Where was Paris?

Some indexes and transcriptions of the 1820 Bullitt County census have identified its divisions as Shepherdsville, Mount Vernon, and Paris. One index lists 448 households in Shepherdsville, 325 in Paris, and 20 in Mount Vernon. Of course Mount Vernon was the early name given to what would become Mount Washington; and Shepherdsville was the county seat. But where was Paris?

A careful look at images of the original census pages suggests that Paris did not actually exist.

Looking at the census pages, the first column is titled, "Name of the County, Parish, Township, Town, or City where the family resides." What we actually find is that the first ten pages, which these indexes and transcriptions identify as the Paris division, all show the families living in Bullitt County, not any particular part of it. The next page lists the 20 households identified as living in Mount Vernon. The next page identifies 44 households living in Shepherdsville. Then the remaining eleven pages all identify the families as living in Bullitt County.

Thus the actual household count is 20 in Mount Vernon, 44 in Shepherdsville, and 729 in Bullitt County outside these two towns.

So where did the name Paris come from. I suggest that the indexers and transcribers mistook the word "Parish" for "Paris." This should remind us that, while secondary sources like these indexes and transcriptions are often very helpful, there is no better source than the original documents.

---

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.