Washington County Genealogy
Washington County, Rhode Island History and Profile:
Washington County, commonly known colloquially as South County, is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Washington County borders Kent County to the north, New London County in Connecticut to the west, Suffolk County in New York to the southwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and Newport County, Rhode Island, to the east. As of 2000, the population was 123,546.
Formed as King’s County in 1729 from the southern portion of Providence County, its name was changed to Washington County in 1781.
Rhode Island counties, including Washington County, have only judicial functions.
The region of southern Rhode Island that encompasses modern-day Washington County was the subject of conflicting land claims by the late 1650s. The English colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut and Rhode Island as well as two different land companies claimed jurisdiction and title. In 1664 a royal commission under Charles II stepped in to adjudicate these conflicting land claims over the so-called Narragansett Country. The commission extinguished the claims of Massachusetts, and Rhode Island was granted jurisdiction until the commission finished processing Connecticut’s appeals, which were not ended until 1726. Settlements of King’s Province were named to reflect the English Restoration (like Charleston County, South Carolina), because King Charles II of England also finalized Rhode Island’s charter.
Washington County includes the following National Protected areas:
* Block Island National Wildlife Refuge
* John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge
* Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
* Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge
Source: Wikipedia.
Cities and Towns of Washington County, RI:
* Charlestown
* Exeter
* Hopkinton
o Ashaway (a village of Hopkinton)
o Hope Valley (a village of Hopkinton)
* Narragansett
o Gallilee (a village of Narragansett)
o Narragansett Pier (a village of Narragansett)
* New Shoreham (coextensive with Block Island)
* North Kingstown
o Wickford (a village of North Kingstown)
o Saunderstown (a village of North Kingstown)
* Richmond
o Kenyon (a village of Richmond)
o Shannock (a village of Richmond)
o Usquepaug (a village of Richmond)
o Wyoming (a village of Richmond)
* South Kingstown
o Kingston (a village of South Kingstown)
o Peacedale (a village of South Kingstown)
o Wakefield (a village of South Kingstown)
* Westerly
o Bradford (a village of Westerly)
o Watch Hill (a village of Westerly)
Government
No County Government – Towns are responsible for local Government
Historic Places
Allen-Madison House
Austin Farm Road Agricultural Area
Babcock House
Babcock-Smith House
Baptist Church in Exeter
Black Farm
Block Island North Light
Block Island Southeast Light
Bouchard Archeological Site
Bradford Village Historic District
Browning’s Beach Historic District
Jireh Bull Blockhouse
Camp Endicott
Carolina Village Historic District
Silas Casey Farm
Central Street Historic Distriict
Peleg Champlin House
Cocumscossoc Archeological Site
Cottrell House
Crowfield Historic District
Davisville Historic District
Devil’s Foot Cemetery Archeological Site
Dewey Cottage
District Schoolhouse No. 2
George Douglas House
Druidsdream
Dunmere
Earlscourt Historic District
Henry Eldred Farm
George Fayerweather Blacksmith Shop
Fernwood Archeological Site
Fisherville Historic and Archeological District
Flying Horse Carousel
Former Immaculate Conception Church
Fort Ninigret
Foster Cove Archeological Site
Gardencourt
Ezekial Gardner House
R. R. Gardner House
Gladstone Springhouse and Bottling Plant
Greene Inn
Hale House
Hallville Historic and Archeological District
Hamilton Mill Village Historic District
Hillsdale Historic and Archeological District
Historic Village of the Narragansetts in Charlestown
Hope Valley Historic District
Hopkinton
Hopkinton City Historic District
John Hoxsie House
Hygeia House
Indian Burial Ground
Joseph Jeffrey House
Kenyon’s Department Store
Kingston Hill Farm
Kingston Railroad Station
Kingston Village Historic District
Lafayette Village
Lambda Chi Site
Lawton’s Mill
Lewis-Card-Perry House
Simon Lillibridge Farm
Main Street Historic District
Henry Marchant Farm
William Davis Miller House
Ministerial Rd. Site
Silas Mumford Site (Tappan Site RI-705)
Narragansett Baptist Church
Narragansett Pier Life Saving Station
North End Historic District
Stephen Northrup House
Nursery Site
Ocean Road Historic District
Old Harbor Historic District
Old Narragansett Cemetery
Old Narragansett Church
Palmer-Northrup House
Parris Brook Historic and Archeological District
Peace Dale Historic District
Commodore Oliver Perry Farm
Perry-Carpenter Grist Mill
Joseph Pierce Farm
Plum Beach Lighthouse
Point Judith Lighthouse
Poplar Point Lighthouse
Potter Pond Archeological District
Queen’s Fort
Rathbun House
Red House
Gen. Isaac Peace Rodman House
Benoni Ross House
St. Paul’s Church
Esbon Sanford House
Saunderstown Historic District
Scrabbletown Historic and Archeological District
Shadow Farm
Shady Lea Historic District
Shannock Historic District
Sheffield House
Six Principle Baptist Church
Joseph Slocum House
Sodom Mill Historic and Archeological District
Spink Farm
Joseph Stanton House
Gilbert Stuart Birthplace
Theatre-By-the-Sea
Tomaquag Rock Shelters
Tootell House
Towers Historic District
The Towers
Upper Rockville Mill
US Post Office
US Weather Bureau Station
Usquepaug Road Historic District
Wakefield Historic District
Washington County Court House
Watch Hill Historic District
Weekapaug Inn
Westerly Armory
Westerly Downtown Historic District
Wickford Historic District
Wilcox Park Historic District
Willow Dell
Wyoming Village Historic District
YWCA Site
Washington County Genealogy Resources
Washington County, Rhode Island Genweb Project
Washington County, Rhode Island Genweb Archives
Charlestown Historical Society
Box 100
Charlestown, RI 02813-0100
Vital Records
Vital Records Office
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879
(401) 841-8350
Vital Records back to Colonial times may be available and acquired by contacting the town’s Clerk Office where the birth, death, marriage or divorce occurred. Census or Court records should be available from the County Clerk.
Here are the towns:
Charlestown
Exeter
Hopkinton
Narragansett
New Shoreham
North Kingstown
Richmond
South Kingstown
Westerly
Census
1790 Washington County Census Images
1790 Census Transcription for Washington County. (Folder lists text files named by the town.)
1800 Washington County Federal Census Images
1800 Washington County Federal Census Index
Tax Records
Cemeteries
USGS listing of Cemeteries in Washington County
Query Forums
Genealogy Forums can be a great way to find other people that are researching the same ancestors as you are. Even if they may be not be researching the same direct line, but related lines you may find information that is useful in your own research. Make sure to verify any other research that you add to your own research and try to document it well. If asking questions in genealogy forums it is good to provide as much information as possible and in the subject of the posting try to give name and a date or range of dates to help make your query more likely to be found. Posts with titles like “looking for family” or “help!” are too generic and something along the lines of “John Smith b. abt 1828 md. Hannah Jones” would be more helpful to get your post read by those that are interested in the John Smith/Hannah Jones family.
Washington County, RI at genforum
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