Kent County, Rhode Island Genealogy

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


 * This article is about a county in the state of Rhode Island. For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation).

Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records

Description
The County was named for the county of Kent, England. The County is located in the east central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Kent County Courthouse 222 Quaker Lane; West Warwick, RI 02893 Phone: 401.841.835 (Town and City Clerks have birth, marriage, death, burial, probate and land records  (Five twns in Kent Co) Towns Organized Before 1800; Coventry 1741, East Greenwich 1677, Warwick 1642-3, West Greenwich 1741

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

Quick Facts
Named for County of Kent, England.

Parent County
11 June 1759: Created from the Providence Plantations.

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:

Cemeteries

 * Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission

Census

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

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

Vital Records
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

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

Marriages

 * 1522-1989 - Rhode Island, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1630-1945 - at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1851-1920 - Rhode Island Marriages, 1851-1920 Ancestry ($)
 * Kent County marriage abstracts - Genealogy Trails

Deaths

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

Societies, Libraries and Museums

 * 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
 * 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

Websites

 * Kent County, RI History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Rhode Island Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * The Kent County RIGenWeb Project, an member of The RIGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Kent County.
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Kent County
 * Kent County RI Genealogy