Duly elected, but their names are not in the Journals of Congress.
DATE OF INCORPORATION, ETC.
| Counties and Towns. | Date of Incorporation. | From what Taken, Original Names, Changes of Boundaries |
| Bristol Co. | Feb’y 17, 1746–47. | Incorporated with same county limits
as at present. Originally the county
consisted of two towns, Bristol and
Warren. Afterwards, June, 1770, Warren
was divided, and the Town of
Barrington was incorporated. |
| Barrington. | June 16, 1770. | Taken from Warren, which see. |
| Bristol. | Jan’y 27, 1746–47. | Five towns received from Massachusetts
this date. A portion of Bristol annexed
to Warren, May 30, 1873. |
| Warren. | Jan’y 27, 1746–47. | See Bristol. The territory of the Town
of Warren, when admitted to the State,
included the Town of Barrington, and
a portion of the towns of Swanzey and
Rehoboth, in Massachusetts. In 1770
Warren was divided, and one of the
original names (Barrington) was given
to the new town. |
| Kent Co. | June 15, 1750. | Taken from Providence County. Incorporated
with the same county limits
as at present, and same towns. |
| Coventry. | August 21, 1741. | Taken from Warwick. |
| East Greenwich. | October 31, 1677. | Incorporated as the Town of East
Greenwich. Name changed to Dedford,
June 23, 1686. The original name
restored in 1689. The town divided
in 1741. |
| West Greenwich. | April 6, 1741. | Taken from East Greenwich, which see. |
| Warwick. | Original town. | First settled January, 1642–43. Named
from Earl of Warwick, who signed the
Patent of Providence Plantations,
March 14, 1643. The first action of
the inhabitants as a town was August
8, 1647. Indian name, Shawomet. |
| Newport Co. | June 22, 1703. | Originally incorporated as Rhode Island
County, June 16, 1729, incorporated as
Newport County, and included Newport,
Portsmouth, Jamestown and
New Shoreham. |
| Fall River. | October 6, 1856. | Taken from Tiverton. Ceded to Massachusetts
in the settlement of the boundary
question. March 1, 1862. See
Pawtucket and East Providence. |
| Jamestown. | November 4, 1678. | Named in honor of King James. Indian
name Quononoqutt (Conanicut). |
| Little Compton. | Jan’y 27, 1746–47. | One of the five towns received from
Massachusetts. Annexed to Newport
County February 17, 1746–47. Indian
name, Seaconnet. |
| Middletown. | June 16, 1743. | Town in the “middle” of the island.
Taken from Newport. |
| Newport. | Original town. | Settled in 1639. Line between Newport
and Portsmouth established September
14, 1640. Incorporated as a city
June 1, 1784. City charter given up
March 27, 1787. City incorporated the
second time at the May session, 1853,
and the charter accepted May 20, 1853. |
| New Shoreham. | November 6, 1672. | Admitted to Colony as Block Island,
May 4, 1664. When incorporated in
1672, name changed to New Shoreham
“as signes of our unity and likeness
to many parts of our native country.”
Indian name Mannasses or Manisses. |
| Portsmouth. | Original town. | Settled in 1638. Indian name Pocasset
“At a quarter meeting of the first of
ye 5th month 1639, it is agreed upon
to call this town Portsmouth.” At the
“Generall Courte” at “Nieuport”
12th of 1st month, 1640, the name of
Portsmouth was confirmed. |
| Tiverton. | Jan’y 27, 1746–47. | One of the five towns received this date
from Massachusetts. See Bristol,
Warren, &c. Indian name Pocasset.
Annexed to Newport County, February
17, 1746–47. |
| Providence Co. | June 22, 1703 | Originally incorporated as the County of
Providence Plantations, and included
the present territory of Providence,
Kent and Washington counties, excepting
the present towns of Cumberland,
Pawtucket and East Providence.
The name was changed to Providence
County June 16, 1729. See Kent and
Washington counties. |
| Burrillville. | October 29, 1806. | Taken from Glocester. The town was
first authorized to meet to elect officers,
Nov. 17, 1806. Named from
Hon. James Burrill. |
| Cranston. | June 14, 1754. | Taken from Providence. Probably named
from Samuel Cranston, who was Governor
of Rhode Island from March,
1698, to April 26, 1727, when he died.
A portion re-united to Providence,
June 10, 1868, and March 28, 1873. |
| Cumberland. | Jan’y 27, 1746–47 | One of the five towns received this
date. See Tiverton, Bristol, &c.
Until incorporated in Rhode Island it
was known as Attleboro Gore. Named
from Cumberland, England. Annexed
to Providence County, February 17,
1746–47. A portion of Cumberland
was incorporated as the Town of Woonsocket,
January 31, 1867. |
| East Providence. | March 1, 1862. | |The westerly part of Rehoboth, Massachusetts,
was incorporated as Seekonk,
February 26, 1812. The westerly
part of Seekonk was annexed to
Rhode Island, incorporated as a town,
and named East Providence in the
settlement of the boundary question
in 1862. See Pawtucket and Fall
River. |
| Foster. | August 24, 1781. | Taken from Scituate. Named probably
from Hon. Theodore Foster. |
| Glocester. | Feb’y 20, 1730–31. | Taken from Providence. At this date
an act was passed “for erecting and
incorporating the outlands of the Town
of Providence into three towns.”
These towns were Scituate, Glocester
and Smithfield. |
| Johnston. | March 6, 1759. | Taken from Providence, and named in
honor of Augustus Johnston, Esq.,
the attorney-general of the Colony at
that time. |
| Lincoln. | March 8, 1871. | Taken from Smithfield, and named in
honor of Abraham Lincoln, late President
of the United States. |
| North Providence | June 13, 1765 | Taken from Providence. A small portion
reunited to Providence June 29,
1767, and March 28, 1873. The town
was divided March 27, 1874, a portion
was annexed to the City of Providence
and a portion to the Town of Pawtucket.
The act went into effect May 1, 1874. |
| North Smithfield | March 8, 1871 | Taken from Smithfield, and incorporated
as the Town of Slater. Name
changed to North Smithfield, March
24, 1871. |
| Pawtucket | March 1, 1862 | Name of Indian origin. Part of Seekonk,
Mass., was incorporated as the Town of
Pawtucket, March 1, 1828. The whole
Town of Pawtucket except a small
portion lying easterly of Seven Mile
River was annexed to Rhode Island,
with East Providence, which see. A
portion of the Town of North Providence
annexed to Pawtucket, May 1,
1874. |
| Providence | Original town | Settled in 1636. Named Providence by
Roger Williams, “in gratitude to his
supreme deliverer.” Originally comprised
the whole county. City incorporated
in 1832. Portions of the Town
of Cranston were re-annexed to Providence
June 10, 1768, and March 28,
1873. Portions of North Providence
were re-annexed June 29, 1767, March
28, 1873, and May 1, 1874. |
| Scituate | Feb’y 20, 1730–31 | Taken from Providence. See Glocester. |
|
Smithfield | Feb’y 20, 1730–31 | Taken from Providence. See Glocester.
The town was divided March 8, 1871,
a portion being annexed to Woonsocket,
and the remainder divided
into three towns. See Lincoln and
North Smithfield. |
|
Woonsocket | Jan’y 31, 1867 | Name of Indian origin. Taken from
Cumberland. A portion of Smithfield
was annexed to Woonsocket March 8,
1871. |
|
Washington Co. | June 16, 1729 | Originally called the “Narragansett
country.” Named King’s Province,
March 20, 1654. Boundaries established
May 21, 1669. Incorporated
June, 1729, as King’s County, with
three towns and same territory as at
present. Name changed to Washington
County, October 29, 1781. |
|
Charlestown | August 22, 1738 | Taken from Westerly. |
|
Exeter | March 8, 1742–43 | Taken from North Kingstown. |
| Hopkinton | March 19, 1757 | Taken from Westerly. |
| North Kingstown | October 28, 1674 | First settlement, 1641. Incorporated in
1674, under the name of King’s
Towne, as the seventh town in the
Colony. Incorporation reaffirmed in
1679. Name changed to Rochester
June 23, 1686. Name restored in
1689; see East Greenwich. Kingstown,
divided into North and South
Kingstown, February, 1722. The act
provided that North Kingstown should
be the oldest town. |
| South Kingstown | Feb’y 26, 1722–23 | See North Kingstown. Pettiquamscut
settled January 20, 1657–58. |
| Richmond | August 18, 1747 | Taken from Charlestown. |
| Westerly | May 14, 1669 | Original name Misquamicut. Incorporated
in May, 1669, under the name of
Westerly, as the fifth town in the Colony.
Name of Westerly changed to
Haversham, June 23, 1686, but soon
restored. |
Note.—In several cases the exact date of the passage of the act of incorporation of towns cannot be ascertained. In such cases the date of the meeting of the General Assembly at which the act was passed is given.