Trace your Kent family history and ancestors from the 1500s onwards with this list of genealogy and local history links and resources.
Archives
- Cityark
CityArk is the online catalogue of the Medway Council Archives Service which is based at the Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre, Civic Centre, Strood, Kent, England. They preserve and make available for research the archives of the Medway area of Kent and also the parish records of north-west Kent. Their oldest records date from 604.
There are many parish registers and records available to view online for free. - Kent Archives
BMDs and Parish Records
- England BMDs
- FreeBMD
- Kent Parish Records
- Mid-Kent Marriage Index 1754-1911
The online Mid-Kent Marriages Index 1754-1911 is the work of local historians and genealogists David Hills and Gary Samson. David has painstakingly transcribed the marriage records of seven registration districts in the mid Kent area: East Ashford, West Ashford, Cranbrook, Elham, Hollingbourne, Romney Marsh and Tenterden. Also included are marriages celebrated at Maidstone (All Saints) for this period.
Burials & Cemeteries
- Billion Graves
- Kent Monumental Inscriptions
The Kent Archaeological Society website had free access to thousands of memorial inscriptions from hundreds of churchyards all over the county of Kent, England. The records were collected from the 1760s onwards. - Kent Cemetery Photos
Census Records
- Census 1841-1921
Search the census records from 1841-1921, plus the 1939 Register all at once. - FreeCen
Has a good, but not complete, selection of free records to search and view.
Criminals and Convicts
Electoral Registers
Forums
- Kent History Forum
Kent History Forum is the place to discuss all things history related in Kent. You’ll find many others discussing all manner of topics from aircraft to dockyards to POW camps. It’s also possible to make family history look-up requests from other users. - RootsChat Kent
Find help or offer to help others with their Kent genealogy.
Heraldry
Historical Directories
Local History
- Bygone Kent 1892
- Genuki Kent
- Kent Genealogy
This site is an excellent resource for genealogy in the County of Kent, England. It includes many indexes and transcripts containing over 90,000 names and over 350 links to other useful sites. - Kent Resources
Kent Resources provides lots of historical material proving help for family historians and genealogists in Kent. - The Weald
The history, genealogy and topography of the Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. This site catalogues the people, places, maps, drawings, engravings, books, writings and numerous lists and directories that are over 70 years old into an integrated database of information about one of the most attractive parts of England – The Weald of Kent, Surrey and Sussex. In addition, the site and its many contributors have derived extensive familial relationships and pedigrees which can be of great use for genealogical study and research. Where appropriate, the viewer should verify the information presented by consulting the original sources that are noted at every point on this site. - Historic Canterbury
Lots of records and information for those with ancestors from the town. - Woodchurch Local and Family History
Woodchurch Local and Family History has an amazing list of online resources including parish records, directories, census, baptisms, monumental inscriptions, burial, banns and much more.
Maps
Military Records
- British Military Records
- East Kent War Memorials
- Kent Fallen
Kent War Memorials Transcription Project. This website is now offline, but the link goes to the archived version which might still be useful. - Kent Roll of Honour
Newspaper Archives
Obituaries
Occupations
Photos and Postcards
Poor Law Records
- Kent Poor Law Union 1835-1841
Find out if your ancestor was admitted to, discharged from or born in a Kent workhouse. - Bromley Workhouse Records
- Canterbury Workhouse Records
- Dover Workhouse Records
- Maidstone Workhouse Records
School Records
Societies and Groups
- Ashford Family History Society
- Canterbury FHS
- Kent Family History Society
- Medway Family History Society
- North West Kent FHS
The North West Kent Family History Society was formed in 1978 with the object of aiding and encouraging the study of family history and genealogy in South East London and North West Kent. There are around 1,400 members, whose interests cover the whole of Great Britain and beyond. Amongst its many advantages membership offers a quarterly journal, meetings with talks at each of our three venues, house group meetings, an internet mailing list, a document ordering service; and occasional coach trips to Kew etc.
Surnames
- Kent Surnames
Search more than 9,000 surname listings to see who’s researching the name. You can also contact the person for more details. - Kent Common Surnames
View the 200 most common surnames in the County using data from 2014.
Wills and Probate
- Canterbury Probate Records 1396-1858
Henry Plomer indexed all the probate documents up to 1558 before WW1. His work was published in 1920 by KAS and has been retained with corrections as it is still the best record of early probate documents at Canterbury. We have indexed from the original documents:- Consistory Court registered wills from 1550-1857 and original wills from 1559-1857, Archdeaconry Court registered and original wills from 1550-1858. - Kent Administrations 1559-1649
- Kent Wills & Probate 1328-1890
- Kent Will Transcripts pre 1858
View Kent wills with details from pre 1858.