Rhode Island, State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
This census enumerated the population in 1885.

Record Description
The census information was handwritten on pre-printed sheets. The census is arranged by town and then alphabetically by males and females.

Record Content


The census includes the following information:


 * Name of every person who resided in the family
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Age
 * Marital status
 * Sex
 * Race
 * Place of birth
 * Nativity of parents
 * Voting information for males over 21
 * Whether an alien or naturalized
 * Whether literate or not
 * Number of months in school
 * Any disabilities
 * Occupation

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to marriages make it possible to access a specific marriage record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:


 * The county where the marriage occurred.
 * The name of the person at the time of marriage.
 * The approximate marriage date.
 * The marriage place.
 * The name of the intended spouse.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the marriage records. Compare the information in the marriage record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in marriage records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Record History
Rhode Island took state censuses in the following years:


 * 1865
 * 1875
 * 1885
 * 1905
 * 1915
 * 1925

Why This Record Was Created
The census was compiled to obtain a count of the population to determine how many representatives the state had for legislative purposes.

Record Reliability
Reliability of information in the census is determined by the accuracy of the knowledge of the informant. Informants could have been any member of the family or even a neighbor.

Related Web Sites:
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Related Wiki Articles
Rhode Island Censuses Existing and Lost

Sources of Information for This Collection
“Rhode Island State Census, 1885,” database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/); from Rhode Island State Archives, Providence. FHL Microfilm, 12 rolls, Family History Library Salt Lake City, Utah.

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find th record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

The suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched in found in the Wiki Article: How to Create Source Citations for FamilySearch Historical Records Collections

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection
Rhode Island, State Census, 1885, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: January 27, 2011). Census Record for Allen Rodges, age 67, Johnston, Providence, Rhode Island, film number 9539677.