About This Guide
This research guide focuses on Catholic cemeteries within the boundaries of the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky. It describes resources available in libraries, archives, and online. The guide is not comprehensive, but it is intended to be a useful place to start your research.
Catholic Cemeteries
Contact: Cliff Russell, Cemeteries Director, at 270-926-8097 or cliff.russell@pastoral.org.
Boundaries of the Diocese
The Diocese of Owensboro includes the 32 counties of western Kentucky: Allen, Ballard, Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Daviess, Edmonson, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Hancock, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, McCracken, McLean, Marshall, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren, and Webster.
Cemeteries Map
In July 2017 the Archives launched an interactive map of Catholic cemeteries in the Diocese of Owensboro. The map includes locations for all the open parishes in the diocese and many of the known diocesan, parish, religious community and historical Catholic cemeteries. It also lists locations of communities associated with cemeteries and parishes. The map does not currently include closed parishes and churches.
Diocese of Owensboro Cemeteries Map
To submit updates or ask about this map, contact the archivist via email or phone at (270) 683-1545.
Reference Books
2008 Maryland to Kentucky reunion: a guide to the Kentucky holy land : historical churches, cemeteries, religious institutions, libraries and court houses. 2008. [Ky.?]: Maryland to Kentucky Reunion Comm.
Bolin, Daniel Lynn. 1972. BreckMeade area cemetery series. [Place of publication not identified]: Bolin.
Bolin, Daniel Lynn. 1990. The Roman Catholic cemeteries of Breckinridge and Meade Counties, Kentucky. Utica, Ky: McDowell Publications.
Catholic Church. St. Mary of the Woods (Whitesville, Ky.). 1980. Death register, Saint Mary of the Woods, Whitesville, Kentucky: from October 1, 1885 to January 1, 1979. [Place of publication not identified]: [publisher not identified].
Chandler, Ora. 1900. St. Louis Cemetery, Catholic, Henderson, Henderson County, Kentucky.
Chandler, Ora. 1965. St. Louis cemetery, Catholic, located South Green Street, U.S. 41A and U.S. 60, Henderson County, Henderson, Kentucky.
Chandler, Ora. 1965. Two thousand six hundred forty cemetery records (index) of Fairmont and St. Louis (Catholic) Henderson, Ky. (city). Evansville, Ind: O. Chandler.
Feezor, Griffin. 1963. St. Thomas Catholic Church records. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Hamilton, Anna. 2000. Saint Lawrence, Daviess County, Kentucky catalogue of marriages, catalogue of deaths, cemetery. Utica, Ky: McDowell Publications.
Hardcastle, Vernon. 1930. Warren County cemeteries.
Heady, Peyton. 1987. Union County, Kentucky genealogy. Utica, Kentucky: Heady. Note: The Archives holds volumes 3-4: Cemetery and death records.
Heffington, Ruth, and Peyton Heady. 1980. Sacred Heart Church, St. Vincent, Union County, Kentucky. [Henderson, KY.]: [publisher not identified].
Hite, Teresa T., and Philip Crowdus. 1976. Death records of Sacred Heart Parish, St. Vincent, Ky. 1818-1974: compiled from the cemetery headstones and the church records.
Johnson, Joseph E. 1936. Inscriptions taken from headstones in a number of Catholic cemeteries in Kentucky. Atlanta, Ga: publisher not identified.
Neel, Eurie Pearl Wilford. 1963. St. Beniface Catholic Church. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Neel, Eurie Pearl Wilford, and Ruth Lambert. 1963. Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery records. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Priest, W. Cravens. 1985. Burial records of St. Joseph and Holy Spirit Catholic Churches, 1860-July, 1985. Bowling Green, Ky: W.C. Priest, III.
Raley, Ricahrd Bruce. 2003. St. Augustine Cemetery, Reed, Ky.: lest they be forgotten. Utica, Ky: McDowell Publications.
St. John’s Catholic Church Cemetery, near Lone Oak, Kentucky. 1963. Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah.
West-Central Kentucky Family Research Association. 1977. Daviess County, Kentucky cemeteries. Owensboro: West-Central Kentucky Family Research Association. Note: The Archives holds volume 4: “Mater Dolorosa” Catholic Cemetery, West Ninth Street, Owensboro, Kentucky.
Whitworth, Kim, Charmaine Henning, Nancy Henning, and Betty Ann Henning. 1987. History of St. Anthony Parish, Axtel, Kentucky. Utica, Kentucky: McDowell Publications.
Online Resources
Find A Grave
Search an online database of more than 60 million grave records from around the world.
Internment.net
Search and browse cemetery burial records from thousands of cemeteries around the world.
Kentucky Cemetery Records at Interment.net
Search and browse Kentucky cemetery burial records by county.
Kentucky Cemeteries from Kentucky Genealogy
Browse Kentucky cemetery records by county and cemetery name.
Kentucky Cemeteries: The Tombstone Transcription Project
Search and browse Kentucky tombstone transcriptions by county.
Kentucky Historical Society Cemetery Search
Search a database of Kentucky cemetery records.
Names in Stone
Search and browse a database of cemetery records from around the world, including interactive maps of grave locations and grave groupings.