Local Studies and Archive Centre

Sources for Family History

Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre is the main centre for tracing your family history in the London Borough of Bexley and its predecessor authorities. The Centre holds many sources for family historians, which are accessible in a variety of ways; digital, microform and hard copy.

Mr. and Mrs. Bruce L. Gibson and son and Nurse Ford at East Wickham Farm c. 1900

Indexes to National Records

General Register Office indexes (GRO indexes) of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, 1900-1942.
The International Genealogical Index (IGI) for England (1988 & 1992 Editions).
1881 census index for England and Wales
National Burial Index for England and Wales (2nd Edition)
Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914-1919
Army Roll of Honour 1939-1945

Sources for London Borough of Bexley: baptisms, marriages, burials

Church of England parish registers, 1538 to date
Non Conformist church registers
Civil cemetery burial registers, 19th-20th Centuries
Modern transcripts and indexes of parish registers
Wills and other probate documents

The Mitchell Family from Erith c. 1900

Other Useful Bexley Sources for Family History

Bexley and Kent Census Returns, 1841-1901
Indexes to census returns, 1841-1901
Voters lists and electoral registers, 1833 – to date
Rate Books, 18th-20th centuries
Tithe Awards, 1837-1842
Manorial records
School records, including admission registers, 19th-20th Centuries
Dartford Union Workhouse registers, 19th-20th Centuries
Family and estate records, including Hall Place and Belvedere
Maps and Plans 18th Century – to date
Telephone directories, 1926 – to date
Kent and Bexley Street and Trade directories, 1870-1938
Local Newspaper 1874 – to date
Ideal Homes: Suburbia In Focus

Books

Extensive collection of Family History guide books
Family Tree Magazine, 1984 - to date
Genealogical Research Directory

For other records relating to a particular person or family search the Bexley Archives’ Online Catalogues

If you require detailed research, please use our Research Service or visits the Centre in person.

Ancestry library edition is now available FREE on computers in Bexley Libraries. Trace your family history using Bexley Libraries' latest free web site - Ancestry. This is a special version of the well known Ancestry.com subscription web site made available free on computers in Bexley libraries.

It’s simple to use – just type in your ancestor’s name and any other details you know, such as when and where they were born, when they got married.

You can search censuses for England, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands from 1841 to 1901, England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes for births, deaths and marriages, plus UK and Ireland parish and probate records from the 1500s to the 1800s and even earlier. There are also a few military, immigration/emigration, court and probate records.

Find out more about Bexley Libraries here.