Kent County, Delaware Genealogy

Guide to Kent County, Delaware ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
 * This article is about a county in state of Delaware. For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation)

Description
Kent County was created on 8 August 1673 and named for Kent, an English county. Its county seat is Dover. It is located in the central part of the state. Kent is one of few counties bordering another county with same name across the state line, Kent (MD) County, Maryland.

County Courthouse
Kent County Courthouse 414 Federal Street Dover, DE 19901 Phone: 302-735-1900 Kent County Courthouse

Clerk of Peace has marriage records. Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records. Recorder of Deeds has land records from 1680. Register of Wills has probate records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Maps and Gazetteers

 * USGS Topographical Maps at USGS.gov
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
American Revolution
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. See Delaware, Kent County on page 126.

Civil War
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection;  index; images available through FamilySearch Catalog

World War I
 * 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II
 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1802-1943 Delaware, Federal Naturalization Records, 1802-1943 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1680-1800 Kent County, Delaware Probate records, 1680-1800 at Ancestry - index & images ($) original data: Valinger, Leon de, com/ Calendar of Kent County, Delaware Probate Records, 1680-1800.
 * 1680-1800 DeValinger, Leon. A Calendar of Kent County, Delaware Probate Records, 1680-1800. Dover, Delaware: Public Archives Commission, 1944. (FamilySearch Library .) Facsimile reproduction of the original (FamilySearch Library .)
 * Indexes to probate records 1801-1833, in three volumes by Mary Marshall Brewer (Lewes,Del.: Delmarva Roots, 2002.)
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry - index ($)
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Birth

 * 1650-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1650-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1784-2007 Delaware, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)

Death

 * 1650-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

FamilySearch Centers

 * Dover Delaware FamilySearch Center
 * Newark Delaware FamilySearch Center
 * Cecil County Public Library (multiple locations) - an affiliate library
 * Winterthur Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
The Delaware Public Archives 121 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Dover, DE Phone: 302-744-5016 Email: [mailto:sarah.denison@state.de.us sarah.denison@state.de.us] Website

Societies
Downstate Delaware Genealogical Society PO Box 1787 Dover, DE 19903-1787 Email: [mailto:info@downstatedegenealogists.org info@downstatedegenealogists.org] Website Facebook

The Greater Harrington Historical Society 108 Fleming Street Harrington, DE 19952 Phone: 302-398-3698 Email: [mailto:info@ghhsociety.org info@ghhsociety.org] Website Facebook

Milford Historical Society 501 Northwest Front Street Milford, DE 19963 Email: [mailto:parsonthorne@gmail.com parsonthorne@gmail.com] Facebook

Websites

 * The Kent County DEGenWeb Project, an member of The DEGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Kent County
 * Kent County, Delaware Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.