Rhode Island Census

United States U.S. Census Rhode Island Census

Tips

If at first you don't find a name, try again under another spelling.
Photocopy each ancestor's census. Identify where you found it.
Look for an ancestor in every census during her or his lifetime.
On the family group record show each person's census listings.
Study others in the same household, neighbors, and anyone with the similar names nearby on the census in community context.

For a list of the exact date of each federal census, click here.

Online Rhode Island indexes and images

Federal population schedules

Microfilm images

**Federal Census Microfilms Available from the Family History Library**
1940 N/A	1910 and Soundex	1870	1840-1790
1930	1900 and Soundex	1860
1920 and Soundex	1880 and Soundex	1850

**Federal Census Microfilms Available from the National Archives**
1940 N/A	1910 T624	1860 M653	1820 M33
1930 T626	1900 T623 and Soundex T1069	1850 M432	1810 M252
1920 T625 and Soundex M1585	1880 T9 and Soundex T770	1840 M704	1800 M32
	1870 M593	1830 M19	1790 M637

Indexes: fiche, film, or book

For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Rhode Island, click here

Federal non-population schedules

Online indexes and images

Online Federal Non-Population Schedules for Rhode Island
		Free			Free at Some Libraries (usually with library card)			Pay
Year	Type	Record Search	Census Bureau	Google Book	Heritage Quest	Ancestry FHL	Ancestry Library	Ancestry Home
1890	Veterans	-	-	-	-	Link	Link	Link
1880	Mortality	-	-	-	-	Link	Link	Link
1870	Mortality	-	-	-	-	Link	Link	Link
1860	Mortality	-	-	-	-	Link	Link	Link
1850	Mortality	Link	-	-	-	Link	Link	Link
1840	Pensioners	-	BookLink	BookLink	-	Link	Link	Link

Microfilm images

Indexes: fiche, film, or book

For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Rhode Island, click here.

State and colonial censuses

Rhode Island state and colonial census schedules^[1]^[2]

Exact Date

Population Schedules

1935 *

Exist

1925

Exist

1915

Exist

1905

Exist

1895

All lost, except Warren Town in Bristol County.

1885

Exist

1875

Exist

1865

Exist

1855

Providence City only.

1782

Exist, combination of census and tax lists.

1777

Exist, except for the towns of Exeter, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, New Shoreham, and Portsmouth.

1774

Exist

1747

Census of freemen; very illegible.

*Although the schedules are dated January through March 1936, the data refers to 1935 and this is officially referred to as the 1935 census.

1865 An index to the 1865 census is on Family History Library films 934776-99.

1747 to 1754, 1774, 1782 These censuses generally name the head of the household and the number of persons in the family. Many of these have been published, for example:

Mildred M. Chamberlain, The Rhode Island 1777 Military Census (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1985; Family History Library book 974.5 M2cm).

John R. Bartlett, comp., Census of the Inhabitants of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, 1774 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969; Family History Library book 974.5 X2pb, fiche 6046611).
Linda L. Matthew, "1774 Census of Rhode Island" in Rhode Island Roots: Journal of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society, 35, no. 4 (Dec 2009): 193 (Last of the publication which started 6 years earlier).

The original 1865, 1875, 1885, and 1905 to 1936 state censuses are at the Rhode Island State Archives.

Existing and lost censuses

For a list of available and missing Rhode Island censuses, click here.

Why use a census?

A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses

Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:

Sources and footnotes

↑ Ann S. Lainhart, State Census Records (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992), 99-101.
↑ Henry J. Dubester, State Censuses: An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), 54-57, 71-72.

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[1] Ann S. Lainhart, State Census Records (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992), 99-101.

[2] Henry J. Dubester, State Censuses: An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948), 54-57, 71-72.

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