Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic Site In 1792, Kentucky became an independent state, separate from Virginia, and Isaac Shelby was sworn in as its first governor. Shelby’s Early Years Isaac Shelby, was born December 11, 1750, in Maryland. He and his family later moved to Fincastle County, VA (present day Bristol, Tennessee). Around 1773, ShelbyContinue reading “Isaac Shelby: Kentucky’s First Governor and His Legacy at Traveler’s Rest”