At the time of the first federal census in 1790, the Virginia territory of Kentucky had been divided into nine counties as shown in the map and chart below. While the actual census data for Virginia (and Kentucky) has been lost, the county summaries were preserved.
The land that would become Bullitt County was divided between Jefferson and Nelson counties along the Salt River.
This map is adapted from a map on the Kentucky Secretary of State web site.
The following census data was obtained from the University of Virginia Library Historical Census Browser.
| County | white males 16+ | white males under 16 | white females | other free people | total free | slaves | total population | percent slaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | 1645 | 2035 | 3249 | 0 | 6929 | 908 | 7837 | 11.5 |
| Fayette | 3517 | 4081 | 7028 | 32 | 14658 | 3752 | 18410 | 20.3 |
| Jefferson | 1057 | 1041 | 1759 | 5 | 3862 | 903 | 4765 | 18.9 |
| Lincoln | 1375 | 1441 | 2630 | 8 | 5454 | 1094 | 6548 | 16.7 |
| Madison | 1231 | 1421 | 2383 | 0 | 5035 | 737 | 5772 | 12.7 |
| Mason | 594 | 771 | 1135 | 0 | 2500 | 229 | 2729 | 8.3 |
| Mercer | 1460 | 1543 | 2742 | 7 | 5752 | 1339 | 7091 | 18.8 |
| Nelson | 2508 | 2795 | 4729 | 35 | 10067 | 1248 | 11315 | 11 |
| Woodford | 1767 | 1929 | 3267 | 27 | 6990 | 2220 | 9210 | 24.1 |
| TOTALS | 15154 | 17057 | 28922 | 114 | 61247 | 12430 | 73677 | 16.9 |
If you, the reader, have an interest in any particular part of our county history, and wish to contribute to this effort, use the form on our Contact Us page to send us your comments about this, or any Bullitt County History page. We welcome your comments and suggestions. If you feel that we have misspoken at any point, please feel free to point this out to us.
The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday appointments are available by calling 502-921-0161 during our regular weekday hours. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. Page last modified: 14 Sep 2024 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/census/ky1790cen.html
