Rhode Island Census

United States   U.S. Census    Rhode Island    Census

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Rhode Island, click here

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Rhode Island, click here.

State and colonial censuses
Rhode Island often took censuses in the years between the federal censuses, the dates are listed below. State census records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses. The responses and years of coverage may give additional information on the family.

* Although the schedules are dated January through March 1936, the data refers to 1935 and this is officially referred to as the 1935 census.

1865 An index to the 1865 census is on Family History Library films 934776-99.

1747 to 1754, 1774, 1782 These censuses generally name the head of the household and the number of persons in the family. Many of these have been published, for example:


 * Mildred M. Chamberlain, The Rhode Island 1777 Military Census (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985; Family History Library ).


 * John R. Bartlett, comp., Census of the Inhabitants of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 1774 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969; Family History Library ).
 * Linda L. Matthew, "1774 Census of Rhode Island" in Rhode Island Roots: Journal of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society, 35, no. 4 (Dec 2009): 193 (Last of the publication which started 6 years earlier).

The original 1865, 1875, 1885, and 1905 to 1936 state censuses are at the Rhode Island State Archives.

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Rhode Island censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types