Rhode Island, United States Genealogy

United States   Rhode Island Welcome to Rhode Island &amp; Providence Plantations, the Ocean StateMost unique genealogical features:
 * RI records are kept on the town level.
 * RI had more religious diversity and churches than most colonies.
 * Large number of family histories.
 * Using Arnold's Vital Records of Rhode Island—In Print and Online Guide.

Counties
Extinct or Renamed Jurisdictions:  Dominion of New England· Massachusetts Bay Colony· New Netherland· King's· Plymouth Colony· Providence Plantations· Rhode Island

Major Repositories
Rhode Island State Archives (Wiki Page)·Rhode Island State Archives (Online Catalog)· Rhode Island Historical Society· Newport Historical Society· Brown University Library· Providence Public Library· Archives at the Judicial Records Center· National Archives Northeast Region (Boston)· New England Historic Genealogical Society

Migration Routes
Atlantic Coast Ports· Long Island Sound· Narragansett Bay· Taunton River· Blackstone Valley· King's Highway· Old Roebuck Road· Pequot Path

Featured Content
The state is called Rhode Island in common usage, but most of the state lies on the North American mainland. Providence Plantations refers to the mainland, while Rhode Island is actually the unofficial name for Aquidneck Island (now composed of the city of Newport, and the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth). From 1524 Italian, Dutch West India Company and British Rule of area.

Did you know?

 * Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Rhode Island were the Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Protestant [[Image:Rhode Island flag.png|right|140px|Rhode Island flag.png]] Episcopal, and Roman Catholic. Many of the early settlers were members of the Society of Friends.
 * Colonial censuses (or similar lists of names) exist for 1747 to 1754, 1774, and 1782. These generally name the head of the household and the number of persons in the family.

Research Tools

 * Rhode Island County Creation Dates and Parent Counties
 * Rhode Island Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * How to order Rhode Island Vital Records
 * State of Rhode Island County &amp; City Government Court links
 * The Rhode Island GenWeb Project provides county information about formation date, parent county, county seat, bibliography, cemeteries, census, churches, towns, history, look ups, obituaries, queries, repositories, surname registry, and many Internet links.
 * Rotating Formation Rhode Island County Boundary Maps and Atlases
 * Rhode Island Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * List of Rhode Island Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * History &amp; Facts of Rhode Island Counties
 * Family Tree Encyclopedia - Terminology &amp; Meanings of Genealogical Terms
 * Printable Genealogy Forms used in Research

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Rhode Island Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Rhode Island Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records) |
 * Rhode Island 1885 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Rhode Island 1905 State Census (FamilySearch historical Records)
 * Rhode Island 1915 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Rhode Island 1925 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Rhode Island 1935 State Census (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Obtain additional help

 * Call or chat with an experienced researcher
 * Join a Facebook Group
 * Consult a Professional Genealogist

Things you can do
In order to make this wiki a better research tool, we need your help! Many tasks need to be done. You can help by:

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