Rhode Island Emigration and Immigration

Online Resources

 * 1500s-1900s All U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry; index only ($); Also at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Rhode Island
 * 1895-1956 United States, Border Crossings from Canada, 1895-1956 at MyHeritage; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Rhode Island
 * 1911-1954 United States, New England Passenger and Crew Lists, 1911-1954 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images


 * 1955-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * Rhode Island Passenger Lists at Ancestry; images only ($)
 * Rhode Island Passenger Lists by Maureen A. Taylor at Ancestry; images only ($)
 * United States, Passenger and Crew Lists - New England Passenger And Crew Lists at FindMyPast; index & images ($)

Cultural Groups

 * 1920-1939 Germany, Bremen Emigration Lists, 1920-1939 at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Rhode Island
 * Germans Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Rhode Island
 * Italians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Rhode Island
 * Russians Immigrating to the United States at MyHeritage; index only ($); includes those with Destination of Rhode Island

Passport Records Online

 * 1795-1925 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1795-1925 - U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 Index and images, at Ancestry ($)

Offices to Contact
Although many records are included in the online records listed above, there are other records available through these archives and offices. For example, there are many minor ports that have not yet been digitized. There are also records for more recent time periods. For privacy reasons, some records can only be accessed after providing proof that your ancestor is now deceased.

National Archives and Records Administration

 * The National Archives (NARA) has immigration records for arrivals to the United States from foreign ports between approximately 1820 and 1982. The records are arranged by Port of Arrival (See Part 5).
 * You may do research in immigration records in person at the National Archives Building, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408-0001.


 * Some National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regional facilities have selected immigration records; call to verify their availability or check the online Microfilm Catalog.
 * Libraries with large genealogical collections, such as the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Allen County Piblic Library also have selected NARA microfilm publications.
 * Order copies of passenger arrival records with NATF Form 81.

Ports in NARA Records
=note to me: Add collections for each state=

U.S. Citizenship and and Immigration Services Genealogy Program
The USCIS Genealogy Program is a fee-for-service program that provides researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants. If the immigrant was born less than 100 years ago, you will also need to provide proof of his/her death.

Immigration Records Available

 * A-Files: Immigrant Files, (A-Files) are the individual alien case files, which became the official file for all immigration records created or consolidated since April 1, 1944.
 * Alien Registration Forms (AR-2s): Alien Registration Forms (Form AR-2) are copies of approximately 5.5 million Alien Registration Forms completed by all aliens age 14 and older, residing in or entering the United States between August 1, 1940 and March 31, 1944.
 * Registry Files:''' Registry Files are records, which document the creation of immigrant arrival records for persons who entered the United States prior to July 1, 1924, and for whom no arrival record could later be found.
 * Files:''' Visa Files are original arrival records of immigrants admitted for permanent residence under provisions of the Immigration Act of 1924.

Requesting a Record

 * Web Request Page allows you to request a records, pay fees, and upload supporting documents (proof of death).
 * Record Requests Frequently Asked Questions

Finding Town of Origin
Records in the countries emigrated from are kept on the local level. You must first identify the name of the town where your ancestors lived to access those records. If you do not yet know the name of the town of your ancestor's birth, there are well-known strategies for a thorough hunt for it.
 * U. S. Immigration Records: Finding the Town of Origin

Background
''This heading will include information and subheadings (as needed) detailing the history, trends, peoples, or other relevant information about the nature of immigration in this state or country. Subheadings may be included as necessary for specific cultural groups or immigration/emigration patterns. ''

Immigration Records
Immigration refers to people coming into a country. Emigration refers to people leaving a country to go to another. Immigration records usually take the form of ship's passenger lists collected at the port of entry. See Online Databases and Resources.

Information in Passenger Lists

 * Before 1820 - Passenger lists before 1820 included name, departure information and arrival details. The names of wives and children were often not included.


 * 1820-1891 - Customs Passenger Lists between 1820 and 1891 asked for each immigrant’s name, their age, their sex, their occupation, and their country of origin, but not the city or town of origin.


 * 1891-1954 - Information given on passenger lists from 1891 to 1954 included:
 * name, age, sex,
 * nationality, occupation, marital status,
 * last residence, final destination in the U.S.,
 * whether they had been to the U.S. before (and if so, when, where and how long),
 * if joining a relative, who this person was, where they lived, and their relationship,
 * whether able to read and write,
 * whether in possession of a train ticket to their final destination, who paid for the passage,
 * amount of money the immigrant had in their possession,
 * whether the passenger had ever been in prison, a poorhouse, or in an institution for the insane,
 * whether the passenger was a polygamist,
 * and immigrant's state of health.


 * 1906-- - In 1906, the physical description and place of birth were included, and a year later, the name and address of the passenger’s closest living relative in the country of origin was included.

Information in Passports
Over the years, passports and passport applications contained different amounts of information about the passport applicant. The first passports that are available begin in 1795. These usually contained the individual's name, description of individual, and age. More information was required on later passport applications, such as:


 * Birthplace
 * Birth date
 * Naturalization information
 * Arrival information, if foreign born

In-country Migration
This section will detail any relevant migration patterns or influences that pertained to this location, such as common migration routes in the location, or groups of people from one location who congregated in another location, etc. (for state pages of the United States, this section will only include migration patterns that were relevant to that particular state)
 * LIST OF ROUTES

For Further Reading
This heading will contain any other publications/websites, etc. that may be relevant to researching/understanding immigration and emigration for this country.


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Rhode Island Ports

 * 1723-1790 Maritime Papers of Rhode Island


 * 1726-1786 Admiralty Papers


 * 1798-1872 Rhode Island passenger lists : port of Providence, 1798-1808, 1820-1872; ports of Bristol and Warren, 1820-1871


 * 1820-1870 Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island


 * 1820-1867 Providence, Rhode Island


 * 1820-1857 Newport, Rhode Island


 * 1829-1857 List of American seamen of Providence District pursuant to the act for the relief and protection of American seamen : found at U.S. Customs House, Providence, R.I.


 * 1912-1943 Passenger Lists, Providence, Rhode Island, 1911-1943; book indexes, 1911-1934; card indexes, 1911-1926


 * To see other indexes and information regarding Passenger Lists, access FamilySearch Catalog under:


 * RHODE ISLAND - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION


 * UNITED STATES - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION


 * UNITED STATES - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION - INDEXES.


 * The Rhode Island Historical Society has Marine Hospital Records, Custom House passenger lists and alien passenger reports, 1798-1870, Maritime papers, 1723 to 1790 and Admiralty papers, 1726 to 1777.

Port of Boston
The major port of entry to New England is Boston, Massachusetts. The Family History Library and the National Archives have passenger lists for Boston for 1820 to March 1874 and 1883 to 1935 (listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under MASSACHUSETTS, SUFFOLK, BOSTON - EMIGRATION AND IMMIGRATION). The following indexes are also available:


 * 1820-1891 Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston 1820-1891; with index, 1848-1891 Also online at FamilySearch Historical Records


 * 1848-1891 The Massachusetts State Archives has an online searchable index for the Boston Passenger Manifest


 * 1891-1943 Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Aug. 1, 1891-1943; Book indexes to Boston Passenger Lists, 1899-1940; Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Jan. 1, 1902-Dec. 31, 1920

Atlantic Ports

 * 1820-1874 FamilySearch Historical Records on line See Wiki Page article United States, Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Atlantic and Gulf Coast Ports - FamilySearch Historical Records


 * 1820-74. A Supplemental Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Atlantic and Gulf Coast Ports (excluding New York) 

General

 * Consult passenger lists of other New England ports and for ports in Canada. Records of Canadian border entries from 1895 to 1949 are on 400 films at the Family History Library. This is also found on line at FamilySearch Historical Records


 * Names of immigrants listed in published sources to about 1920 are indexed in P. William Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 15 Volumes (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1981-) The first three volumes are a combined alphabetical index published in 1981. Supplemental volumes have been issued annually. There are also cumulative indexes.