Washington County, Rhode Island Genealogy
Guide to Washington County, Rhode Island ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Washington County, Rhode Island | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Rhode Island, United States Genealogy | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | June 3, 1729 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | |
| Courthouse | |
| Website: www.courtreference.com/Washington-County-Rhode-Island-Courts.htm | |
Contents
Description[edit | edit source]
The County was named for George Washington. The County is located in the south area of the state. [1]
Washington County, Rhode Island Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| at town creation | at town creation | at town creation | 1729 | 1669 | 1669 | 1747 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Washington County Courthouse
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879-2239
Phone: 401.841.835
Town and City Clerks have birth, marriage, death, probate and land records)
Twenty towns in Washington County Towns Organized Before 1800: Charlestown 1738, Exeter 1742-3, Hopkinton 1757, North Kingstown 1641, Richmond 1747, South Kingstown (Pettaquamscutt) 1656-7, Westerly 1669
There is no county government. The government is located at town and state levels.
Quick Facts[edit | edit source]
- Named for George Washington, the American Revolutionary general, and first president of the United States.
- Washington County is more commonly known as "South County."
Parent County[edit | edit source]
- Formed on 3 June 1729 as Kings County from part of Providence Plantations Genealogy. [3]
- Renamed Washington County 29 October 1781.
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Rhode Island County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Rhode Island County Boundary Maps" (1643-1963) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Mississippi,
Last accessed 10 October 2019.</ref>
| Towns | ||
|
||
| Villages | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| RIGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| RIGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Rhode Island Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- Washington County Cemeteries Information provided by Rhode Island Cemeteries Database.
- Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 18,323 | — |
| 1800 | 16,135 | −11.9% |
| 1810 | 14,962 | −7.3% |
| 1820 | 15,687 | 4.8% |
| 1830 | 15,411 | −1.8% |
| 1840 | 14,324 | −7.1% |
| 1850 | 16,430 | 14.7% |
| 1860 | 18,715 | 13.9% |
| 1870 | 20,097 | 7.4% |
| 1880 | 22,495 | 11.9% |
| 1890 | 23,649 | 5.1% |
| 1900 | 24,154 | 2.1% |
| 1910 | 24,942 | 3.3% |
| 1920 | 24,932 | −0.0% |
| 1930 | 29,334 | 17.7% |
| 1940 | 32,493 | 10.8% |
| 1950 | 48,542 | 49.4% |
| 1960 | 59,054 | 21.7% |
| 1970 | 83,586 | 41.5% |
| 1980 | 93,317 | 11.6% |
| 1990 | 110,006 | 17.9% |
| 2000 | 123,546 | 12.3% |
| 2010 | 126,979 | 2.8% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
For tips on accessing Washington County, Rhode Island Genealogy census records online, see: Rhode Island Census.
- 1905 - Rhode Island State Census, 1905 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Church[edit | edit source]
Religious Records in Rhode Island
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
Land[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Maps[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1907-1991 - Rhode Island Naturalization Records 1907-1991 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Probate[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Records
- 1582 – 1932 Rhode Island Wills and Probate Records 1582-1932 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
Taxation[edit | edit source]
- Richmond Tax Book 1855 provided through USGenweb.org.
- Richmond Tax Book 1872 provided through USGenweb.org.
- Richmond Tax Book 1883 provided through USGenweb.org.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
- 1630 - 1945 - Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Vital Records Office
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879
Tel. # 401-841-8350
Note: Colonial records: contact the town clerk's office in the town where the event occured. Towns in Washington County are:
- Charlestown: Town Clerk, 4540 South County Trail, Charlestown, RI 02813 (Tel. 401-364-1200)
- Exeter: Town Clerk, 675 Ten Rod Road, Exeter, RI 02822 (Tel. 401-294-3891)
- Hopkinton: Town Clerk, 1 Town House Rd., Hopkinton, RI 02833 (Tel. 401-377-7777)
- Narragansett: Town Clerk, 25 Fifth Ave., Narragansett, RI 02882 (Tel. 401-789-1044)
- New Shoreham: Town Clerk, Drawer 220, Old Town Rd., Block Island, RI 02807 (Tel. 401-466-3200)
- North Kingstown: Town Clerk, 80 Boston Neck Rd., Wickford, RI 02852 (Tel. 401-294-3331)
- Richmond: Town Clerk, PO Box 318, 5 Richmond Townhouse Rd., Wyoming, RI 02898 (Tel. 401-539-2497)
- South Kingstown: Town Clerk, PO Box 31, Wakefield, RI 02879 (Tel. 401-789-9331)
- Westerly: Town Clerk, 45 Broad St., Westerly, RI 02891 (Tel. 401-348-2500 or 2508)
South Kingstown Marriages: Some of the early marriages recorded at South Kingstown, RI courtesy of the town clerk at South Kingstown, RI and USGenWeb.org.
See also How to order Rhode Island Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application for Rhode Island Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.
Births[edit | edit source]
- 1630 - 1945 - Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
- Rhode Island Births, 1636-1930 Ancestry ($)
Marriages[edit | edit source]
- Genealogy Trails
- Rhode Island Marriages, 1636-1930 Ancestry ($)
- 1522-1989 - Rhode Island, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1630 - 1945 - Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Deaths[edit | edit source]
- 1630 - 1945 - Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Rhode Island Genealogical Society,
P.O. Box 433,
Greenville Public Library,
573 Putnam Pike,
Greenville, RI 02828 - Rhode Island Historical Society,
110 Benevolent St,
Providence 02906-3103
Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Rhode Island State Library,
State House, 2nd floor,
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: (401) 222-2473 - Rhode Island Historical Society Library,
121 Hope Street,
Providence, RI 02906
TEL: (401) 273-8107 - East Greenwich Free Library,
82 Pierce Street East,
Greenwich, RI 02818 - Lincoln Public Library,
Old River Road,
Lincoln, RI 02865,
Phone: (401) 333-2422 - Louttit Memorial Library,
274 Victory Highway,
West Greenwich, RI 02817
Phone: (401) 397-3434 - Robert H Champlin Library,
1043 Main Street,
West Warwick, RI 02893,
Phone: (401) 828-3750 - Warwick Public Library,
600 Sandy Lane,
Warwick, RI 02886
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Washington County, RI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Rhode Island Genealogy Network Community on Google+
- Rhode Island Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- The Washington County RIGenWeb Project, an member of The RIGenWeb Project
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Washington County.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Washington County. (backup site)
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Washington County
- Washington County RI Genealogy
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Washington, Rhode Island" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Rhode_Island accessed 3 Dec 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Washington County, Rhode Island . Page 602 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 589-591.
- ↑ WorldCat 50140092 FHL Collection Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed.] (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002)
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