Membership is not required to establish a Kentucky Colonel Branch or to be listed in the Kentucky Colonel Registry
A project conceptualized and planned by Col. David J. Wright and Col. Sherry Crose of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels in 2017 to allow the general public the ability to verify if a person is a Kentucky Colonel and identify the original date of the Kentucky Colonel Commission. Today the development of this "Register of Commissions" (2025) is under the management of the HOKC and Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives as a public resource.
Verify that someone is a Real Kentucky Colonel using the Kinsta App provided by the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) and the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives (KDLA).
The Application will return: (1) Name Matches; (2) City of Residence; (3) Commission Date; and (4) the Governor (or Acting Governor) that signed the Commission.
Input the first and last name of the person you are looking to verify. If the same name appears (two times or more) that indicates that the record was updated (cross-referenced) by the individual contacting the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels to inform them of an address change since they became a colonel.
If you cannot find a particular commission immediately contact the Governor's Office and file a full request for disclosure, your report should demonstrate any evidence you have such as photos of your commission. It was last reported in 2023 several commissions sold on eBay were altered and the perpetrator was attempting to claim Kentucky Colonel Benefits.
If you have a Kentucky Colonel Commission and your name does not appear here, immediately contact Col. Heather Campbell at the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Inc. to have your name added to the HOKC Database. When you opt-in, state your mailing list preferences to avoid promotional advertisements from the member companies.
