Rhode Island Court RecordsEdit This Page From FamilySearch Wiki
Major Rhode Island courts that kept records of genealogical
value were established as follows: 1647-1729: General Court was
a statewide court with jurisdiction over civil and criminal
matters. In 1671 it became the General Court of Trials. Many of
the records of these courts are on microfilm at the Family
History Library. 1730-present: Courts of common pleas were
established in each county in 1730. They had jurisdiction over
most local criminal and civil matters. The library has records
of the court of common pleas for Newport and Washington
counties. 1729-present: Superior Court of Judicature replaced
the General Court of Trials. After 1747 several superior courts
of judicature were established as county-wide courts. The Family
History Library has some of these records from 1729 to 1884.
1798-present: Supreme Judicial Court was created from the
Superior Court of Judicature. This court became the Supreme
Court in 1843. Many of these records are a