On December 13, 1799, the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation to form Floyd County as the 40th county of Kentucky and was made from parts of Fleming, Montgomery, and Mason counties. The legislation became effective on June 1, 1800. The county was named for James John Floyd who was a pioneer surveyor who helped lay out the city of Louisville. The county seat was Preston’s Station, later renamed Prestonsburg. The first courthouse burned down on April 8, 1808, destroying all the early records so the earliest records of government activity do not date prior to 1808. Sitting at 396 square miles, Floyd County is home to almost 36,000 residents.
The three original counties of Kentucky (Jefferson, Fayette and Lincoln counties) intersected in what is today Franklin County. Franklin County was first established in 1795 from land given by Mercer, Shelby, and Woodford counties. Franklin was the 18th county to become established within the state in order of formation. The state capitol county sits at 212 square miles and is home to 51,000 residents.
The rural county was not organized until 1845, from a portion of Hickman County. It was named after Robert Fulton who was the inventor of the steamboat. The designated county seat became Hickman, KY. Sitting at 231 square miles, Fulton County is only home to just over 6,000 residents.
The county was established on December 14, 1798. At that time, it became the 31st county to be established in Kentucky. It was derived from parts of Franklin and Shelby counties. Later, parts of the county were pared off to create three additional counties: Owen in 1819, Trimble in 1836, and Carroll in 1838. Today Gallatin is only one-tenth of its original size and its’ most northern border is the Ohio River. Sitting at only 105 square miles, it is home to 8,832 residents.
First established after two decades of America declaring its freedom from Britain, Garrard County was the original capital county of Kentucky before it moved to Franklin County (Frankfort). Named after former second governor of the state James Garrard. Sitting at 234 square miles, Garrard County is home to 17,560 residents.
Grant County was established in 1820 from land taken from Pendleton County. The historic courthouse was first built in 1939, replacing two earlier structures thus losing all previous county records. A new judicial center was completed in April 2010. The county has 261 square miles and is home to 25,121 residents.
First established in 1824 and named after Benjamin Franklin Graves. Graves was a former politician and military leader in early 19th-century Kentucky. During the War of 1812, Graves served as a major in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Kentucky Volunteer regiment. Together with other officers, he commanded Kentucky troops in the Battle of Frenchtown (also known as the Battle of the River Raisin) on January 22, 1813, in what was then Michigan Territory. With the county listed as having 557 square miles, it is home to 37,137 residents.
Grayson County was established in 1810 from land taken from Hardin and Ohio counties and is named after William Grayson who was a Revolutionary War colonel and U.S. Senator from Virginia. Three courthouses have been destroyed through fire; in 1864 by Confederate troops, and again in 1896 and 1936 destroying the majority of the county records. With the last census bureau report stating that the county had 511 square miles and has 26,321 residents calling Grayson County home.
Green County was formed in 1792 from portions of Lincoln and Nelson counties. Green became only the 16th county within the state in order of formation. The county is named after Revolutionary War hero General Nathaniel Greene yet the reason why the final E is missing is unknown. Three courthouses have served Green County. In 1804, a brick building replaced an earlier log structure, and while no longer operational, it stands in the Downtown Greensburg Historic District as the oldest courthouse building in the commonwealth. The present courthouse dates from 1931. According to the most recent bureau report, Green County has 289 square miles of land and has just over 11,000 residents.
Located with the counties’ northern border formed by the Ohio River, Greenup County was organized by an act of the General Assembly of Kentucky on December 12, 1803, from Mason County, which included the majority of eastern Kentucky at the time. Three courthouses have served Greenup County. The first courthouse which was made of logs was then replaced by a brick structure in 1811. The county was named after Christopher Greenup who was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and the thirs govenor of Kentucky. Though little is known about his early life, the first reliable records about him are documents recording his service in the Revolutionary War where he served as a lieutenant in the Continental Army and a colonel in the Virginia militia. Sitting at 354 square miles of land, it is home to 35,268 residents.
