Explore the authentic history and legacy of the Kentucky Colonelcy since 1775. Discover famous Kentucky Colonels, learn about the award and commission, uncover the truth behind the title, and separate fact from fiction. Best source for Kentucky Colonel history.
The Origin of the Kentucky Colonel begins in 1775, where the Kentucky Colonel tradition emerged as a symbol of civilian leadership in the American frontier, a colonel was the head of a colony or colonial settlement, not a military officer. Col. Richard Henderson, head of the Transylvania Company, commissioned Daniel Boone with the title of Colonel, not as a military rank, but as a leader of a vital expedition to establish the settlement of Boonesborough. Boone's team of 33 axmen forged a path from the Cumberland Gap, laying the groundwork for the future state of Kentucky. This historic events of 1775 highlight the unique role of the 1st Kentucky Colonels as the founders, pioneers, and colonial leaders that built the first democratic society.
Kentucky Colonel: 1st American Honorific Title of Authority, Greatness, and Prestige
Colonial and Early American history reveals a rich tradition of civilian leadership embodied by the title of 'colonel.' These individuals, often appointed by their peers, were instrumental in establishing communities and shaping the nascent democracy of the new nation. In the decades following 1775, colonels held considerable authority, frequently transitioning into roles of governance and leadership. Their contributions laid the foundation for the societal structures and cultural identity that characterize Kentucky and much of America today.
While the exact origins of the term "Kentucky Colonel" are multifaceted, the connection to Daniel Boone's pioneering role in Kentucky's establishment is undeniable. This association solidified in 1833 with the London production of "The Kentuckian," a play that further cemented the image of the Kentucky Colonel in the popular imagination. The title thus evolved into a cultural symbol, representing the spirit of independence, leadership, and the unique heritage of the Kentucky region.
Semiquincentennial of the Kentucke Magna Charta!
Join Us in Celebrating the Original Recognition of the Founding of America's 1st Free Colonial Democracy by the Kentucky Colonel with the 250th Anniversary of the Traditional Office of the Kentucky Colonelcy from 1775-2025 at Boonesborough on the Kentucky River.
1st Kentucky Colonel found on the Wilderness Road in 1775
Kentucky State Historical Society
The story of the First Kentucky Colonel being Daniel Boone is factually and historically correct, it is not folklore or fiction, if anyone else can be credited with the creation and origin of the pioneer government of Can-tuck-ee, Colonel Boone is right there as one of its 13 first colonels, delegates and colonist settlers drafting what has become known as the "Kentucke Magna Charta" (Transylvania Constitution) in 1775. Most of the laws established by these colonels and their colonists remain in common-law today and were included by other state constitutions.
They never would have called themselves a "Kentucky Colonel," but they were in fact the "Colonels" and they wrote laws that created the governments, made peace with the natives, surveyed the frontier and made their mark one that has survived to the present creating the customs and traditions we observe today. The fact that all this plays out in Kentucky with "colonels" as the sovereign "heads of the colony" is not a coincidence with anything more than it taking place during the Revolutionary Period before the founding of the United States or the fact that Boone originally hunted in Can-tuck-ee since June 7th, 1769.
Col. Daniel Boone is actually credited as the protagonist of the founder of the Transylvania Company, which was formed after Boone lost his son in his first settlement attempt in Kentucky. Col. Judge Richard Henderson of North Carolina befriended Boone, commissioning him a Colonel of the company that built the Wilderness Road (Wild Road) and Boonesborough. It would be almost two years before one of Boone's lieutenants, John Bowman is sent to Williamsburg to meet with Governor Patrick Henry to make the Transylvania Colony part of Virginia. The Governor made Transylvania Lt. Col. John Bowman into Commonwealth Colonel John Bowman of Kentucky County. When Col. Bowman returned to Transylvania he commissioned Daniel Boone a "Lt. Colonel" as well as many others. After that little is known of John Bowman except that he continued to commission new colonels until 1783. What we can also say about Col. Daniel Boone is that he was the "First Colonel" to be commissioned under the Patriot Law by a Private Chartered Company which was enacted on January 1, 1775, we also know he commissioned many other colonels.
Commissioned Colonel of the Transylvania Company in 1775 by the head-of-colony Richard Henderson, makes a treaty and purchase from the Cherokee, becomes the founder of Boonesborough, and a writer of the first democratic constitution in America which today is known as the Kentucky Magna Charta.
Kentucky Colonel becomes its Greatest Statesman
In contemporary state history Col. Daniel Boone is not recognized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky as its founding statesman, that title would go to Isaac Shelby who worked for Col. Daniel Boone 16 years earlier as a surveyor for the Transylvania Colony. When working for Col. Boone, Shelby a young impressionable surveyor learned the secret order of the colonel. Isaac Shelby the surveyor was paid in-kind with food, money and a deed for a parcel in the Transylvania Colony before returning to Southern Virginia on the Wild Road built by Daniel Boone.
In 1776 under the new patriot laws Shelby found a commission from the Virginia Committee of Safety appointing him captain of a company of Minutemen. In 1777, Virginia governor Patrick Henry appointed Shelby to a position securing provisions for the army on the frontier. He served a similar role for units in the Continental Army in 1778 and 1779. With his money, Shelby purchased provisions for John Sevier's 1779 expedition against the Chickamauga, a band of Cherokees who were resisting colonial expansion in the Extralegal State of Franklin.
Shelby was elected to represent Washington County in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1779. Later that year, he was commissioned a major by Governor Thomas Jefferson and charged with escorting a group of commissioners to establish a frontier boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina. Shortly after his arrival in the region, North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell made him magistrate of newly formed Sullivan County and elevated him to the rank of colonel of the Sullivan County Regiment. While he was a colonel, Shelby assisted other colonels establish the State of Franklin before moving to his property in the Kentucke region. Engaging in local politics later creating the Commonwealth of Kentucky with more than a 12 other colonels who made him their first governor. Most of Kentucky's counties today are named after the historic colonial and pioneer colonels that migrated there following Boone and Shelby.
Kentucky Colonel Isaac Shelby
Kentucky Colonel Nomination Procedure
In deed, the Kentucky Colonel Award or Title is the highest form of recognition bestowed to individuals by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
A Kentucky colonelcy can only be granted by the Governor and the Secretary of State based upon being nominated by another colonel, being recommended by a third party, or being individually recognized by the state's governor for a noteworthy act that commands the governor's attention (or the state). Historically there have been cases where the governor has recognized noteworthy individuals as Kentucky colonels based on formal written suggestions by citizens and other officials of the Commonwealth.
Nominations for the title of Kentucky Colonel must be made by an independent third party, it is not recommended that family members living at the same address make nominations because they may be rejected. The Office of the Governor is permitted implicitly in law to perform a background check on nominees and nominators.
Recommendations can be made directly on the Governor's Website.
Great Seal of the Commonwealth 2023
Kentucky Colonel, Honorable Title of Authority
Kentucky Colonel is the highest civil Title of Authority and Honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The recognition entitles the holder of the commission to enjoy the usufruct rights, privileges and responsibilities as the benefits of the Kentucky Colonelcy as their lifetime office. "Commissions for Kentucky colonels are given on occasion by the Governor and the Secretary of State to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments, personal achievements, individual deeds and outstanding service in a person's community, state, or nation."
The Governor of Kentucky bestows the "Honorable" title upon someone with a colonelcy commission through the issuance of letters patent (Kentucky Colonel Certificate). The commission is a legal act of the Office of the Governor and lifetime appointment as a civil officer of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The official practice of naming civilians as Kentucky colonels began in 1895 with Governor "Colonel" William O'Connell Bradley who himself was known as a Kentucky Colonel since his adolescence, so perhaps the practice of making colonels has much deeper roots?
This is not where the Colonelcy began, long before Governor Bradley came to office Kentucky was full of colonels, in Colonial Virginia being a colonel meant a person was recognized as the "head of the colony"; the same common law colonelcy exists today as it did in 1775, when the colonies turned to states the colonels had done their job and the title remained an honorable one used by the civil state.
The Kentucky Colonel Commission is a Title of Authority and a Title of Honor issued in the form of Letters Patent, it is difficult to reproach a Kentucky Colonel in modern society for their activities taken under this grant of recognition.
Kentucky Colonel Certificate
Kentucky Colonel (Professional Occupation)
People often ask themselves why they would want to become a Kentucky Colonel, if all the benefits, privileges and responsibilities of common-law colonelcy have been surrendered to past histories and legacies?
Many people even view it as a joke, but the Title: Kentucky Colonel is not a joke it is quite the contrary; despite its history of 250 years the Office of the Colonelcy is very real, an attorney knowledgeable of this will tell you the Kentucky Colonel Commission is a Title of Authority, it is not just an honorary award despite the references. In 1953, soon to be Governor, Justice Bertram Combs said on the bench that a Kentucky Colonel is an officer of the Commonwealth with greater or equal powers than that of a Notary Public. The Kentucky Colonel may even be likely to have created the First Notary Office.
While the original rules and traditions may have been subdued as the first colonels (our sovereign leaders) built the government up around them, the honor and integrity of the engineers of government were incorporated with them in today's civil award (commission), the difference today is that it is more difficult to apply the wisdom of the freemen with the vision they had considering our environment and the existing civil society. Any legal expert most likely knows the actual authority the title gives them, however they will also tell you that there is no way to exercise all the powers except by leading others in your own endeavors.
Kentucky Colonel Coat of Arms
