
  • Estates, (Law)
  • Fiscal policy
  • Inheritance and succession
  • Insanity (Law)
  • Land titles
  • Marriage records
  • Marriage records
  • Marriage records
  • Mentally ill
  • Naturalization
  • Occupations
  • Probate record
  • Probate records
  • Real property
  • Recording and registration
  • Registers of births, etc.
  • Roads
  • Wills
  • Wills
  • Deeds
  • Marriage records
  • Marriage records
  • Wills

Occupations:

not available for this record

Places:

  • Kentucky (as recorded)
  • Kentucky--Clay County (as recorded)
  • Clay County (Ky.) (as recorded)

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