Rhode Island Church Records: Difference between revisions

Rhode Island Church Records (view source)

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 Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Rhode Island were the Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Protestant Episcopal, and Roman Catholic.<ref>William Chamberlin Hunt and United States Bureau of the Census, ''Religious Bodies: 1906'' (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1910), Vol. 1:352. Digital version at [http://books.google.com/books?id=Z6ZdiZWeStAC Google Books].</ref> Many of the early settlers were members of the Society of Friends.
+==Information Found in the Records==
+To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:
+{|
+|-
+|style="vertical-align:top; padding-right:30px"|
+*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Baptisms or Christenings|Baptisms or Christenings]]
+*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Marriages|Marriages]]
+|style="vertical-align:top; padding-right:30px"|
+*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Funerals or Burials|Funerals or Burials]]
+*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Membership Lists|Membership Lists]]
+|style="vertical-align:top; padding-right:30px"|
+*[[What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records?#Minutes or Historical Narrative|Minutes or Historical Narrative]]
+|}
+==Finding the Records==
+===Look for online records.===
+'''Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local [https://familysearch.org/locations/ family history center] or the [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Family_History_Library Family History Library] in Salt Lake City, Utah.
+<br>
+{|
+|-
+|
+[[File:Caution sign.png|70px]]
+|
+Online databases are <span style="color:Red">'''incomplete'''</span>. This can lead to two common errors:
+#'''Near matches:''' Researchers might <span style="color:Red">'''mistakenly accept an entry very similar to their ancestor'''</span>, thinking it is the only one available. Only use information that matches your ancestor in date, place, relationships, and other details.
+#'''Stopping research''': Researchers might <span style="color:Red">'''assume the database proves church records do not exist'''</span>.  Actually the record is still out there, just not in this <span style="color:Red">'''incomplete'''</span> collection of records.  Keep searching!
+|}
+----
+===Online Records===
+[http://dunhamwilcox.net/ Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk] indexes church, cemetery, probate and other early New England, New York and New Jersey records with links to abstracts of the records.
+===Look for digital copies of church records listed in the FamilySearch Catalog. ===
+[[File:Family History Library.jpg|right|thumb|<center>'''Family History Library'''<br>'''Salt Lake City, Utah'''</center>]]
+*The [[Family History Library|Family History Library]] (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
+*Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
+*If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see [https://beta.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-request-that-a-microfilm-be-digitized '''How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?''']
+*Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a [https://familysearch.org/locations/ '''Family History Center'''] near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
+*To find records:
+:::a. Click on the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&placeId=342&query=%2Bplace%3A%22United%20States%2C%20Rhode%20Island%22 '''records of United States, Rhode Island'''].
+:::b. Click on '''Places within United States, Rhode Island''' and a list of counties will appear.
+:::c. Click on your county if it appears.
+:::d. Click on the '''"Church records"''' topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
+:::e. Click on '''Places within United States, Rhode Island [COUNTY]''' and a list of towns will appear.
+:::f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
+:::g. Click on the '''"Church records"''' topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
+:::h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. [[File:FHL icons.png|75px]].  The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.
+-----
+===Consult available finding aids.===
+'''These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.'''
 Some records of the Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist, and Society of Friends churches are published in volumes 7 to 11 of James Arnold, ''The Vital Records of Rhode Island'' (see [[Rhode Island Vital Records|Rhode Island Vital Records]]). A list of churches and the types of records available in 1941 is ''Guide to the Church Vital Statistics in the State of Rhode Island'' (Providence: Historical Records Survey, 1941; {{WorldCat|3804660|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}; Family History Library {{FHL|366088|title-id|disp=book 974.5 V2h; film 982351 item 2; fiche 6046673}}).
+----
+===Correspond with or visit the actual churches.===
+Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
+*'''Make an appointment''' to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
+*To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
+*Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
+*A '''donation''' ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
+*If the church has a website, you may be able to '''e-mail a message'''.
+*See the [[Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy|'''Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy''']] for help with composing letters.
+*Each [[United States Church Records#Searching for Church Records by Denomination|'''denomination page''']] offers an [[United States Church Records#Searching for Church Records by Denomination|'''online address directory of local churches''']] for that denomination.
-[http://dunhamwilcox.net/ Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk] indexes church, cemetery, probate and other early New England, New York and New Jersey records with links to abstracts of the records.
+===Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.===
+Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to '''digitized, online records''' offered by the archives. Some archives provide '''research services''' for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a [https://algensoc.org/main/researchers.html '''researcher.''']<br>
+<br>
+<span style="color:DarkViolet">'''Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational  archives, go to  [[United States Church Records#Searching for Church Records by Denomination|'''Searching for Church Records by Denomination.''']]</span>
+-----
 ====American-Canadian Genealogical Society Library====
 [https://acgs.org/research/ '''American-Canadian Genealogical Society Library''']<br>