Step-by-Step Rhode Island Research, 1880-Present

Rhode Island Step-by-step research 1880--present

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What should be asked?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews What to Ask the Relatives
 * Genealogy: 150 questions to ask family members about their lives
 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2. Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
A census is a count and description of the population of a country, state, county, or city for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day. For each person living in a household (depending on the year). their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.

Using the clues to lead to census record searches.
{| Although Hazel Grant is living in Clifton, New Jersey, in 1940, the town where she died, the census states that she was born in Rhode Island. '''In 1930 in Clifton, New Jersey, Ralph W. Grant is still alive, with his wife, Hazel Grant. He was also born in Rhode Island'''

Finding the next earlier generation.
'''Indexes did not find the family in the 1925 or 1920 census, but in 1915, 1910, and 1900, find Ralph W. Grant is living in the home of his parents, William S. and Mary H. Grant. He was born in April 1894, in Rhode Island. Throughout this time period, the family is living in Central Falls, Rhode Island, as predicted. '''

Finding yet another earlier generation.
Here is William S. Grant in 1880 and 1875 living with his parents Joseph J. and Lydia B. Grant in Lincoln, Providence, Rhode Island, about 3.5 miles from Central Falls.





Rhode Island State Censuses
- For more information, see Rhode Island Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Find birth, marriage, and death certificates for ancestors and their children.
States, counties, or (even towns in some states) recorded births, marriages, and deaths.
 * In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations.
 * A marriage certificate might list the parents of the bride and groom.
 * A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Using the census clues to lead to a birth certificate.
Census information gives approximate birth years and probable birth places, and that information leads to finding important birth records. In addition to basic birth date and place, a birth certificate can give age, birthplace, occupation, etc. about the parents. Example of indexed birth entry.

Using the census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
Finding marriage records can: Example of marriage index including parents of the bride and groom.
 * establish the full identity of the wife, with her maiden name and possible birth details.
 * find the names of the parents of the bride and groom.

Using the census clues to lead to a death certificate.
Moving forward in time, older generations stop showing up in the census. That is a clue that they probably died in the last 10 years. The death certificate is important because of all the possible secondary data beyond just the date and place of death: Example of death record index showing parents of the deceased.
 * birth date and place of the deceased
 * maiden name of the wife
 * names of the deceased's parents
 * birth places of the deceased's parents.

The examples shown above are index entries. That means for each of them an actual, original, full certificate exists. It is highly advisable to order the original certificate. It will contain many details not given in the index. In some cases, the image of the original is found online. Instructions are given below on obtaining the original certificate in other cases. -

How to Find the Records
There are basically three ways to find these indexes or full original certificates:
 * online databases
 * writing to a county courthouse (prior to state civil registration beginning in 1867)
 * purchasing them through the mail

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Rhode Island Counties.

Order Certificates from Rhode Island Vital Records Department.
Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).


 * Where to Write for Rhode Island Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Rhode Island, see How to Find Rhode Island Birth Records, How to Find Rhode Island Marriage Records, and How to Find Rhode Island Death Records.

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.

Obituary Collections

 * Online Rhode Island Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Archives.com Obituaries for Rhode Island ($)
 * Newspaper Obituary collection for Rhode Island: about 2003 to 2011 ($)
 * Ancestry.com United States Obituary Collection for Rhode Island ($)
 * Rhode Island Obituaries, index
 * — index and images
 * Search for obituaries in ProQuest Newspapers.com Library ($)

Cemeteries

 * Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission, index, incomplete.
 * Online Rhode Island Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Rhode Island, Find A Grave Index, 1620-2011
 * Find A Grave for Rhode Island
 * Interment.net for Rhode Island
 * Billion Graves for Rhode Island
 * American Ancestors Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Database Index ($)
 * Rhode Island Cemetery Records, index
 * Rhode Island Cemetery Records, index

For more information, see Rhode Island Obituaries and Rhode Island Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and World War II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Rhode Island Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch

 * 1600-1914 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1636-1850 Vital records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 : a family register for the people Links Vol. 1-21
 * 1724-1916 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1802-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1639-1932 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Ancestry.com

 * 1636-1899 Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899($)
 * 1787-1922 New England, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1787-1922, index and images, incomplete. ($)
 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, index and images, incomplete. ($)

Findmypast

 * 1600-1935 Rhode Island Births & Baptisms 1600-1935, index($)
 * 1671-1899 Rhode Island Church Records 1671-1899, index($)

Other Collections

 * Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk indexes church, cemetery, probate and other early New England records with links to abstracts of the records.

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 * For help with church records kept in Rhode Island, see Rhode Island Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: Rhode Island
 * Rhode Island, Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932, ($), index and images, incomplete.

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Rhode Island county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Rhode Island Counties

For more information, see Rhode Island Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Rhode Island Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * Rhode Island Passenger Lists ($)
 * Rhode Island Passenger Lists by Maureen A. Taylor ($)
 * Browse only.

Rhode Island Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Browse Only.
 * Rhode Island, State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1802-1945, index & images ($).
 * Rhode Island, Indexes to Naturalization Records, 1890-1992 ($)
 * , images
 * , images only
 * at FamilySearch — index
 * at FamilySearch — index

For more information, see Rhode Island Emigration and Immigration and Rhode Island Naturalization and Citizenship.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Rhode Island; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "Rhode Island" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * Internet Archive.Use keywords "Rhode Island" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Rhode Island and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * American Biographical Library for Rhode Island ($)
 * County and Town Histories, with biographies
 * The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Rhode Island, e-book
 * Representative men and old families of Rhode Island; genealogical records and historical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the old families ... v.1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3
 * Biographical encyclopaedia of Connecticut and Rhode Island of the nineteenth century

Step 10: Contact a county historical or genealogical society.
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 * County historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the county.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia than you.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia than you.


 * If you can find the society on the internet, they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, you can hire one of their members to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Rhode Island, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Rhode Island, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records

Step 12: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Rhode Island.
This article focused more on Rhode Island state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Rhode Island. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.