Rhode Island Research Tips and Strategies

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Rhode Island

Research Tips and Strategies

Purpose of Research Tips and Strategies Wiki Page The Rhode Island Research Tips and Strategies page consists of links to specific research strategies for Rhode Island. It also contains general tips and other resources for finding your ancestors in this locality.

Rhode Island Research Strategies

Below are links to different research strategy pages to help you locate your ancestors in Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records
• How to find Rhode Island Birth Records
• How to find Rhode Island Marriage Records
• How to find Rhode Island Death Records

Rhode Island Research Tips

These tips will help you as you research your ancestors in Rhode Island.

• Birth information: State wide registration of births in Rhode Island began in 1853. Earlier birth records dating back to 1636 were kept by the towns. A helpful substitute record to find birth information is a death record. However, date and place of birth on a death record is considered secondary information, as it was not recorded at the time of the birth event. The birth information should be corroborated with other substitute records to improve accuracy.
• Finding Parents: State wide registration of deaths in Rhode Island began in 1853. Earlier death records dating back to 1636 were kept by the towns. They often will list the parents of the deceased and their birth information. Search Rhode Island death records
• Look in all censuses: Always look for your ancestor in every possible census. There are clues regarding immigration, naturalization, and occupation that can lead to other records. Sometimes parents can be found living with their children later in life. Search U.S. Censuses.

Rhode Island Record Finder

This brief Record Finder is designed to help you determine the best record to search for the type of information you are looking for. It is most helpful for post-1850 research. For a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see Rhode Island Record Finder.

1. What you are looking for:	2. Try these records first:	3. Other useful records
Birth information	Birth records Death records Obituaries Church records	Cemeteries Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) Bible records Military records
Marriage information	Marriage records Obituaries Bible records	Church records Probate records Military records
Death information	Death Records Cemeteries Obituaries	Probate Records Church Records Bible Records
Parents	Birth records Death records Obituaries Census Church records	Biography Genealogy
Maiden name	Marriage Records Obituaries Probate records	Church Records Military Records
Immigration date	Emigration and Immigration Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) Census	Obituaries Biography History
Naturalization	Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) Census Court Records	Voting Records Biography Periodicals
Physical description	Military Records Naturalization and Citizenship (after 1906) (after 1906)	Biography History

Further Rhode Island Research

• Remember, for a more complete Record Finder, covering additional research needs, see Rhode Island Record Finder.
• For online record collections, go to Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records.
• For more research on Rhode Island, including research at the county level, visit the Rhode Island page on the Research Wiki.
• Search all of the Rhode Island record collections at FamilySearch.
  

Ralph J. Crandall. ed. Genealogical Research in New England. Baltimore,Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984. FS Library 974 D27gr