The Strays index is now on the web site

The Strays' Index was an inititive by the FFHS back in the pre-2000 years.

NWKFHS slips have sat in our library unused since Audrey Rainer stopped being the Strays Co-ordinator. When we were clearing out the cupboards a few months ago the strays were unearthed and it was decided that the slips should be indexed into a digital database.

Strays are records of events, which take place out of the area where the person normally lived. In our index it is anyone referred to in non-Kent records as being from Kent. These are out of County strays. Some family historians record out of parish strays. This narrower view of strays has not been included in this index, as it would create too large a database to both research and manage.

Census strays are a little different as they are of people resident outside the place of their birth and for our index this means outside of their birth county of Kent.

The advantage of stray indexes to family historian is it helps to locate their lost and itinerant ancestors.

The above is an extract from our original 2002 project paperwork. 

There are 6344 entries in the Strays Index and the pdf file that is on the web site is 2115 pages of information. To search a pdf file for any word use the 'control' key and the F key together.