All Rhode Island vital, probate, and land records are kept and held by towns; the only records kept by counties are court and federal census records. The superior courts, at the county seats, hold recent records; early court records are now at the Rhode Island Judicial Records Center in Pawtucket. In 1747, Barrington, Bristol, Cumberland, Little Compton, Tiverton, and Warren were ceded by Mass. (E. Providence, in 1862). Pre-1747 county court, probate, and land records for the first group of towns are in Taunton, Mass.; all vital records, however - including those from Mass. days - are in the town halls. The Rhode Island Historical Society has vital and probate records for almost all Rhode Island towns.
Vital records for towns in red are searchable in the James N. Arnold Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 database.
|
Town |
Est. |
Parent(s) |
County |
Aliases |
Town Hall | |
|
Attleboro Gore (see Cumberland) |
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|
Barrington |
1717 |
MA, 1747 |
Bristol |
Warren (’til 1770) |
Warren | |
|
Block Island (see New Shoreham) |
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|
Bristol |
1681 |
MA, 1747 |
Bristol |
Mt. Hope | ||
|
Burrillville |
1806 |
Glocester |
Providence |
Harrisville | ||
|
Central Falls |
1895 |
Lincoln |
Providence |
| ||
|
Charlestown |
1738 |
Westerly |
Washington |
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Conanicut (see Jamestown) |
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|
Coventry |
1741 |
Warwick |
Kent |
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|
Cranston |
1754 |
Providence |
Providence |
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|
Cumberland |
1747 |
MA, 1747 |
Providence |
Attleboro Gore |
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|
Dedford (see E. Greenwich) |
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|
E. Greenwich |
1677 |
Kent |
Dedford (1686-9) |
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|
E. Providence |
1862 |
MA, 1861 |
Providence |
Rehoboth and Seekonk |
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|
Exeter |
1742/3 |
N. Kingstown |
Washington |
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|
Feversham (see Westerly) |
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|
Foster |
1781 |
Scituate |
Providence |
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|
Glocester |
1731 |
Providence |
Providence |
Chepachet | ||
|
Haversham (see Westerly) |
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|
Hopkinton |
1757 |
Westerly |
Washington |
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|
Jamestown |
1678 |
Newport |
Conanicut |
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|
Johnston |
1759 |
Providence |
Providence |
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|
Lincoln |
1871 |
Smithfield |
Providence |
Central Falls | ||
|
Little Compton |
1682 |
MA, 1747 |
Newport |
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|
Middletown |
1743 |
Newport |
Newport |
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Mt. Hope (see Bristol) |
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|
Narragansett |
1901 |
S. Kingstown |
Washington |
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|
Newport |
1639 |
Newport |
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|
New Shoreham |
1661 |
Washington |
Block Island (1664-72) |
Block Island | ||
|
N. Kingstown (Kingstown from 1641 ’til 1723 when name was changed to N. Kingstown) |
1641 |
Washington |
Rochester (1686-9) |
Wickford | ||
|
N. Providence (see also Pawtucket) |
1765 |
Providence |
Providence |
Centredale | ||
|
N. Smithfield |
1871 |
Smithfield |
Providence |
Slater (1871) |
Slatersville | |
|
Pawtucket |
1828 |
MA, 1747 |
Providence |
part of N. Providence (1847) |
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|
Pocasset (see Portsmouth) |
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|
Portsmouth |
1638 |
Newport |
Pocasset (’til 1639) |
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|
Providence |
1636 |
Providence |
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|
Rehoboth (see E. Providence) |
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Richmond |
1747 |
Charlestown |
Washington |
Wyoming | ||
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Rochester (see N. Kingstown) |
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|
Scituate |
1731 |
Providence |
Providence |
N. Scituate | ||
|
Seekonk (see E. Providence) |
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|
Smithfield (early records in Central Falls) |
1731 |
Providence |
Providence |
Georgiaville | ||
|
Slater (see N. Smithfield) |
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|
S. Kingstown |
1723 |
Kingstown |
Washington |
Wakefield | ||
|
Tiverton |
1694 |
MA, 1747 |
Newport |
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|
Warren (see also Barrington) |
1747 |
MA, 1747 |
Bristol |
Barrington, Swansea, and Rehoboth, MA; part of Bristol (1873) |
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|
Warwick |
1643 |
Kent |
Shawomet (’til 1648) |
Apponaug | ||
|
Westerly |
1669 |
Washington |
Misquamicut (1669), Feversham or Haversham (1686-9) |
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|
W. Greenwich |
1741 |
E. Greenwich |
Kent |
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|
W. Warwick |
1913 |
Warwick |
Kent |
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|
Woonsocket |
1867 |
Cumberland and Smithfield |
Providence |
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