KYGenWeb: County Collection: Knott
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Start Your Knott County Research

Knott County was created in 1884 from portions of Letcher, Perry, and Floyd Counties and was named for James Proctor Knott, a Kentucky statesman and former governor. The county seat is Hindman. Located deep in eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian region, Knott County’s history is closely tied to rugged mountain geography, creek-based settlement patterns, and late county formation.

Kentucky map with Knott County highlighted
Knott County within Kentucky

Research Highlights

Knott County research almost always begins outside the county. Because it was formed late, most families appear earlier in records of Letcher, Perry, and Floyd Counties. Land, tax, and court materials from those counties are essential for tracing residents before 1884.

Geography plays a major role. Families are commonly identified by creek, fork, or hollow rather than town names. Cluster research—following neighbors, witnesses, and adjoining landowners—is especially effective in Knott County, where communities remained stable even as county boundaries changed.

County at a Glance

  • County seat: Hindman
  • Established: 1884
  • Parent counties: Letcher, Perry, and Floyd Counties
  • Counties formed from Knott: none
  • Early communities: Hindman, Pippa Passes, creek and hollow settlements
  • Key waterways: Troublesome Creek and its forks
  • Early industries: subsistence farming, timbering, later coal
  • Nearby landmarks: Troublesome Creek region; eastern Kentucky mountain corridors

Record Considerations:

  • Late formation. Expect most families to appear in parent counties well into the late 19th century.
  • Creek-based identification. Deeds, tax lists, and court records often reference waterways rather than towns.
  • Work by neighborhood. Repeated associations are critical for separating men of the same name.

Adjacent Counties

Map showing adjacent counties

Repositories & Records

The Knott County Courthouse in Hindman holds land, probate, and court records created after 1884. Earlier records for Knott County families are found in the parent counties. The County Clerk’s Office maintains land and marriage records, while court materials are handled through the circuit court clerk. Many Kentucky county record series are also available on microfilm through the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA).

Local research support is often available through public libraries and regional history collections. Librarians and local historians are usually familiar with creek names, family clusters, and long-standing community ties.

For place-based research, always note creek names and adjoining landowners. These geographic references often remain consistent across multiple record types and across county boundaries.

Notes

Research Notes: In Knott County, shared geography matters more than town residence. Build timelines around waterways and then follow the same families backward into Letcher, Perry, and Floyd Counties.

Migration Patterns: Knott County sits very close to the Virginia border, and its population reflects a mix of migration streams rather than a single dominant path. Some families filtered in from older eastern Kentucky counties, while others moved along Appalachian routes from Virginia and or neighboring mountain regions. Because of this, it is common to find related families appearing in multiple nearby counties without a clear county-to-county progression.

Troublesome Creek context: Troublesome Creek and its forks are central reference points in Knott County records and can help anchor families across deeds, tax lists, and court orders.

Map is from the 1891 Appleton Map of Kentucky. Found in the David Rumsey Map Collection.