Get listed in the "New Kentucky Colonel Handbook" (Historical Edition) with the Original Kentucky Colonels.
Since 1875 (100th Anniversary of Common Law Kentucky Colonelcy 1775-1875) Kentucky Governors during their terms of office have officially commissioned dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of civilians to be recognized with the honorable title of "Kentucky Colonel" based on their achievements, deeds, and merits. The Kentucky Colonel Commission (the document) is a legal act that is recorded with the Secretary of State. Being granted the Kentucky Colonel (title) is a great honor, it entitles recipients to "special rights, privileges, and responsibilities appertaining thereto" and in Kentucky affords the recipient the honorific style as a civil officer.
In May 2024 we found a copy of "The Kentucky Colonels Handbook," a rare-book copyrighted in 1930, since then we have researched the nearly 1,000 leads it produced rediscovering a trove of lost resources and understanding the truth about the lost history of the Kentucky Colonel in the United States.
Did you know? (Recently Discovered Facts):
colonels could perform weddings,
colonels are legally state officers (equal to a notary),
colonels were tax-exempt,
colonels were the original industrial leaders and producers bourbon, hemp, thoroughbred horses and tobacco,
colonels were recognized protectors (guardians) of social ethics and values in Louisville from 1905-1925, and
colonels are originally Kentucky's most prominent colonial leaders from 1775 through 1799.
Prior to the creation of the "Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels" in 1933 New York and the "Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Inc." in 1957 Kentucky; Kentucky Colonel organizations were located across the United States and were mostly focused on celebrating culture and preserving heritage.
Since 2020 when the Origin of the Kentucky Colonel starting in 1813 was debunked we have discovered dozens of likely origins of the tradition as a Kentucky Custom. New things are being discovered everyday about the Kentucky Colonel Class and Kentucky Colonelcy, when we find them we document the source and add them to the AI database of facts.
The Kentucky Derby: How the Run for the Roses became America's Premier Sporting Event, James C. Nicholson
My Grandmother's Erotic Folktales, Robert Antoni
Wild West Weekly, No. 53, October 23, 1903
Calvin Cobb, Radio Woodworker, Roy Underhill
Kentucky Colonel—New Vintage, Collected Writing of J. Winston Coleman Jr., LL.D., Litt.D.
The Emergence of American English as a Discursive Variety.
A Kentucky Colonels Uniform, Kentucky State Bar Journal 1944-09: Vol 8 Iss 4
Twenty-third Lincoln birthday service, Memorial Hall, Chicago, Sunday, February 12, 1922, 2:30 P.M.. William Eleazar Barton
Symbols of America, Hal Morgan
The Origin of the "Kentucky Colonel Archetype" in England in 1833 and the Commonwealth's first Commissions to Civilians beginning in 1875!
The title of Kentucky Colonel originated not as a courtesy designation or charitable novelty, but as a formal title of public civil authority established on May 23, 1775, during the Transylvania Convention at Boonesborough on the Kentucky River. There, in the midst of America’s first experiment in frontier self-government, Daniel Boone, Richard Henderson, John Bowman, and James Harrod were among the first individuals recognized in Kentucky by a head-of-state with their honorable titles under a legal charter—authorized by mutual agreement, public consent to authority, property rights, civil order, and treaty, rather than by military rank.
This early form of colonial democracy, often referred to as the Kentucke Magna Charta, predates Kentucky statehood by more than a decade. Its delegates drafted laws, settled claims, and established public authority under the Transylvania Company’s jurisdiction, which was later integrated into Virginia and ultimately the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The title “colonel” was used since that day to designate civilian authority figures with command over land, peace, and law. These colonels founded courts, designated sheriffs, surveyed property, and represented the civil will of the people at a time when state and federal governments were still emerging in the 13 colonies.
From these origins, the Kentucky Colonel emerged as a symbol of civic virtue, democratic authority, and frontier leadership—not merely as a title of honor, but as a public trust granted to individuals whose service helped shape the laws, lands, and liberties of early Kentucky. This historical fact has been consistently preserved in state archives, scholarly works, and cultural memory dating back to the 18th century.
The Kentucky Colonel Registry™ (replacing the "List of Kentucky Colonels" in 2026) is the official historical record and living civic register of individuals recognized as part of the Kentucky Colonel class. Unlike informal directories or honorary rosters maintained by private associations, this Registry is now structured as a public-facing archive of authenticated, culturally and legally acknowledged colonelships—documented across time, jurisdiction, and historical provenance. It preserves names, appointments, and contextual information for each individual to ensure that the civic legacy of the Kentucky Colonel is neither forgotten nor misrepresented.
The Registry is based upon primary source materials, authenticated public documents, and verified archival records—including gubernatorial commissions, historical directories, and public domain cultural sources. These records have been compiled into a sworn Declaration of Historical Fact © 🧑⚖️ with Legal Appendices:
Appendix A: Sources of the Kentucky Colonel
Appendix B: Quotes and Passages
Appendix C: Images of the Kentucky Colonel
Appendix D: Things Called a Kentucky Colonel
Appendix E: Exhibits Exposition (100+ FRE 201 Exhibits)
Together they were formally submitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Library of Congress, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1746 and Federal Rule of Evidence 201(b). Each registered colonel is recorded as part of this collective historical identity, creating an enduring, lawful record of public acknowledgment.
Additionally, the Registry now functions as a licensure and credentialing system for contemporary Kentucky Colonels who choose to affirm their place within this historic civic tradition. By registering, individuals will receive formal acknowledgment of their status as part of the recognized civil class of Kentucky Colonels, statewide by county, nationwide by city and state, and internationally by city and country. They become part of a documented continuum that stretches from Boone and Shelby to the present day—we aim to be an inclusive, peer-driven Congress of Kentucky Colonels that maintains fidelity to history while advancing a cooperative civic future.
The new Kentucky Colonel Registry (2026) and Historical Register will supercede all Kentucky Colonel databases, directories, lists, chronologies, and timelines with its abilities using AI Technologies like Gemini and ChatGPT with the Kentucky Colonel Consulate™. As the factual and verifiable historical data is stored about "Kentucky Colonels" individuals from the Kentucky Colonel Civil Class the great story is built.
New Classified Listing System being introduced in 2026, which will include the reasoning behind the registered colonel's nomination based on public and stated information.
In continuation of the Kentucky Colonel’s historical role as a civil leader and community dignitary, the Kentucky Colonel Credential™ and the Kentucky Colonel Badge™ serve as modern, verifiable acknowledgments of title and lawful distinction. These instruments are not decorative novelties; they are based upon established precedents in civic recognition, peer authenticated, and blockchained—akin to contemporary mayoral, judicial, and gubernatorial insignia and identification issued at the state level for formal identity verification and public representation.
The Kentucky Colonel Badge™ 🥇 is modeled on early 20th-century insignia, most notably the silver six-point star issued to colonels during the Progressive Era (c.1907-1929), as featured in official regalia, news photography, and state press. It is designed to visually restore the dignity of the commission without mimicry or theatrical embellishment. The badge affirms not only personal honor but also historical continuity with those who once held civil, diplomatic, and public trust under the authority of Kentucky’s governors.
The Kentucky Colonel Credential™ 🪪now replaces earlier forms of informal identification and the Kentucky Colonel Identification Card (2021-2023) by offering a recognized title license issued through the Registry. It certifies that the individual has voluntarily acknowledged the responsibilities, rights, and historic office of the Kentucky Colonel. Each credential reflects the lawful standing of the registrant within a historically valid framework. While separate from commercial or philanthropic ventures, the Credential operates as an official civic record of the individual’s standing, echoing the original purpose of colonel appointments under Boone, Henderson, Bowman, and Shelby—recognition of one’s public usefulness, honorable conduct, and constructive influence in society.
As with anything, there are multiple perspectives and viewpoints regarding the status of the Kentucky Colonel Commission as well as the understated benefits and privileges that can be gained as a colonel, like those exploited by Harlan Sanders and Irvin Cobb. Most likely this is because the Kentucky Colonel Commission is not codified in Kentucky Law, its duties and historical precedent not very well defined; and because there are so many activities, events, reasons, and purposes for a Governor to commission a Kentucky Colonel and recognize them with the Honorable Title. Inasmuch, aside from general information found here on this website there is the Kentucky Colonel Code, which is not for the lighthearted colonels, and can only be reviewed by actual colonels after signing a the Kentucky Colonel Oath. The new website for members of the Kentucky Colonel Class will begin in January 2026.