History is Closer Than You Think
Unearth Your Family's Story
Washington County Public Library is home to one of the region’s most comprehensive genealogy collections — and a dedicated on-site genealogist ready to help you uncover it.
Everything You Need to Dig Deep
What's in Our Collection
Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just getting started, our genealogy department has the records, resources, and expertise to help you trace your roots. All materials are available for in-library use — no eating or drinking in the genealogy area to preserve the collection.
- Local histories and Kentucky history books
- Local and regional newspapers
- Cemetery records and obituaries
- Microfilm collection with reader-printer
- Family histories and periodicals
- Ancestry Library Edition — in-library access only
- Heritage Quest — historical census and family histories
- Kentucky Digital Library — shared digital archives
- Photocopier available — standard charges apply
- Interlibrary loan available for other libraries
We’re also happy to help with Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) applications and other lineage society research. Genealogy is a popular hobby, and we love digging into your family’s past for you — skeletons included.
You Don't Have to Search ALone
Meet Your Genealogy Guides
You don’t have to navigate the records alone. Our dedicated on-site genealogist is here to help you find what you’re looking for — whether you know exactly what you need or aren’t sure where to begin.
Traveling from out of state or need to schedule a visit outside regular hours? Contact us!
Rebecca Brothers, Genealogist
Phone: (859) 336-7655
Email: rebecca.brothers@wcplky.org
Hours: Monday – Thursday · 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Pat Harmon, Genealogy Assistant
Hours: Tuesday & Thursday · 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Rebecca Brothers
Genealogist
Washington County Public Library Genealogy Department
Helpful Genealogy Links
Did You Know?
Washington County Has Quite a Story
Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just getting started, our genealogy department has the records, resources, and expertise to help you trace your roots. All materials are available for in-library use — no eating or drinking in the genealogy area to preserve the collection.
Washington County was the very first county created by the Kentucky State Legislature, established in 1792 and named for President George Washington.
Springfield sits along the old Wilderness Trace — the same historic route that carried thousands of early settlers into Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap.
The original marriage certificate of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks — President Abraham Lincoln's parents — is preserved right here in the Washington County Clerk's office.
The very first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Kentucky on June 1, 1955 — making Washington County the unlikely birthplace of one of America's most recognizable retail chains.
Lincoln Homestead State Park in Springfield preserves over 120 acres of land once settled by the Lincoln family, including the original Berry House where Nancy Hanks lived.
Springfield is the birthplace of Phil Simms — New York Giants Super Bowl-winning quarterback and longtime NFL analyst.
They Walked These Same Streets
Faces That Shaped Washington County
Washington County has produced and sheltered some remarkable people throughout its history. Here are three whose stories deserve to be remembered.
1782
Before the White House
The Lincolns Called This Home
Long before Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States, his family called Washington County home. His grandfather, Abraham Sr., brought his family to Washington County in 1782 and settled in the Beech Fork area, approximately five miles north of Springfield. After Abraham Sr. was killed in an Indian attack, the family moved to Springfield.
Lincoln’s father Thomas was raised in Washington County, where he married Nancy Hanks in 1806. Their original marriage records are preserved in the Washington County Clerk’s office — the oldest active courthouse in Kentucky. Lincoln Homestead State Park in Springfield preserves over 120 acres of land once settled by the family, including the original Berry House where Nancy Hanks lived and worked as a seamstress while being courted by Thomas.
1833
Springfield's Unsung Hero
The Man Who Saved a Town
In 1833, when a deadly cholera epidemic swept through Springfield and most of the town’s residents fled in panic, one man stayed behind. Louis Sansbury was a 27-year-old man enslaved by hotel owner George Sansbury. As business owners fled, they handed Louis their keys and asked him to watch over their shops. He kept his word — caring for the sick, feeding the bedridden, and burying the dead, along with a cook named Matilda Sims.
Though illiterate, Louis devised a system of markings to track supplies he used from local stores so an accurate accounting could be made when the merchants returned. When a second cholera epidemic struck in 1854, he did it all again. When his enslaver died in 1845, a grateful Springfield purchased Louis’s freedom and set him up with a blacksmith shop. He died in 1861 and is buried in an unmarked grave at St. Rose Cemetery. In 2004, the city dedicated the first annual African American Heritage Week in his honor. A painting of Louis Sansbury hangs at WCPL to this day.
1881
Springfield's Literary Voice
She Put Washington County on the Map
Elizabeth Madox Roberts was born in Perryville in 1881 and spent most of her adult life in Springfield — the setting that would inspire some of the most celebrated American fiction of the 20th century. After years of teaching school in the Springfield area, she enrolled at the University of Chicago at age 36, graduated with honors in 1921, and returned home to write.
She published seven novels, three volumes of poetry, and two short story collections. Her debut novel, The Time of Man (1926), earned her international acclaim and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. The Great Meadow (1930) received another Pulitzer nomination. She won the John Reed Memorial Prize (1928), an O. Henry Award (1930), and the Poetry Society of South Carolina Prize (1931). Robert Penn Warren called The Time of Man a classic. Roberts died in 1941 and was buried in Springfield — her true home. Her legacy is celebrated each spring at the annual Elizabeth Madox Roberts Conference, held right here in Springfield.
Pictured on the left:
Registry of St. Ann’s Catholic Church Original Members