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 census index. Use the locator information in the index (such as page number or family number) to locate your ancestors in the census. Some on-line indexes, such as indexes to FamilySearch Historical Records, will take you directly to an image. Compare the information in the census to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information of more than one family or person to make this determination. Be aware that as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. For example:


 * Use the age listed to determine an approximate birth date. This date along with the place of birth can help you find a birth record. Birth records often list biographical and marital details about the parents and close relatives other than the immediate family.
 * Birth places can tell you former residences and can help to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * Use the race information to find records related to that ethnicity such as records of the Freedman’s Bureau or Indian censuses.
 * Use the naturalization information to find their naturalization papers in the county court records. It can also help you locate immigration records such as a passenger list which would usually be kept records at the port of entry into the United States.
 * If they are subject to military service they may have military files in the State or National Archives.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as school records; children’s occupations are often listed as “at school.”

It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related.

Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records.

Some other helpful tips to keep in mind are:


 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county.
 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child.
 * You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents.
 * Additional searches may be needed to locate all members of a particular family in the census.
 * The census may identify persons for whom other records do not exist.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records)

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

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," index and images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 7 April 2011. entry for Allen Rogers, age 67; citing Census Records, FHL microfilm 4,539,677; Rhode Island State Archives. Providence, Rhode Island.

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