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PREFACE y
The Historical Records Survey was initiated as a nation-wide project in I
January 1956, as a part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress l
Administration. In Kentucky the Survey became an independent unit in December
1936, but continued to operate as a part of the nation-wide project under the
technical supervision of Dr. Luther H. Evans, National Director, Historical
Records Survey, and under the administrative supervision of the Division of
Women’s and Professional Projects of the Works Progress Administration. Work
of the Survey in Fayette County, Kentucky, was started in February 1956, sus-
pended for a time, and completed in May, 1937. C
The objective of the Survey in Kentucky has been the preparation of com- l
plete inventories of the records of the State and of each county, city and
other local governmental unit. Although a condensed form of entry is used,
the information given includes certain historical facts which may furnish
clues to historians and genealogists. Particular effort has been made to
supply the inclusive dates of all series of records and to give such doscrip- I
tion of individual record series that the reader will readily know what in-
formation is available and where it is located,
The Inventory of County Archives in Kentucky will, when completed, con- I
sist of a separate number for each county in the State, with the units of the
series numbered according to the respective alphabetical position of the
county. Thus, the inventory herewith presented for Fayette County is No. 34.
The inventory of the state archives and of municipal and other local records
will constitute separate publications.
The State Office of the Historical Records Survey in Kentucky was orig-
inally located in Lexington, which made possible numerous experiments required
in developing a thorough method of listing records, not only in Fayette County
and the City of Lexington, but in the State of Kentucky as well. The forms
used by the field workers in listing the required information were prepared by
the National Office of the Survey. These forms, together with instructions
from the same source, provided for the nation-wide uniformity of the work. A
careful recheck against the actual records within their respective deposim
torics has been made, so that the inventory would be trustworthy.
The historical sketch cites the original boundaries of the county from the
statutes and follows this with citations of all subsequent changes. The dis-
cussion of governmental organization includes a complete chart of the current
governmental set-up. A review of each office precedes the entries of the
county offices and includes their history, functions and records. These re-
views are predicated on definite constitutional and statutory citations tracing
the evolution of the respective offices. Recommendations for improvement of
the arrangement and care of public documents, incorporated in the section on
"Housing, Care and Accessibility of the Records", have becn.medo only after
comprehensive and unbiased study.
The various units of the Inventory of County Archives will be issued in
mimeographed form for free distribution to government offices, libraries, and
nistorieal societies in Kentucky and libraries in other states. Requests for
information concerning particular units of the Inventory should be addressed to
the State Director. _M-__--—
The field work in Fayette County was done by Mrs, Frances P. Cassidy and
Miss Margaret Stevens. .Mr. Abraham Freeman and hr. Albert Green were respon-
sible for the legal details, and Miss Virginia Pol~y did the typing. The work
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