The fourth county created in what is now Kentucky, Nelson County was formed from Jefferson County in 1784, shortly after the Revolutonary War. The county was named after Thomas Nelson Jr, who signed the Declaration of Independence as the governor of Virginia. In 1807, shortly after Kentucky had become a state, a newly created coutny in Virginia was named in his honor. With Bardstown (the county seat) having a total area of 424 sqaure miles, it also has a population count of 45,851 residents.