Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 548,285.[1] The county seat is Taunton.[2] Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, others by the county, and others by local towns and cities. See Administrative divisions of Massachusetts. The property deed records are kept in Taunton, Attleboro, Fall River, and New Bedford.

Bristol County was created by the Plymouth Colony on June 2, 1685,[3] and named after its "shire town" (county seat), Bristol.[4] The Plymouth Colony merged into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.

The towns of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren were awarded to Rhode Island in 1746 as part of a long-running boundary dispute (see History of Massachusetts), forming Bristol County, Rhode Island. At the same time, Cumberland, Rhode Island was carved out of Attleborough, Massachusetts and annexed to Providence County, Rhode Island; Tiverton and Little Compton were transferred to Newport County, Rhode Island. East Freetown was officially purchased by Freetown, Massachusetts, from Tiverton in 1747, and so remained on the Massachusetts side.

After the departure of Bristol, Taunton was made the shire town of the county. A second county courthouse was constructed in 1828 in the growing town of New Bedford (designed a "half-shire town"). In 1862, part of Seekonk (now East Providence, Rhode Island) and the entirety of East Pawtucket were transferred to Providence County, Rhode Island. At the same time, land ceded from Rhode Island was added to Fall River and Westport. The growing Fall River became the site of the third county courthouse in 1877.[4]

Bristol County was settled by the Pilgrims who came from older towns in what is now Plymouth County. The area was at the center of the King Philip's War in 1675/6 and many settlers temporary moved back to the east. Though records are on a county system for land and probate records, the is divided into several districts for each.

Wikipedia : Bristol County, Massachusetts

Projects

Cities and Towns

Cities are in capital letters. * indicates County Seat.

Acushnet | ATTLEBORO | Berkley | Dartmouth | Dighton | Easton | Fairhaven | FALL RIVER* | Freetown | Mansfield | NEW BEDFORD* | North Attleborough | Norton | Raynham | Rehoboth | Seekonk | Somerset | Swansea | TAUNTON* | Westport

Specific Families

• Williams, Richard, of Taunton

Resources

• Bristol County, Massachusetts Genealogy, compiled by Family Search