Newport County RIGenWeb

Welcome to Newport County RIGenWeb, a part of the Rhode Island USGenWeb Genealogy and History Project, which is under the umbrella of the USGenWeb Project. Although Newport County is a small county in the smallest state, it is a treasure trove of original documents which date back to the 1600's. Consequently, researchers from all over the states like to come here to study early American history and explore their family genealogy. Fortunate are they who do come for Newport County has preserved much of its history and architecture. Visitors can stroll along streets which are as they were when George Washington addressed the troops during the Revolution and when their ancestors lived here. Newport County is very beautiful. Its outstanding coastline is very accessible because colonial laws preventing restriction of coastal access are still intact. Newport's 10-mile Ocean Drive and Cliff Walk are not to be missed. All communities have fine beaches. Middletown's Sachuest Beach is a jewel. Indeed Rhode Island loves and preserves its history. You will find early America here. It is subtle and quiet and everywhere for those who take some time to discover it. On scenic roads of Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton you will pass farms enclosed by stone walls built by our colonial ancestors. Near the house, there may be a small cemetery containing the graves of the original inhabitants. En route to touristic Newport, on the small island of Jamestown, you will find more than a dozen historic sites, including an 18th century farm still owned by the original family.

What's New? Coming soon are more photographs of Aquidneck Island gravestones and images of original Portsmouth documents. Index Newport County Towns Exploring Newport County Cemeteries Queries Message Boards / Mailing Lists Books and Articles Scanned Documents Scanned Tax Lists Transcribed Documents Surname Specific Maps Other Counties

Newport County, Rhode Island, Towns [top]

Exploring Rhode Island and Newport County [top]

• Search the Newport County, RIGenWeb Site You Can Search Just the Archived Queries or Cemeteries
• Getting Started with Rhode Island Research
• Major Towns for all Rhode Island Counties,
• A Short History of Rhode Island with Timeline
• Time Line of Rhode Island history
• Sources for Newport County, Rhode Island
• Newport County Genealogy links
• Rhode Island Towns with County Locations
• A Brief History of Rhode Island with Timeline
• List of Rhode Island Governors
• Rhode Island Genealogy and History USGenWeb
• Directory USGenWeb Archives for Newport County, Rhode Island
• USGenWeb Project NOTE:  The USGenWeb Project is NOT affiliated with USGenWeb, Inc.

Cemeteries [top]

Because Rhode Island cemeteries were most often on private land, there are hundreds of small cemeteries.

• Cemeteries in Newport County, Rhode Island
• Gravestone Pictures of Specific Families
• Portsmouth Friends' Churchyard (PO10) Photographs
• Search Only the Cemeteries

Queries [top]

•  Archived Index to Surnames, Queries, and Researchers
•  Alphabetical Index to All Surnames in the Archived Queries
•  Search Just the Newport County, RIGenWeb, Archived Queries

Message Boards and Mailing Lists for Rhode Island Researchers [top]

• Newport County, Rhode Island, Mailing List https://sites.rootsweb.com/~rinewpor/mailist.html NOTE: Newport County RIGenWeb Queries have been discontinued.
• Read and post queries on the free RootsWeb/Ancestry.com Message Board http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.rhodeisland.counties.newport/mb.ashx
• Join the RIGenWeb Mailing List for all Rhode Island counties. https://sites.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/mailist.html

Books and Articles [top]

• Copyright Fundamentals for Genealogy
• Books covering Rhode Island genealogy currently being published
• Newport County Genealogy Books from which you may Request a Lookup
• Rhode Island Reading Room. Genealogy and History Articles.
• Newport Chapter, Rhode Island Reading Room. Genealogy & History Articles

Scanned Documents [top]

• Newport School Report: 1869-1870  Scanned Partly Transcribed
• Newport School Report: 1877-1878  Scanned Partly Transcribed
• Newport School Report: 1884-1885  Scanned Partly Transcribed
• Newport Grammar Graduation for 1915 Scanned Transcribed
• Newport Grammar Graduation for 1916, including one class picture Scanned Transcribed
• Newport Grammar Graduation for 1917 Scanned Transcribed
• Little Compton District 4 students and teacher (some time between 1905 & 1912) Scanned
• St. Mary's Basketball Team, 1914-1915  Scanned 
• Rogers High School Picture of 1919 Class Members Scanned 
• Rogers High School, Basketball Team 1916-17, Graduation 1921, Scanned Transcribed
• Aquidneck Athletic Club Basketball Team, 1917-1918, Scanned
• School Picture taken in Newport in the early 1900's Scanned
• Old Newport County Postcards & Pictures - mostly pre-1910 post card of Jamestown, Newport, Portsmouth, Islands, Sakonnet, Tiverton, Little Compton, plus Navy and Army.  Scanned

Tax Lists [top]

• 1891 Tax List and City Officers for the City of Newport  Scanned Transcribed
• 1855 Tax List of the City of Newport  Scanned
• 1921 Tax List of the Town of Jamestown, R. I. Scanned Transcribed
• 1882 Tax Book of the Town of Tiverton, R. I.  Scanned
• 1890 Tax Book of the Town of Tiverton, R. I.  Scanned
• 1897 Tax Book of the Town of Tiverton, R. I.  Scanned
• Tax Books: Town of Portsmouth for 1877, 1880, 1883, 1887, 1892, 1895, 1900 Scanned and Partly Transcribed

• Documentary History of Rhode Island: Portions on Early Aquidneck  Scanned
• Important Events listed in Newport Mercury Almanacs: | 1897 | 1901 | 1903 | 1904 | Scanned and Partly Transcribed
• 1919 Newport City Manual Scanned
• 1858 Newport Directory Scanned
• 1918 Jamestown and New Shoreham Directory Scanned
• Almanac for the Year 1898, including Newport events for 1897 Scanned Partly Transcribed
• Almanac for the Year 1894, including Newport events for 1893 Scanned Partly Transcribed
• Municipal Year Book of the Town of Middletown 1909-1910 Scanned Partly Transcribed
• History of Brenton's Neck from 1638 Scanned
• William Almy of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 1630 Scanned with Index Transcribed
• Old Home Week, Newport, and 1905 Program with lots of advertisements Scanned
• Naval Torpedo Station Monument - Dedicated to those who died, Photograph Transcribed
• 1916 Programs, 2nd Baptist Church, Newport, RI Scanned Partly Transcribed
• Newport Chapter No. 2 Royal Arch Masons Roster 1918 Scanned

Transcribed Documents [top]

• Newport Schools and School Committees 1856
• Old Stone Mill, Newport, RI
• Oldest Town Records in the State: Portsmouth
• 1856 Newport Directory (full index)
• 1834 Newport Post Office: Letters Remaining includes names of addressees and estate notices as posted in Newport Mercury, October 11, 1834
• Moses Grinnell Convicted of the Murder, Nov. 9, 1880 transcribed from Newport Mercury, May 20, 1882
• Audely Clarke's Voyage, A Correspondent's Recollections of That Memorable Trip to California in '49 transcribed from Newport Mercury, May 20, 1882; includes list of those who took part in the voyage plus many other interesting news articles.
• “Records of Important Events in Newport and Vicinity During 1892” in: Newport Mercury Almanac 1893 --- pdf version [mercury1893.pdf]
     consists of Transcription with Subject, Name and Place Index (at end) compiled by Stephen P. Gross, July. 2012
• Newport Daily News - selections from the first edition
• Newport Historical Society 1912, Officers and Members
• Plaque of the 1638 Portsmouth Compact Memorial in Founders Park, photographed in May 1997 by Elliot J. Wilcox
• Portsmouth Compact, images of the original with information on its creation
• Story of the Old Friends' Meeting House article about the Quakers in Newport County Rhode Island by Mrs. William P. Buffum, printed in the Bulletin of the Newport Historical Society, Number 40, April, 1922

Surname Specific [top]

• Crawford Carter Allen descendant of John Carter, editor of "The Providence Gazette" for more than 45 years
• William Almy of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 1630 Scanned with Index Transcribed
• Carr Biographies
• Edward Payson Chase Genealogy and Journals
• Trial of Thomas Cornell for the murder of his mother, Rebeca Cornell
• Letter from George Cozzins to his wife Mary, 1845
• Bible entries of Leonard Cozzens and descendants
• Transcript of Bible Belonging to Allen Davoll of Little Compton
• Gray Family of Tiverton
• John Howland Family, Mayflower passenger
• Lillibridge Family in the United States
• Peckham Family, from England to Newport
• Diary of Frank Clement Rice, Azores, 1918 in the Navy
• Sherman, Cary and Allen connections to the Howland family
• Descendants of Thomas Sherman, of Diss and Yaxley; England
• Descendants of Hon. Philip Sherman, immigrant to New England
• Gertrude Elma Mann-Stirmon, Murdered by her husband Roy Stirmon
• Tilley Family, Mayflower passenger, and Howland connections
• John Wood of Portsmouth, and Some Clarifications About This Line
• Ancestry of John Wood "Mariner" by Larry Crandall-Wood July 9, 2003

NOTE: These documents are made available free to the public for non-commercial purposes by the Newport County, Rhode Island, USGenWeb Project. Please read restrictions.

Maps [top]

• Old Newport County Maps
• A more detailed County Outline Map of Rhode Island - 70K
• 1856 Streets and Courts of Newport
• 1873 Newport, Rhode Island panoramic city sketch from Supplement to Harper's Weekly, August 30, 1873 "Sketches by Theo. R. Davis and Photographs by J. A. Williams". on Scanned
• 1670 Grand Deed of the area that became Tiverton signed by Josiah Winslow Esq. Governor of the Colony of New Plymouth, Major William Bradford Treasurer.

Other Rhode Island Counties [top]

• Bristol County RIGenWeb Page
• Kent County RIGenWeb Page
• Providence County RIGenWeb Page
• Washington County RIGenWeb Page

Thanks for visiting the Newport County, RIGenWeb. 

This page was last updated  14 Mar 2013
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~rinewpor/

This map, last updated: Dec 19 2002; August 25, 2008, and others brought to you by Chuck Bluhm © 2002
Click on any county, including Connecticut and Massachusetts, to go to a USGenWeb County web site.