Providence County, Rhode Island Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Providence County Courthouse 250 Benefit Street Providence, RI 02903 Phone: 401.277.671

Probate Judge has probate records Family Court has divorce records; Municipal Court has court records; Recorder Deeds has land records; Town and City Clerks have birth, marriage and death records (22 towns in Providence Co) Towns Organized Before 1800; Cranston 1754, Cumberland 1746-7, Foster 1781, Gloucester 1730-1, Johnston 1759, North Providence 1765, Providence 1636, Scituate 1730-1, Smithfield 1730-1

There is no county government. The government is located at town and state levels.

Quick Facts
Named for the Divine Providence.

16 June 1729: Renamed Providence County.

Parent County
1703: Formed as Providence Plantations County.

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.

Places / Localities
The following are locations in the county:

Cities

 * Central Falls
 * Cranston
 * East Providence
 * Pawtucket

Towns

 * Burrillville
 * Cumberland
 * Foster
 * Glocester
 * Johnston
 * Lincoln
 * North Providence
 * North Smithfield
 * Scituate
 * Smithfield

Villages

 * Albion
 * Branch Village
 * Chepachet
 * Cumberland Hill
 * Esmond
 * Forestdale
 * Georgiaville
 * Glendale


 * Hanton City
 * Harmony
 * Harrisville
 * Lime Rock
 * Lonsdale
 * Manville
 * Oakland


 * Pascoag
 * Quinnville
 * Primrose
 * Saylesville
 * Slatersville
 * Union Village
 * Valley Falls
 * Waterford

Cemeteries

 * Poccassett Cemetery, Cranston, Rhode Island
 * Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission

Census

 * 1905 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Directories

 * 1861-1924 - Fold3 ($) has Providence City Directories 1861-1924 available online.


 * 1895-1935 - Providence House Directories at Providence City Archives website - free. 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1917, 1919-1920, 1921-1922, 1923-1924, 1925-1926, 1927-1928, 1929-1930, 1931-1932, 1933-1934, 1935.

Ethnic, Religious and Political Groups
Cottrol, Robert J. The Afro-Yankees : Providence's Black Community in the Antebellum Era - Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press 1982. (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies, 0069-9624; no. 68) FHL 974.52 F2c 

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1907-1991 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * 1778-1784, 1799-1828 - The Providence Gazette at Google News - free.


 * 1779-1781 - The American Journal and General Advertiser at Google News - free.


 * 1785-1795 - The Providence Gazette and Country Journal at Google News - free.


 * 1799-1801 - The Providence Journal at Google News - free.

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * 1582 – 1932 Rhode Island Wills and Probate Records 1582-1932 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1663 - 1775 The Providence probate records to 1775 with index at

Births

 * 1630 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Rhode Island Births, 1636-1930 Ancestry ($)

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

Deaths

 * 1630 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Other

 * 1740s-1760s - Drowne, Henry Russell. "Some Vital Records of Providence, R.I.," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Jan. 1915):80-81. Digital versions at Internet Archive - free; New York Family History ($); . Includes baptisms, marriages.
 * 1630 - 1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1636 - 1930 - On American Ancestors ($): Providence, RI: Alphabetical Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1636-1930.
 * 1931 - 1940 - On American Ancestors ($): Providence, RI: Alphabetical Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1931-1940.

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.

Societies, Libraries and Museums

 * 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
 * Blackstone Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 125, 1873 Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln, RI 02865 TEL: (401) 725-2847
 * Burrillville Historical and Preservation Society, Box 93, Old Bridgeton School, 16 Laurel Hill Avenue, Pascoag, RI 02859 TEL: (401) 568-8534
 * American French Genealogical, 78 Earl St, Lincoln, RI 02865 401 765-6141

Libraries

 * 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

Websites

 * Providence County, RI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Rhode Island Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Rhode Island Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * Rhode Island RIGenWeb
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Providence County.
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Providence County
 * Providence County RI Genealogy