Rhode Island Colonial Records

Online Records
''Many records from the colonial era in New England were kept at the town or county level. Search the catalog at the town or county level to locate those records.''

History
Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams and other European settlers who were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Williams negotiated with the Native Americans living there for land and named the place Providence Plantations. In 1644 the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was created and consisted of Providence, Portsouth, and Newport. Warwick joined in 1647. Rhode Island became part of the Dominion of New England in 1686, but regained its independence in 1688.

Court Records

 * Rhode Island Court Records: Records of The Court of Trials of The Colony of Providence Plantations, 1647-1670. 2 Vols. (Providence: Rhode Island historical Society, 1920-1922).
 * Records of the Vice-Admiralty Court of Rhode Island: 1716-1752. (1936. Reprint. Millwood, NY: Kraus Reprint, 1975).
 * Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and providence Plantations in new England 1636-1792, Printed by Order of the Legislature by John R. Bartlett. (Providence: A.C. Green, 1856-1865).