Washington County, Rhode Island

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Revision as of 20:37, 19 March 2013

United States Rhode Island Washington County

	Rhode Island Online Records

Washington County, Rhode Island
Map
Location in the state of Rhode Island
Location of Rhode Island in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	June 3, 1729
County Seat
Courthouse

County Courthouse

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

Wikipedia has more about this subject: Washington County, Rhode Island

• 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

• Formed in 3 June 1729 as Kings County from part of Providence Plantations. ^[1]

• Renamed Washington County 29 October 1781.

Boundary Changes

Record Loss

• Lost census: 1890

Places / Localities

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Washington County, Rhode Island Towns Charlestown | Exeter | Hopkinton | Narragansett | New Shoreham | North Kingstown | Richmond | South Kingstown | Westerly Villages Alton | Ashaway | Carolina | Hope Valley | Kingston | Narragansett Pier | Peace Dale | Point Judith | Quonochontaug | Saunderstown | Usquepaug | Wakefield | Watch Hill | Wickford | Wyoming Neighboring Counties Kent | Newport | Connecticut County: New London | New York County: Suffolk

Modern towns and cities in Washington County, Rhode Island. Click map to go to each respective town page.

Resources

Biographies

• Exeter
• North Kingstown
• Richmond
• South Kingstown
• Westerly

Cemeteries

Washington County Cemeteries Information provided by Rhode Island Cemeteries Database.

Census

For tips on accessing Washington County, Rhode Island census records online, see: Rhode Island Census.

Church

Court

Land

History

Maps

Military

Newspapers

Probate

Taxation

• 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

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.

Societies and Libraries

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

• 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 Family History Library Catalog for Washington County.

References