I found a useful research tool recently (if you are looking for people in kent anyway). The Kent archaeological society has a searchable database of the inscriptions on gravestones in many kent churchyards, useful for going back further than the parish records.
if you go to google and type in the google search bar (not the internet explorer bar, that wont work)
/Research/Libr/MIs/space the name you are researching space site:http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
then google will search the site for you and come up with a list of all the memorials in the archive with that family name (dont forget to put the space before and after the name), alternatively visit kentarchaeology.org.uk and search manually in their burial inscription list, it is arranged by churchyard so unless you know exactly where the family were buried it can be a really long search. It is an entirely free service.
Jon
if you go to google and type in the google search bar (not the internet explorer bar, that wont work)
/Research/Libr/MIs/space the name you are researching space site:http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk
then google will search the site for you and come up with a list of all the memorials in the archive with that family name (dont forget to put the space before and after the name), alternatively visit kentarchaeology.org.uk and search manually in their burial inscription list, it is arranged by churchyard so unless you know exactly where the family were buried it can be a really long search. It is an entirely free service.
Jon
