Rhode Island Land Records

Rhode Island is a state-land state. Lands were generally acquired from early proprietors or other individuals. From the beginning of settlement, land transactions in Rhode Island were filed in the town office in either proprietors' records or deed books. Indexes to the records are varied. Some grantor/grantee indexes are by surname only, and some by surname and first initial instead of full name.

Land was divided by proprietors in a pattern of lots, usually using metes and bounds for land descriptions when the transaction did not involve an easily identified part of the lot or full lot. Many seventeenth-century land transactions are abstracted in a multivolume collection titled "Rhode Island Land Evidence," which is located at the Rhode Island State Archives. Vol. 1 has been abstracted and published as Rhode Island Land Evidence, Vol. 1 (1921; reprint; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1970). Abstracts of vols. 2, 3, 4, and 5 have been printed in a periodical titled Rhode Island Roots.

Rhode Island BLM Office:

Eastern States Office
Bureau of Land Management
7450 Boston Blvd.
Springfield, VA 22153
Tel: (703) 440-1600
FAX: (703) 440-1599

Rhode Island State Historical Society:

Rhode Island State Historical Society
52 Power Street
Providence, RI 02906

Rhode Island Historical Society / Library
121 Hope Street at the corner of Power
Providence, RI

MAIL:
110 Benevolent Street
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 331-8575

Rhode Island County Courthouses:

Bristol County
Bristol County Clerk
1 Dorrance Plaza
Bristol, RI 02809
Telephone: (508) 823-6588

Kent County
Kent County Clerk
222 Quaker Lane
East Greenwich, RI 02818
Telephone: (401) 841-8350

Newport County
Newport County Clerk
Washington Square
Newport, RI 02840
Telephone: (401) 841-8350

Providence County
Providence County Clerk
250 Benefit St.
Providence, RI 02903-2719
Telephone: (401) 277-6710

Washington County
Washington County Vital Records Office
4800 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879
Telephone: (401) 841-8350

County Public Records
Use Net Detective to find public records on anyone and anything.

State Links:

Download Rhode Island Real Estate Forms

Rhode Island GenWeb Project