Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk

Hide Profile

Livingston, the twenty-ninth Kentucky county, was created in 1798 from Christian County. It is named for Robert R. Livingston. Smithland is the county seat.

The Livingston 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: 145414820

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Order books (indexed), 1798-1977 [microform]. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage Registers (Indexed), [microform] 1822-1894. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Will books (indexed), 1800-1985 [microform]. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Vital Statistics - Deaths, [microform] 1874-1881. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1896-1916. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Birth, marriage, and death records, 1852-1910. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Probate records [microform], 1924-1964. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1968-1984. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Probate records [microform], 1964-1980. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1822-1827. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Probate records [microform], 1870-1985. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Vital Statistics - Births, [microform] 1853-1908, (bulk 1853-1878, 1881, 1886-1908). Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. General cross index to deeds, 1800-1983 [microform]. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage bond books (indexed) [microform], 1866-1984. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1799-1816. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Probate records [microform], 1799-1873. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Deed books, 1800-1986 [microform]. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1907-1918. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage Register for Freedmen (Indexed), [microform] 1866-1896. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1876-1886. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1894-1907. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1936-1968. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Agency history. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1886-1894. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1866-1896. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage books, 1799-1822 [microform]. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Tax assessment books, 1800-1892 (bulk 1800-1838, 1840-1861, 1869-1875, 1879-1892) [microform]. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1872-1876. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Land Records - Master Commissioners' Deed Books, [microform] 1877-1942. Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives, Kentucky State Archives
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Probate records [microform], 1873-1924. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
creatorOf Livingston County (Ky.). County Clerk. Marriage records [microform], 1918-1936. Kentucky Historical Society, Martin F. Schmidt Research Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Kentucky Historical Society. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Kentucky
Kentucky--Livingston County
Livingston County (Ky.)
Subject
African Americans
African Americans
African Americans
African Americans
County clerks
County officials and employees
Court records
Deeds
Deeds
Estates, (Law)
Fiscal policy
Freedmen
Inheritance and succession
Insanity (Law)
Land titles
Marriage records
Marriage records
Mentally ill
Naturalization
Occupations
Probate record
Probate records
Real property
Property tax
Recording and registration
Registers of births, etc.
Roads
Tax assessment
Taxation
Wills
Wills
Occupation
Activity
Assessing
Indexing deeds
Naturalizing
Recording decisions
Recording legal instruments
Recording wills

Corporate Body

Active 1800

Active 1985

Active 1964

Active 1980

Active 1800

Active 1983

Active 1852

Active 1910

Active 1873

Active 1924

Active 1866

Active 1896

Active 1822

Active 1894

Active 1799

Active 1816

Active 1918

Active 1936

Active 1896

Active 1916

Active 1924

Active 1964

Active 1822

Active 1827

Active 1866

Active 1984

Active 1798

Active 1977

Active 1799

Active 1822

Active 1872

Active 1876

Active 1800

Active 1892

Active 1936

Active 1968

Active 1870

Active 1985

Active 1886

Active 1894

Active 1894

Active 1907

Active 1877

Active 1942

Active 1907

Active 1918

Active 1876

Active 1886

Active 1874

Active 1881

Active 1800

Active 1986

Active 1968

Active 1984

Active 1853

Active 1908

Active 1799

Active 1873

Related Descriptions
Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69q3rnm

Ark ID: w69q3rnm

SNAC ID: 84865184