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Step-by-Step Rhode Island Research, 1850-1910



Step-by-Step Rhode Island Research, 1850-1910
1. Contact living relatives.
2. Online census records.
3. Death records, obituary and cemetery records online.
4. Births and marriages online.
5. Military records online.
6: Look for church records online.
7. Wills and probate.
8. Immigration and naturalization records online.
9. Land records online.
10. Printed local histories or biographies online.
11. Historical or genealogical societies.
12: Use other FamilySearch tools.
13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Rhode Island.
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Some online records have restrictions, due to contractual agreements, allowing them to be used only at FamilySearch Centers or FamilySearch Affiliate Library. This pop-up warning has links to lists of addresses of the many affiliate libraries that are available throughout the world.

Subscription websites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage and many others offer complimentary service at these affiliate libraries and at most local libraries.

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Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.

Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?

In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :

What documents should be collected or copied?

Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

  • Announcements of births, weddings,
    and anniversaries
  • Baby and wedding books
  • Certificates
  • Deeds, and property records
  • Family Bibles
  • Family reunion notices and records
  • Fraternal or society records
  • Insurance policies
  • Journals and diaries
  • Letters and cards
  • Licenses (business, marriage,
    fishing, driving)
  • Naturalization documents
  • Newspaper clippings and obituaries
  • Medical records
  • Military service and pension documents
  • Occupational awards
  • Passports
  • Personal histories and biographies
  • Photograph albums
  • Printed Notices and Announcements
  • Programs (graduation, award ceremonies, funerals)
  • School records
  • Scrapbooks
  • Wills and trusts


Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.

  • A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
  • For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
  • Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
  • Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.


Example of a census record.

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Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.

Rhode Island State Censuses

Year Type of Census Links
1935 State, all household members at Rhode Island, State Census 1935

at Ancestry

1925 state, all household members at Rhode Island, State Census, 1925

at Ancestry

1915 State, all household members at Rhode Island, State Census, 1915

at Ancestry

1905 State. all household members at Rhode Island, State Census, 1905
1885 State, all household members at Rhode Island, State Census 1885

at Ancestry

1875 State, all household members at Ancestry
1865 State, all household members at Ancestry
1774 State, head of household at Ancestry

For more information, see Rhode Island Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.

When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.

  • Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.
  • The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.
  • The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.
  • Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.



Example of a death index entry.

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Example of a Social Security Death Index entry:

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Example of a Social Security Application and Claims Index Entry:

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Example of a FindAGrave cemetery record.

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Example of an obituary.

PLAINVILLE CITIZEN, THE (CT) | 2 APRIL 2009 Obituaries Mary Eliza Louise (Johnson) Mayers, 102, of Plainville, died peacefully surrounded by her family March 21, 2009. She was born on April 6, 1906 i n Jamestown, R. I. to the late Clifton L. and Ceatter (Martin) Johnson. Everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her remembers her as Louise. Though she was born in Rhode Island, she spent little time there, moving at an early age to Plainville and remained a lifelong resident. She married from which came her son Gordon who was the light of her life and she successfully raised him to be a good man. Nothing was more important to her than her family. Her granddaughters and great-grandchildren continue to carry on her spirit and keep together even in the tough times. Caring for the family included cooking, which was a pride and joy for her. Even the granddaughters try to match her love for cooking and finally mastered the making of her famous Jim-Jim cookies. With her family and friends she traveled every chance she could. Whether it was around the United States or to foreign countries as far away as China, she wanted to see the whole world. Through it all her faith kept her strong and she devoted herself to charitable organizations serving as the past president of the Eastern Star Marian Chapter 26 O.E.S. of Middletown. There aren't enough words to capture the strength, compassion and perseverance that she had. She will be missed by all who knew her. She is survived by her loving family who will miss her dearly; her son, Gordon Mayers and his wife, Ernestyne, of Hamden; her granddaughters, Donna Springer, of Medford, Mass., and Diana Braxton and her husband, William, of Stafford, Va.; her great-grandchildren, Justin Springer, Gordon, Eric and Kevin Braxton; and Alan Johnson; her brother, William Alfred Johnson and his wife, Bertha, of Plainville; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two sisters and two brothers. The funeral was held March 27, 2009, at Bailey Funeral Home, Plainville. A Mass was held March 28, 2009, at Redeemer's AME Zion Church, Plainville. Burial followed the service at West Cemetery, Plainville. Memorial donations may be made to the Redeemer's AME Zion Church, 110 Whiting St., Plainville, CT 06062. Copyright, 2009, Plainville Citizen, The (CT), All Rights Reserved.


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Gather information from as many death related records as possible.



Death Indexes

Writing for Full Death Certificates

The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
In the states of New England, records were created and maintained by town clerks. Most are online but can be viewed in person or requested by mail.

U.S. Social Security Records

  • The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
  • The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
  • You can search these records online at
  • If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituary Collections

Cemeteries

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Study any new information in these records for clues leading to more census searches.

Step 4: Search for birth and marriage records online.

Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1853. Prior to that the individual towns and city clerks kept some records.

Example of a county birth index entry.

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Example of an indexed county marriage entry.

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Birth County Marriages Death
Earliest 1630s 1630s 1630s
Statewide Registration 1853 1853 1853
General Compliance 1915 1915 1915

Online Records

Births


Marriages

Town Clerk Records

Vital records were first kept in Rhode Island from about 1630. All original records are maintained by the town or city and can be viewed at the town or city clerk’s office. The present vital registration law was enacted in 1853. This statute required that all vital events be recorded in the town where they occurred. A centralized registration system was established in 1915.

Order Certificates from Rhode Island Vital Records Department.

Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Rhode Island, see How to Find Rhode Island Birth Records, How to Find Rhode Island Marriage Records, and How to Find Rhode Island Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.

There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information.

Example of a World War I draft card.
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Example of a World War II draft card.
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Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.



For more information and additional collections, see Rhode Island Military Records.

Step 6: Look for church records online.

Church records function as vital records.

  • An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
  • Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
  • Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.

Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.

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Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.


FamilySearch

Ancestry.com

Findmypast

Other Collections

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

  • County probate records include probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
  • In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
  • Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.


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Search these indexes and images for probate records.




Probate Information in County Wiki Articles

Each Rhode Island county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Rhode Island Counties

For more information, see Rhode Island Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.

The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.


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Look for immigrant ancestors in shipping lists and citizenship sources.



Rhode Island Immigration Records

Rhode Island Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

For more information, see Rhode Island Emigration and Immigration and Rhode Island Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: Search land records online.

These records will give the

  • names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
  • previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
  • the date they obtained the land,
  • the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.

They can contain clues to

  • family members who shared ownership of the land,
  • sold or gave land to a child, or
  • officially witnessed the sale.
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Search for any ancestor's land records.



For more information, see Rhode Island Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Step 10: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.

Local Histories

  • Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
  • Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Rhode Island; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

  • Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
  • In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
  • A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections

  • American Biographical Library at Ancestry — index ($)
  • Biographical Encyclopaedia of Connecticut and Rhode Island of the Nineteenth Century, New York: Metropolitan Publishing and Engraving Co., 1881. Online at: HathiTrust
  • County and Town Histories, Rhode Island at LearnWebSkills — index & images
  • Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island; Genealogical Records and Historical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Old Families, Chicago: J. H. Beers and Co., 1908. Online at: Vol. 1, Pt. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 1, Pt. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust
  • The Biographical Cyclopedia of Representative Men of Rhode Island, Providence: National Biographical Publishing Co., 1881. Online at: HathiTrust

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.

  • Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
  • Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
  • Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
  • Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
  • Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

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Step 12: Use other FamilySearch tools.

Historical Images

Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.


Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records

Search any other online records listed in Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.


Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Rhode Island.

This article focused more on Rhode Island state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Rhode Island. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.

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