Family and local history reference and research help
Kent Archives and Local History
Kent Archives have a range of information and resources to help you explore your family history, and find out more about the history of Kent. Find help and advice on planning your search and visiting an archive centre from Kent Archives.
Visit the Kent Archives and Local History website.
Ancestry Library Edition
Access from public library and Kent Archives Search Room computers only. Start searching billions of records to help discover your family's story. Key sources include the UK collections of census records for England, Wales, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Scotland, 1841 to 1911. There are also sources on Ancestry Library Edition connected with births, marriages and deaths, immigration and travel, military services, wills, probate, land, taxes and crime. A simple search using an ancestor's first name and surname can produce some interesting results, which can be printed or emailed.
Contact your local library for more information.
Dictionary of National Biography
A national record of men and women who have shaped British history and culture, worldwide, from the Romans to the 21st century
Visit the Dictionary of National Biography website.
Find my Past - Community Edition
Access from public library and Kent Archives Search Room computers only.
View around 750 million records including birth, marriage and death records, the complete UK census collection (including the official 1911 and 1921 census returns and the 1939 Register), millions of parish records (including Kent parishes) dating as far back as 1538, a vast military records collection spanning 1656 to 1994, migration records, and Kent School Admission Registers and logbooks, 1870-1914.
Other subscriptions excludes memorial scrolls and the Living Relatives database. Our licence states that usage is for research into a user's own family history only, and not for any commercial or other purpose whatsoever and that accessing records on behalf of 3rd parties is not permitted.
Contact your local library for more information.
Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland
Search over 45,000 entries including current surnames with more than 100 bearers and those that had more than 20 bearers in the 1881 census. The entries give an explanation of the name’s origins, variations in spelling, and information about geographical distribution.
In order to access this resource, visit the Oxford Reference website and sign in with your library card. Then select from the menu 'Show Books in my subscription', then 'Name Studies' from the list of subjects.
Visit the Oxford Reference website.
Who's Who (with Who was Who) Online
Who's Who is the essential directory of the noteworthy and influential in the UK and worldwide. Who Was Who includes over 100,000 entries from the archives of Who's Who dating back to 1898.
Free websites
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The "Debt of Honour Register" database lists the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the 2 world wars and the 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and other locations worldwide where they are commemorated. You can also search the register for details of the 67,000 Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action in the Second World War.
Visit the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
Family Search
Family Search is a non profit service sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The site provides access to "the largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world".
Visit the Family Search website.
FreeBMD
Access to partial indexes for 1837 to 1992 civil records of births, marriages and deaths.
Historic Environment Record
The Historic Environment Record provides free access to 1000s of local history resources including images, transcribed wills and documents and town trails. The Kent section includes transcribed wills, a history of the papermaking industry, a history of people and work in the Lower Medway Valley is being prepared. You can also access ordnance survey maps from between 1860 - 1930. Using the Map Search- Heritage Maps facility, you can also access historic ordnance survey maps of Kent as well as aerial photographs of Kent from 1946, 1990 and 2008.
Search the Historic Environment Record website.
Kent Archives
Our service provides you with the opportunity to learn, explore and develop your knowledge of Kent's history. Find out more about our collections, research services, conservation work, parish registers and events.
Visit the Kent archives and Local History website.
Medway Archives Centre
The Medway Archive Centre preserves and makes available for research the archives of the Medway area of Kent and also the parish records of north-west Kent.