Some years are approximate due to inconclusive records and changing election dates. In the early years of the county, Fiscal Court (then called the County Court) appointed the Jailer, generally for one-year at a time or until otherwise decided. With a change in the new 1850 State Constitution, Jailers began being elected to four-year terms rather than being appointed. Kentucky is the only state in the nation with elected county jailers.
| Jailer | When Served | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| James Chappell | 1802 | first Bullitt County jailer; other than him, none yet found from 1797-1807 |
| Wyatt P. Tuley | 1808-1813 | |
| John Graham | 1814 (October) | |
| Robert Luckey | 1814 (November | upon resignation of John Graham |
| Seth B. Thornberry | 1816 | |
| William Jones | 1817 (July) – 1821 (January) | |
| William Graham | 1821 (January) | upon resignation of William Jones |
| James W. John | 1822 (November) | |
| John Morrow | 1823 (September) | |
| Thomas Shanklin | 1824 (November)-1832 | |
| Joseph R. Murray | 1827-1839 | |
| William B. Holsclaw | 1839 (July)-1840 (January) | |
| Fredric Travis | 1840 (January)-1848 (April) | |
| George W. Orme | 1848(May)-1849 | |
| Francis Maraman | 1850 | |
| Theodoric Travis | 1851 (June)-1852 | |
| William K. Thomas | 1853 | |
| John Chaddic Jr. | 1854 | |
| William K. Thomas | 1855-1858 | |
| Simpson R. Hoagland (Hoglan) | 1859-1862 | Said to have moved to Missouri after term ended. |
| Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Troutman | 1863-1870 | Buried in Shepherdsville Pioneer Graveyard |
| John R. Thompson | 1871 | Not yet known why Thompson served only one year, or less, of his term. |
| Henry Clay Bowman | 1871-1894 | b. June 3, 1844; d. May 14, 1915. He served 24 years as County jailer. |
| Charles R. "Bob" Smith | 1895-1901 | served seven years? |
| Earnest Demoville Jones | 1902-1905 | Moved to Indiana after his term ended. |
| James W. Croan | 1906-1909 | b. July 26, 1863; d. Dec. 23, 1944 |
| Robinson "Robert E." Lee | 1910-1917 | |
| W. F. "Frank" Monroe | 1918-1921 | later became County Sheriff |
| E. G. "Eph" Quick | 1922-1929 | There were several jail escapes during the tenure of Eph Quick. b. Dec. 11, 1860; d. Sept. 15, 1945. |
| W. F. "Frank" Monroe | 1930-1933 | |
| Embra Deacon | 1934-1936 | Museum has photo of Embra Deacon. b. Oct. 1884; d. May 25,1936. |
| Millard Deacon | 1936 (June)-1937 | Filled in for a time after the death of Embra Deacon. |
| J. Vernon Jones | 1937 (July) | finished out the term of Embra Deacon |
| J. Vernon Jones | 1938-1945 | Father of Adrian Jones, who later became Mayor of Shepherdsville. |
| Tom Hibbs | 1946-1957 | Museum has photo and obit of Tom Hibbs. He had filled in as Jailer for the last 1 ½ years of Vernon Jones's term during Jone's illness. He was also County Sheriff 1958-62. Died 1967. |
| Everett Heffley | 1958-1967 | Museum has photo of Everett Heffley. Died 1967, while in office. |
| Lula Heffley | 1967-1969 | Wife of Everett; appointed to finish his term when he died) |
| Billy Roy Shepherd | 1970-1985 | |
| Ralph Bleemel | 1986-1997 | |
| Tim Seng | 1998 | Appointed to fill out the term of Ralph Bleemel. |
| Danny Fackler | 1999-2010 | |
| Martha Weaver Knox | 2011-2018 | |
| Paul Watkins | 2019-2022 (Died November 7) | |
| Bryan Whittaker | 2022 (November 7)-present | Appointed to fill out the term of Paul Watkins; elected 2022. |
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: 20 Mar 2025 . Page URL: bullittcountyhistory.org/bchistory/jailors.html
