Bristol County, Rhode Island Genealogy

Guide to Bristol County, Rhode Island ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Bristol County is located in the east-central area of the state. . The county was named for its "shire town" (county seat) - Bristol, England.

County Courthouse
Bristol County Courthouse 10 Court Street Bristol, RI 02809 Phone: 401-253-7000 Bristol Courthouse

Records are kept on the town level and not the county level. City Clerks have birth, marriage, death and probate records. Clerk District Court has court records. Four towns in Bristol 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:

Biographies

 * Genealogy Trails

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * Mining Sites from Mindat.org

Cemeteries

 * Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission

Census Records

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * Genealogy Trails

Local Histories

 * Sowams: with ancient records of Sowams and parts adjacent; illustrated. Warren is current name for Sowams. 
 * Building histories
 * Landmark sites LandmarkHunter

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Military Records

 * List of Pensioners as of January 1, 1883

Revolutionary War
 * Newspaper account, 1823 (Genealogy Trails)

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry ($)
 * Awards of Distinguished Service Cross Medal Genealogy Trails

World War II
 * Army Enlistments A-L Genealogy Trails
 * Army Enlistments M-Z Genealogy Trails
 * Honor List of Dead and Missing and Army Air Force Personnel Genealogy Trails
 * Honor List of Dead and Missing and Army Air Force Personnel Access Genealogy

Korean Conflict
 * List of Military personnel who died from hostile action, including missing and captured, 1950-1957 Genealogy Trails

Vietnam
 * Casualties, Including Missing and Captured Declared Dead, 1957-1995 Genealogy Trails

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1907-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1809 Bristol County Register at Google News - free.
 * Genealogy Trails

Obituaries

 * Genealogy Trails

Asylums

 * History of Asylums Genealogy Trails

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1582-1932 Island, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932 at Ancestry ($)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

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

Marriage

 * 1522-1989 Rhode Island, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($)
 * 1630-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1636-1930 Rhode Island Marriages, 1851-1920 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1851-1920 Rhode Island Marriages, 1851-1920 Ancestry ($)

Death

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

Divorce

 * 1819-1893 Bristol County, RI: Divorces, 1819-1893 at American Ancestors - index ($)

Family History Centers

 * North Dartmouth Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Providence Rhode Island Family History Center
 * American French Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Clark Memorial Public Library - an affiliate library
 * David Allen Lambert Library - an affiliate library
 * Groton Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Middleborough Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Otis Library of Norwich, Connecticut - an affiliate library
 * Roger Williams University Library - an affiliate library
 * Waterford Public Library - Connecticut - an affiliate library

Libraries

 * Rhode Island State Library State House, 2nd floor 82 Smith Street, Room 208 Providence, RI 02903 Phone: 401-222-2473 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

Societies

 * 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
 * Bristol Historical and Preservation Society Library & Museum 48 Court Street Bristol, RI 02809 Phone: 401-253-7223 Email: [mailto:info@bhps.necoxmail.com info@bhps.necoxmail.com] 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

Websites

 * Linkpendium
 * Genealogy Trails
 * The Bristol County RIGenWeb Project, part of The RIGenWeb Project
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Bristol County Genealogy
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.