I'm trying to find what records are available for Baptist churches in Shelby and Spencer counties starting in the late 1770s and continuing through 1850...

If you have done church research and are willing to share contact info, or if you know of any publications with matching church records (other than those filmed at the FHL), please let me know!

Thanks,
Bart Emanuel

Hey Bart,

I have not done any research myself on any churches, but I do know the Shelby County Library in Shelbyville has several books on some individual churches and their histories. I cannot tell you how many of them might have been Baptist. They even have some stuff on the adjoining counties.

Shelby County Library
http://www.youseemore.com/Shelby/default.asp

They don't have anything online, but you can call or email, hopefully, somebody can tell you which books they might possess regarding the Baptist Churches.

Donnie

I am by no means an expert on Kentucky church history, but I will share something I have learned. My 3rd great grandfather, a longtime resident of Spencer County, was a member of the Dunkers church, Church of the Brethren. During the early history of these churches there seems to be a lack of official documentation on them and their members. However, I have found that when they changed from one denomination to another, sometimes older customs went with the new church. While the lines of denominations are blurred, it is not necessarily reflected in the official early church histories. For example, “Love Feasts” and “Washing of Feet” were a Brethren custom which transferred to some Baptist churches. I found it important to look at the other members names and the churches they came from to see the undocumented history of early Kentucky churches.