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.

Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for George Washington. The County is located in the south area of the state.

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

 * 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 on 3 June 1729 as Kings County from part of Providence Plantations.


 * Renamed Washington County 29 October 1781.

Boundary Changes
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
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Towns Organized Before 1800: Charlestown 1738 Exeter 1742-3 Hopkinton 1757 North Kingstown 1641 Richmond 1747 South Kingstown (Pettaquamscutt) 1656-7 Westerly 1669

Biographies

 * Exeter
 * North Kingstown
 * Richmond
 * South Kingstown
 * Westerly

Cemeteries

 * Washington County Cemeteries Information provided by Rhode Island Cemeteries Database.
 * Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission

Census

 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Church
Religious Records in Rhode Island List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1907-1991 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1582 – 1932 Rhode Island Wills and Probate Records 1582-1932 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

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

 * 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

 * 1630 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Rhode Island Births, 1636-1930 Ancestry ($)
 * 1800-1855 Rhode Island and Pawtucket, Massachusetts Birth Index, 1800-1855 at Ancestry - index and images ($)

Marriages

 * Genealogy Trails
 * Rhode Island Marriages, 1636-1930 Ancestry ($)


 * 1522-1989 - Rhode Island, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1630 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Deaths

 * 1630 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Societies and Libraries

 * Rhode Island Genealogical Society P.O. Box 211 Hope, RI 02831 Email: [mailto:info@rigensoc.org info@rigensoc.org] Website
 * Rhode Island Historical Society 110 Benevolent St Providence, RI 02906 Phone: 401-331-8575 Website

Libraries

 * Rhode Island State Library State House, 2nd floor 82 Smith Street, Room 208 Providence, RI 02903 Phone: 401-222-2473 Website
 * Rhode Island Historical Society Library 121 Hope Street Providence, RI 02906 Phone: 401-273-8107 Ext. 410 Email: [mailto:reference@rihs.org reference@rihs.org] Website
 * East Greenwich Free Library 82 Pierce Street East Greenwich, RI 02818 Phone: 401-884-9510 Website
 * Greenville Public Library 573 Putnam Pike Greenville, RI 02828 Phone: 401-949-3630 Website
 * Lincoln Public Library 145 Old River Road Lincoln, RI 02865 Phone: 401-333-2422 Website
 * Louttit Memorial Library 274 Victory Highway West Greenwich, RI 02817 Phone: 401-397-3434 Email: [mailto:louttitlibrary@gmail.com louttitlibrary@gmail.com] Website
 * Robert H Champlin Library 1043 Main Street West Warwick, RI 02893 Phone: 401-828-3750
 * Warwick Public Library 600 Sandy Lane Warwick, RI 02889 Phone: 401-739-5440 Website

Family History Centers

 * Groton Connecticut Family History Center
 * North Dartmouth Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Providence Rhode Island Family History Center


 * American French Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Newport Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Otis Library of Norwich, Connecticut - an affiliate library
 * Roger Williams University Library - an affiliate library

Websites

 * 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 Catalog for Washington County
 * Washington County RI Genealogy