Washington County, Rhode Island Genealogy

United States Rhode Island  Washington County

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


 * Renamed Washington County 29 October 1781.

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

Biographies

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

Cemeteries
Washington County Cemeteries Information provided by Rhode Island Cemeteries Database.

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.

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)
 * Family History Library Catalog for Washington County.