England, Kent, Register of Electors - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The England, Kent, Register of Electors collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

For those in the United Kingdom, images may also be viewed by visiting the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone, England.

Record Description
The collection consists of Register of Electors for the county of Kent. This collection also contains a few militia muster rolls for Faversham. Availability of records varies by year and locality.

Electoral rolls have been published annually since 1928. Most electoral rolls list everyone over 18 in a household.

Record Content
Register of Electors generally contain the following information:


 * Name of Proprietor
 * Name of Occupier
 * Date of registration
 * Residence

How to Use the Record
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of voter
 * Place of residence

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

Use these records to identify relatives that may not be found in parish registers.

As with census records, electoral rolls can determine residences of adults and when someone arrives at a residence or moves away from it.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby localities.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Kent Archives
 * England and Wales History Links
 * England and Wales Historic Maps

Related Wiki Articles

 * Electoral Rolls or Registers in England
 * England Electoral Records (National Institute)
 * England Voting Records
 * England Poll Books 1694 to 1872, Electoral Registers 1832 to the Present (National Institute)
 * England

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: