Bristol, Bristol County, Rhode Island Genealogy

United States

Rhode Island

Bristol County

Bristol

Bristol, Rhode Island
Map
Location in Bristol County
Bristol County's location in the state of Rhode Island
Facts
Founded	1680
Seat	Bristol
Address	Town Hall 10 Court Street Bristol, RI 02809
Website: www.bristolri.us/

Modern town borders of Bristol in Bristol County, Rhode Island.

Town Information

Description

• Bristol, Rhode Island at Wikipedia

Parent Towns

• Fomerly shire town (county seat) of Bristol County, Rhode Island

Populated Places

Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities,
Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Town Records

In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Vital Records

• Vital records, 1680-1850 FS Catalog Collection
• Bristol (R.I.) birth index, 1690-2002 FS Catalog Collection
• South Carolina Death Records, 1821-1955 Has listings for Bristol, RI Ancestry ($)

Births

• 1636-1850 Rhode Island: Vital Records, 1636-1850 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
• 1639-1932 Rhode Island Town Births and Baptisms Index, 1639-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1852-1900 Rhode Island, State Births Index, 1819, 1852-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriages

• 1636-1850 Rhode Island: Vital Records, 1636-1850 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
• 1639-1932 Rhode Island Town Marriages Index, 1639-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Deaths

• 1636-1850 Rhode Island: Vital Records, 1636-1850 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
• 1639-1932 Rhode Island Town Deaths and Burials Index, 1639-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1852-1946 Rhode Island U.S., Death Registrations and Records, 1852-1946 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Divorce

For more resources see:

Resources

For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

Church History and Records

Cemeteries

• Genealogical collections FS Catalog Collection

Cemeteries

• 1647-2000 Rhode Island: Historical Cemeteries, 1647-2000 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)

• Bristol Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Bristol Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Bristol County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Congregational Church

• Copies of inscriptions taken from gravestones in the Old East Burial Ground, Juniper Hill Cemetery, Congregational Church Yard, Walker Hill Cemetery FS Catalog Collection

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Bristol #9, 300 High Street at Bradfird Street

• Findagrave

DeWolf Family

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Bristol #5, Woodlawn Avenue

• Findagrave

East Burial

• History
• Bristol Cemeteries, 1689-1865 FS Catalog Collection

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Bristol #4, Wood Street

• Findagrave

Juniper Hill

• Copies of inscriptions taken from gravestones in the Old East Burial Ground, Juniper Hill Cemetery, Congregational Church Yard, Walker Hill Cemetery FS Catalog Collection
• The Juniper Hill Cemetery: in Bristol, R.I. FS Catalog Collection

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Bristol #3, Sherry Avenue

• Findagrave

North Burial

• History
• Bristol Cemeteries, 1689-1865 FS Catalog Collection

Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Bristol #1, Hope Street

• Findagrave

Old East Burial

• Copies of inscriptions taken from gravestones in the Old East Burial Ground, Juniper Hill Cemetery, Congregational Church Yard, Walker Hill Cemetery FS Catalog Collection

Quinn Estate

• Findagrave Burial site of Anthony Quinn, the actor

St. Mary's Catholic

• Findagrve

St. Michael's Episcopal

• Findagrave

The Miery Swamp

• Findagrave

Walker Hill

• Copies of inscriptions taken from gravestones in the Old East Burial Ground, Juniper Hill Cemetery, Congregational Church Yard, Walker Hill Cemetery FS Catalog Collection
• Findagrave

Centennial Celebrations, etc.

• Celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town of Bristol, Rhode Island: September 24th, A.D. 1880 FS Catalog Collection

Church Records

Historically, the largest religious groups in Rhode Island were the Congregational, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches. For general information about Vermont denominations, view the New Hampshire Church Records wiki page.

To see the churches in TOWN, visit.

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. The following are church records available online for the town of TOWN:

• 1636-1899 Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1639-1932 Rhode Island Town Births and Baptisms Index, 1639-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1639-1932 Rhode Island Town Deaths and Burials Index, 1639-1932 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1671-1899 Rhode Island Church Records 1671-1899 at Findmypast - index ($)
• Rhode Island Church Records

Congregational

• Historical sketches of the First Congregational Church, Bristol, R.I., 1687-1872 FS Catalog Collection
• Manual of the First Congregational Church, Bristol R. I., 1687-1872 FS Catalog Collection

Episcopal

• Two hundred years of St. Michael's rectors 1721-1955 FS Catalog Collection

City Directories

• 1876-1937 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Bristol at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• 1884-1927 Rhode Island, U.S., City Directories, Bristol at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Court Records

• The defendant's fist many blows did strike the Rev. John Usher of Bristol, RI, v. Capt Simeon Potter of Bristol, RI, 1761 FS Catalog Collection ▲ FamilySearch Digital Library

Directories

• Bristol, Warren and Barrington (Rhode Island) city directories FS Catalog Collection

Dwellings

• Historic and architectural resources of Bristol, Rhode Island FS Catalog Collection

Genealogy

• Bristol, R. I.'s early settlers FS Catalog Collection ▲ FS Catalog Collection
  The families covered are those of the eighty-one settlers who attended the town's first meeting in 1681 as well as those who were the original proprietors of the Mount Hope Lands that became Bristol

History

• Settlement of Town of Bristol Genealogy Trails
• History of Bristol Genealogy Trails
• Blithewold: Bristol, Rhode Island FS Catalog Collection
• Bristol, Rhode Island: a town biography FS Catalog Collection
• The history of Bristol R. I. FS Catalog Collection ▲ FS Catalog Collection
  the story of the Mount Hope lands from the visit of the Northmen to the present time; containing accounts of the Indian wars, the character and lives of the early settlers in Bristol, the events of the Revolution, the privateers of the War of 1812; details of the commerce of the port; and sketches of its distinguished men
• Mount Hope: a New England chronicle FS Catalog Collection
• Sketches of old Bristol FS Catalog Collection
• Tales of an old sea port: FS Catalog Collection
  a general sketch of the history of Bristol, Rhode Island, including, incidentally, an account of the voyages of the norsemen, so far as they may have been connected with Narragansett Bay, and personal narratives of some notable voyages accomplished by sailors from the Mount Hope lands

Land Records

The following are online land records for the town of Bristol:

• 1646-1851 Proceedings of the General Assembly, 1646-1851 (Includes Land Transfers, & Grants)(*) Rhode Island. General Assembly, & Rhode Island. Court of Trials at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
• Rhode Island Land and Property

Land records begins in 1747 and continuing to the present.

• Bristol, Rhode Island original land records, 1690-1703 FS Catalog Collection
• Bristol (R.I.) deeds, 1690-1893 FS Catalog Collection
  Index to Grantors and Grantees 1747-1893
  Deeds 1690 to 1893
• Bristol (R.I.) deed records (1887-1906) and indexes (1893-1926) --, 1887-1926 FS Catalog Collection
  Deed records 1887-1905
  Grantor Index 1893-1926
  Grantee Index 1893-1926

Probate Records

Maps

This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps

• Boundary Map of Bristol at HomeTownLocator
• Bristol at FamilySearch Places
• Bristol at Google Maps
• Bristol at Mapcarta
• Bristol Map at Mainstreetmaps.com
• McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
• Old Maps of Rhode Island at Old-Maps.com
• Rhode Island Maps State Page
  
  

Military

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

• Rhode Island Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
• United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

• Rhode Island Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

• Rhode Island Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
• United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

• Rhode Island Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
• United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

• Bristol (R.I.) militia records, early to 1920 FS Catalog Collection

Naturalization and Citizenship

• Bristol (R.I.) naturalization records (1890-1902) and index (1896-1998) --, 1890-1998 FS Catalog Collection

Other Town Records

In Rhode Island, most records are kept at the town level and generally began being kept at the founding of the town. These records may include the following:

Births Marriages Deaths Burials Cemetery records Appointments Earmarks Estrays (stray animals) Freemens' oaths (men eligible to vote) Land records Mortgages Name changes Care of the poor School records Surveys Tax lists Town meeting minutes Voter registrations Warning outs (of town)

The following are TOWN town records available online:

Patents

• Google Patents

Probate Records

In Rhode Island, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Bristol:

• 1582-1932 Rhode Island, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• Rhode Island Probate Records

Probate records begin in 1747, continuing to the present.

• Deeds, wills, inventories, administrations, grand deeds, grand articles 1680-1808 FS Catalog Collection
• Books of wills and inventories, 1746-1881 FS Catalog Collection
• Inventories (1811-1885) and administrators' accounts (1811-1877) --, 1811-1885 FS Catalog Collection
• Bristol (R.I.) probate bonds, 1817-1890 FS Catalog Collection
• Bristol (R.I.) probate records (1892-1923) and index (1700-2002) --, 1892-1923 FS Catalog Collection
  Deeds of personal estate (1909-1917)
  Probate Warrants (1896-1917)
  Inventories (1900-1918)
  Administrators' accounts (1892-1920)
  Letters of Administration (1901-1917)
  Bonds (1905-1912)
  Probate Index
  Probate records (1903-1918)
  Wills (1882-1916)
• Bristol (R.I.) town council records, 1760-1877 FS Catalog Collection
  Probate records (1760-1877)
• Letters of administration, 1815-1906 FS Catalog Collection

Schools

• School accounts 1830-1870 FS Catalog Collection

Statistics

• Town of Bristol: monograph FS Catalog Collection

Taxation

• Bristol Tax List, 1695 Ancestry ($)
• Bristol, Rhode Island 1888 Tax List DistantCousin

Websites

• FamilySearch FamilySearch Catalog

Research Facilities

Archives

• Town Hall Archives
  The Town of Bristol holds documents dating from Bristol’s earliest years; first as a town of Plymouth Colony (1680-1691), later as a Town of Massachusetts (1691-1747) and finally as a colonial Town in Rhode Island (since 1747).
  These archives include early birth, death, and marriage records in addition to the records of the Town Meetings (prior to 1971) and Town Council records that date back to the 17th Century.
  The Town Clerk’s Office is currently involved in a project to process and catalog a set of miscellaneous documents relating to the action of the Bristol Town Council in its capacity of the head of Town government and Overseer of the Poor from the early 18th Century to about 1900.
  This project, funded through the State Archives and a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation, should be completed and available for limited public use for educational purposes during 2007.

Libraries

• Rogers Free Library
• Founded in 1877
  525 Hope Street (Rt 114)
  P.O. Box 538
  Bristol, RI 02809

Nearest FamilySearch Center

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Franklin Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
• North Dartmouth Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
• Providence Rhode Island FamilySearch Center
• American French Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
• Clark Memorial Public Library - an affiliate library
• Newport Public Library - an affiliate library
• Roger Williams University Library - an affiliate library

Societies

• NSDAR Bristol Chapter
• Bristol Historical & Preservation Society
  48 Court Street
  Bristol, RI 02809

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