From about 1650 until the arrival of the first white settlers, Shawnee tribes from north of the Ohio River and the Cherokee and Chickasaw tribes from south of the Cumberland River fought for control of the "Great Meadow." During this time, no Indian nation held possession of the land that would eventually become Kentucky.

Dr. Thomas Walker and Christopher Gist led the first surveying parties into Kentucky in 1750 and 1751, respectively, but the outbreak of the French and Indian War in 1754 delayed further exploration of the state for over a decade. Daniel Boone visited Kentucky in 1767, and in 1769, with a party of hunters led by John Finley, he returned to Kentucky for a two-year exploration of the region. In 1774, James Harrod constructed the first permanent settlement in Kentucky at Fort Harrod, the site of present-day Harrodsburg. Boonesboro was established in 1775, and many other settlements were created soon after.

The last major Indian raid in Kentucky occurred at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782, although small skirmishes and raids would continue until 1813. Kentucky was originally declared to be a part of Virginia and was made a separate county of that state in 1776. Soon after the end of the American Revolution, a separation movement began in Kentucky. In 1785, district residents of Kentucky County began petitioning the Virginia legislature for statehood. They wished the County to be recognized as a "free and independent state, to be known by the name of the 'Commonwealth' of Kentucky."

after nine conventions to discuss the separation, Kentucky was made a separate state and was admitted to the Union as the fifteenth state. On June 4th, 1792, Kentucky County, Virginia became officially the "Commonwealth of Kentucky" . Isaac Shelby was chosen as the first governor. Kentucky's first constitution was drafted in April and May of that year (the constitution was rewritten in 1800, and again in 1850 and 1891), and Frankfort was chosen to be the site of the state capital. In 1818, the westernmost region of the state was annexed, following its purchase from the Chicasaw Indians.

When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Kentucky was torn apart by conflicting loyalties. Officially a neutral state, brother often fought against brother as Kentucky supplied approximately 100,000 troops to the North and 40,000 troops to the South. Ironically, Kentucky was the birthplace of the Union president, Abraham Lincoln, and the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis. The two great men were born in log cabins within one year and 100 miles of each other. Kentucky's strategic potential was recognized by both sides in the conflict, and several bloody engagements and many guerrilla raids occurred throughout the state. The most violent battle took place near Perryville in 1862, with a toll of 1,600 dead and 5,400 wounded.

Early Tabor families entered KY soon after it separated from VA."Tabor" Counties