Laurel County was formed December 12, 1826 from parts of Rockcstle, Clay, Knox and Whitley Counties. The county was named for the Laurel that grows along the banks of the Laurel River. Laurel County was entitled to nine justices of the peace. They were Samuel McHargue, William Freeman, Jarvis Jackson, David Weaver, William Smith, James McNeil, John Pearl, Jacob Boyers and James Wood. They met in the home of Jarvis Jackson on the first Monday in March, 1826 and appointed Lot Pitman as the County Court Clerk; William Stuart, James Elkins and John Hood were appointed constables; and John Jackson, the Jailer.

My name is Katy Hestand and I am the Coordinator for Laurel County, Kentucky. I do not live in Laurel County, nor Kentucky, so I know almost nothing about the county. My ancestors were some of the first people in the area, they were explorers with Daniel Boone and related thru the Pennington's.  However, if you have any questions, I will do my best to point you in the right direction!!! Happy hunting!!

I'm always looking for new items to put on the site. If you have information, or photos that you would like to share with other researchers, please feel free to send them to me. If you would like to send me a cd of information, contact me at [email protected] for my mailing address. I am looking for volunteers to transcribe the census. If you are interested please contact me at the above address.