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Community Users

Books

If you are a Hardin County resident, you may obtain a library card at the circulation desk. A photo ID will be required in order for us to process your request. You may check out 4 books at a time for a loan period of 2 weeks. Bear in mind that our book collection is geared towards the classes that we offer at ECTC. We have a very limited numbers of books in areas such as popular fiction, children's literature, cooking, collecting, etc.

Computers

Users are required to sign onto computers. You MUST bring a photo ID in order to obtain a temporary pass. Please be forewarned that ECTC students are our first priority; if community patrons are using workstations needed by ECTC students, the community patrons may be asked to vacate their spot.

Newspapers and Genealogy

Back issues of area newspapers are available on microfilm. We also have Hardin County civil and criminal court records on microfilm. These records include marriage records, wills, deeds and tax lists as well as civil suits and criminal court records. You are welcome to come to our library and use these records. We have three microfilm reader/printers. Copies cost 10 cents per page; the machines take only dimes. Bear in mind that some newspaper articles, and most court records will not fit on one 8.5 X11 page and will therefore require additional printing.

If you are unable to come to the library, we will perform some limited searching for you. If you need an obituary, you MUST provide us with the date of death; if you need an article on a particular event, you must know the approximate date (within a week) of that event. There is no index to the News-Enterprise.

No requests will be processed without a self-addressed stamped envelope. If your article or records requires more than three copies, you must send an additional self-addressed stamped envelope.

Please send written requests to the following address:

Laurie MacKellar, Public Services Librarian
ECTC Library
600 College Street Rd
Elizabethtown KY 42701

Include exact or approximate (within a week) dates, first and last names of individuals and the specific type of record sought along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Include your name, mailing address and telephone number on your written request.

As a community technical college, our main priority is serving ECTC students. We will make every attempt to process your research request within 2 to 4 weeks. No more than two research requests per four-week period.

Local Newspapers

• Elizabethtown News-Enterprise (1984 - present)
• Elizabethtown News (1882 - 1967)
• Hardin County Enterprise (1926 - 1974)

Hardin County Historical Microfilm

These records are limited to: wills, court orders, marriage bonds, marriage consent notes, tax assessor's lists, minister returns, some marriage certificates and licenses, and property deeds.

• Court Orders (1793 - 1875) - transcripts of daily circuit court activities. Court order books are in chronological order, with more than one book on each roll of microfilm. Indexes to the court orders are located at the beginning of each book. They are organized alphabetically by name. The page number of the ledger where the court case is listed follows the name.
• Criminal Court Cases (1881 - 1977) - indexes are arranged alphabetically by last name of plaintiff.
• Civil Court Cases (1876 - 1977) - these records include items such as repossession of property, the appointment of guardians and other court duties.
• Property Deeds (1793 - 1876) - sale and purchase transaction records. Index to Property Deeds is stored on a separate microfilm reel. It contains the year, names of sellers and buyers (organized alphabetically,) the letter or number designating the deed book containing the transaction and the page number (listed in the column marked folio.) Users should consult the Index to Property Deeds before using the Property Deeds microfilm in order to obtain the correct book and page number.
• Tax Assessor's Lists (1794 - 1869) - records are stored on five separate rolls of microfilm. Users should note the years listed on the microfilm boxes. Records list possessions of households and values for those possessions.
• Wills (1793 - 1915) - this set of records is stored on three microfilm rolls. Book letters and years are indicated on the film boxes. Name indexes are stored at the beginning of each book (with each microfilm roll containing two or three books.) Users need to know the year in which the will was likely to be filed; otherwise users will need to look at the different indexes.
• Marriage records
  • Index to marriage records (1793 - 1896) This roll lists names of brides and grooms arranged alphabetically under individual years. Users should know the appropriate year or be willing to search the lists under individual years. The letter designating the appropriate marriage book appears in the column to the right of the individual's name.
  • Marriage Register (1793 - 1911) - these lists contain names of marrying individuals, date of marriage and name of minister.
  • Ministers' Returns (1810 - 1872) - lists of marriages performed by local ministers. Date of marriage, names of bride and groom and minister's name.
  • Consent Notes (1793 - 1872) - copies of original hand-written notes from parents or legal guardians giving permission for children or charges to marry
  • Marriage Bonds, Licenses and Certificates (1793 - 1911) - these records are grouped together on one film reel and are listed by year. Bonds list a sum of 50 pounds in currency to be paid to the county clerk

All records are hand-written and are sometimes difficult to read. In many cases the records may need to be copied in sections onto more than one sheet of paper.

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