[2] The county was formed in 1798 and named for Colonel John Fleming, an Indian fighter and early settler.

[8] As of the census of 2000, there were 13,792 people, 5,367 households, and 3,966 families residing in the county.

There were 6,120 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6/km2).

The racial makeup of the county was 97.33% White, 1.41% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races.

23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.