 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||
 |
||||
Frequently Asked Questions in Rhode Island Genealogy Each state has its own ways of handling the information that genealogists seek,
and an expert in Connecticut or New Hampshire, for example, might need help in Rhode Island. What follows is a personal guide down some of the twisting paths of
research in Rhode Island, based on the questions that I have been asked over and over again. At the end is a very brief list of books and research facilities that every
researcher, no matter how casual, should know about. I cannot recommend too highly The Genealogist's Guide to New England (available through NEHGS) for its
comprehensive listing of different sources. Beyond the resources mentioned in the following pages stand a wealth of diaries, institutional records, legal records of
disputed estates, newspaper stories, town taxes, accounts of doctors, coffin-makers, and undertakers to explore. If you are just starting an investigation,
however, try using some of the suggested resources first. Please let me know of additions and corrections at A: If he or she was born in 1850 or later, look at the statewide index compiled by the R.I. Dept. of Health from local records: Index of Births in Rhode Island at Rhode
Island Historical Society, now available as part of the CD Rhode Island Vital Records: 1636-1930 from Ancestry.com. The Rhode Island State Archives and
Rhode Island Historical Society have indexes and microfilm of the original material. The Providence vital records are published as a huge and helpful series, Alphabetical
Index of Births, Marriage and Deaths Recorded in Providence. The original volumes in the City Archives at Providence City Hall have even more to offer.
Census records can be a good place to start. Beginning in 1850, the federal census listed the names of everyone in a household with their relationships and place of
birth (usually just the state or country). Images of these census returns are available online at Ancestry.com or on microfilm at National Archives records
centers. There are many of these around the country; the closest one to most Rhode Islanders is at 380 Trapelo Rd., Waltham, Mass. Family Tree Maker's Family Archives has published
Census Microfilm Records: Connecticut and Rhode Island, 1850, CD #308, but the images are extremely difficult to read. Rhode Island took its
own census every ten years, e.g., 1865, 1875, etc. Microfilm of these state censuses is available in Providence at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library,
121 Hope St., and at the Rhode Island State Archives, 337 Westminster St. Not all are indexed. These census records, both federal and state, will show the name,
age, and relationship of the child, although sometimes the age, if supplied by a neighbor rather than a family member, is incorrect. If he or she was born before 1850
, look in the town records published in James N. Arnold's Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850 (21 vols., Providence, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1891-1912; also available on the CD
Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850 Arnold Collection from CDVenture, Inc.). The births in Arnold are those that the parents bothered to register. Many families
never registered any births, and most registered only some of their children. Since children were not baptized as infants in many Rhode Island churches in the
eighteenth century, these records in Arnold are not as much help as for deaths; Quaker records and Episcopal records are very welcome exceptions. By the
nineteenth century church records become a much more useful tool. Newspapers did not list births, although the published age at death can be a clue. Tip: remember to check all spellings of a surname, e.g.,
Pearce, Pierce, Peirce. Your family may care a lot about the spelling now, but your ancestors treated it with cheerful abandon.
Gravestones can be a big help in estimating when a birth occurred, although usually not where. Most gravestones follow the formula for this imaginary woman: "Mary
Carder, wife of James, died 27 July 1823, aged 56 years" or "in her 56th year." Using the age at death, one can estimate a birth date. Don't let a discrepancy of a
year or two put you off: often the person who died may not have known his or her precise year of birth. You don't have to tromp through cemeteries looking for this
information. The R.I. Historical Cemetery Database is on computers at various libraries: Rhode Island Historical Society, East Greenwich Free Public Library,
Warwick Library, West Warwick Library, Little Compton Library, and the American French Genealogical Society in Woonsocket. The index only, not the full database, is presently available on-line at the NEHGS website or
http://www.rootsweb.com~rigenweb. The index is recommended only as a starting point. On the computers in Rhode Island libraries one can start with the statewide
index screen and then go to the individual town screen to find gravestone and cemetery information. Books of gravestone transcriptions for Warwick, East
Greenwich, Exeter, Coventry, Hopkinton, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, East Greenwich, and the old section of Providence's North Burial Ground are available at
libraries or for purchase. Books on Richmond and Charlestown are in the process of preparation. Transcriptions of cemeteries in other towns appeared in Alden G. Beaman's Rhode Island Genealogical Register and
Rhode Island Vital Records: New Series (both available on the single CD Vital Records: Rhode Island 1500-1900s, Family Tree Maker's Family Archives, CD #215). Tip: although the great majority of
gravestones do not specify where the person was born, those of Irish immigrants are often give the county and sometimes the town in Ireland. Wills abstracted in the Rhode Island Genealogical
Register are another good source of births; check the index of wills in volume 16 or the electronic index on the CD. The CD is preferable since it shows beneficiaries and witnesses in addition to
testators. Men always named their children in their wills, even if leaving them only a token inheritance. Commonly they specified those who were under the age of
majority (21 for boys, 18 or marriage for girls). Look at the full will either at the town hall or on microfilm for a fuller picture of the family. Typically married women
did not make wills, except in unusual circumstances. Tip: be alert for clues that a child or grandchild may be from a previous marriage. If a man refers to "my wife's
daughter" or "my wife's grandson," you can be sure that he is not the father/grandfather. If he refers to goods that his wife brought him at the time of
the marriage, then she is surely a second wife and not necessarily the mother of all the children named. Another method for estimating birth dates for men is to check whether your
ancestor became a freeman. Men had to be at least 21 years old, a useful clue. You can find these records by looking up the name in the indexes of John R. Bartlett,
Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, (10 vols., Providence, R.I.: Alfred Anthony, 1857-1865). This method is a
bit sloppy: there were many different men of the same name so you can get misleading hits. If your ancestor might have been a mariner, look at Maureen A. Taylor's Register of
Seamen's Protection Certificates from the Providence, Rhode Island Custom District 1796-1870, (Baltimore, Md.: Clearfield Co., Inc., 1995). Men applied for
certificates of citizenship to protect themselves from impressment by foreign ships. The record shows the name, date of certification, age or date of birth, complexion,
and place of birth. It's a particularly good source for blacks who are typically under-registered in town VRs. An ancestor who applied for a Revolutionary War pension, whether or not he
received it, had to testify as to his birth date and place in court and offer whatever supporting evidence he could. These depositions include references to town records
and family Bibles. What is particularly interesting is that many of the applicants were not sure themselves of all the information. Check Kathryn Gunning's book Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864
, (Westminster, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 1999) for abstracts. The microfilm of the original papers—NARA Microfilm Series M-804, Revolutionary War and Bounty Land-Warrant
Applications—is available at National Archives branches around the country. Family Bibles are a unique source of valuable birth information. Many such records were published in back issues of
Rhode Island Roots or through the DAR. If you can visit Rhode Island Historical Society Library at 121 Hope St., Providence, check out
Josephine Keefer Short's four volume typescript "Rhode Island Bible Records." The NEHGS CD, Bible Records from the manuscript collections of the New England Historic Genealogical Society
, includes a few from Rhode Island.
A: If the marriage took place in 1853 or after, you can turn to the statewide index compiled by the R.I. Dept. of Health from local records: Index of Marriages in Rhode Island
at Rhode Island Historical Society, now available as part of the CD Rhode Island Vital Records: 1636-1930 from Ancestry.com. Be sure to check the
town record for more details: both the bride and groom had to provide their ages, occupations, place of birth, place of residence, and parents' names. Providence vital records are published as a multi-volume series,
Alphabetical Index of Births, Marriage and Deaths Recorded in Providence. In this period state and federal censuses can be very helpful in determining whether a couple had married.
Beginning in 1850, the federal census listed the names of everyone in a household with their relationships. Census records can be researched online at Ancestry.com
or on microfilm at National Archives centers. There are many of these around the country; the closest one to most Rhode Islanders is at 380 Trapelo Rd., Waltham MA. Family Tree Maker's Family Archives has published
Census Microfilm Records: Connecticut and Rhode Island, 1850, CD #308, but the images are extremely difficult to read. Rhode Island took its own census every ten years, e.g. 1855,
1865, etc. Microfilms of these are available in Providence at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library, 121 Hope St., and at the State Archives, 337 Westminster St. Before 1853
, one has to depend on town records. Although marriages were more frequently recorded than other life events, many marriages were never registered.
A couple had to pay a small fee to enter the marriage, and many simply didn't bother. If the bride and groom were from different towns, the marriage was likely registered in only one place. Check James N. Arnold's
Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850 (21 vols., Providence, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1891-1912). This invaluable work is available on CD: Vital Record of Rhode Island
1636-1850 Arnold Collection from CDVenture, Inc. Remember to look under the groom's name. Arnold lists the bride's name simply as an index key, without all the
information about fathers' names and towns that will be found under the groom. Volume 10 includes a great collection of church records of marriages. Although it
can take time if you don't know your ancestor's religious affiliation, there are many marriages in these records that were never recorded in the towns. Later volumes
include marriages reported in many different newspapers. If you are looking for the wife of a man who may have served in the Revolution, cautiously check the DAR. Patriot Index-Centennial Edition
. Although it has a number of mistakes, you may get some useful leads. An ancestor who was a Revolutionary War pensioner and left a widow is a joy to research because of all
the bureaucratic paperwork that had to be submitted to receive a pension. The man had to verify his service with dates and sworn testimony of his fellow soldiers
and/or townsmen. The widow had to prove she was married and give all the particulars. Check Kathryn Gunning's book Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864
(Westminster, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 1999) for abstracts. At the National Archives, previously mentioned, you can read the actual depositions on NARA Microfilm Series M-804, Revolutionary War and Bounty Land-Warrant
Applications. In many cases these applications may contain the only instance of your ancestor's voice that you will ever find. For people who know the town where their ancestor lived, land evidence (real
estate) records are another useful tool. The originals are in town halls, but microfilm is available for many towns. Look for the husband's sales of land—purchases are
little help. In Rhode Island the wife was required to sign her consent when her husband sold land. If she did not, the man had either not yet married or his wife
had died. If her father died while she was alive, the woman may be one of the heirs who sold property, and if she was married by then, her husband's name is often
mentioned. Again this information, while not proof of a specific marriage date, will provide another piece of evidence that you have identified both partners correctly and give a boundary date.
There is quite a bit of evidence about failed or troubled marriages. Maureen Taylor's Runaway, Deserters, and Notorious Villains, Vol. 1 (Camden, Me.: Picton Press,
1995) includes a number of advertisements from the Providence Gazette, 1762-1800, of husbands whose wives had left their bed and board. Katherine Bruce
and Violet Kettelle's article "Kent County Divorces from Court Records" presents abstracts of a surprising number of divorces for that county between 1759-1825 (Rhode Island Roots
, Vol. 14, No. 2, (June 1988), pp. 41-50). If you can travel to the Rhode Island Judicial Archives, 5 Hill St., Pawtucket RI, the original cases are a rich if depressing resource. A: Sometimes the issue with a marriage is whether the Mary Brown, wife of John Brown, daughter of Thomas Greene (to take a hypothetical case) is the Mary
Greene born in the same town in 1750. You have the marriage date and the relationships but don't know whether the birth in town records is the right Mary
Greene. If you are lucky enough to find a gravestone for Mary (Greene) Brown—one that places her next to your John Brown and allows you to estimate her age as the
same as the VRs—then you have come a long way toward proving her identity. Alden G. Beaman's Rhode Island Vital Records, New Series (also available on the CD Vital Records: Rhode Island 1500-1900s
, Family Tree Maker's Family Archives, CD #215), includes extrapolated marriages for some towns. Although these extrapolations have some notable errors (life being much more complicated than we
genealogists commonly expect), they can often lead you to useful town records. The RIGR's abstracts of wills 1636-1850 in volumes 1-15 of that periodical can give
you many clues. When looking for women's marriages, check for will of the bride's father. If she was already married when he made his will, he will call her by her
married name and frequently give her husband's name. If the man whom you suppose to have been the father fails to mention his daughter or calls her by her
maiden name at time when the woman you seek was already married, then you will have to keep looking for another woman of that name. It always a good idea to
check the original will either at the town hall or on microfilm for fuller details. Tip: when you see the words "my present wife" or "what she brought to me at
marriage" in a will you can be sure that the woman named was a second or third wife. A:
If your ancestor died in 1853 or later, you should have good luck looking at official records that were kept in each town. These records were compiled by the
state into statewide listings so you do not need to know in which town he or she died. They show name, marital status, parents' names, place of birth, date, place,
and cause of death. The Rhode Island Dept. of Vital Statistics printed these in the many volumes of the Index of Deaths in Rhode Island at Rhode Island Historical Society, now available as part of the CD
Rhode Island Vital Records: 1636-1930 from Ancestry.com. Tip: once you locate the references, check the town record book, either in person or on microfilm, for the cause of death. The City of
Providence published its own records in many separate volumes for births, deaths, and marriages. These alphabetical and chronological records are very easy to use. If your ancestor died before 1853
, the process is a little harder. It helps to narrow down the date and place of death by checking the 1774 and 1782 R.I. censuses, the 1777 R.I. military census, and then the federal census for 1790 and
each succeeding ten years. Until the 1850 census these records only name men and women who were heads of household, but they are a start. Remember that
someone could disappear from the census for reasons other than death: by accident (being missed by the census taker or having his or her surname badly
misspelled), by moving in with an adult child, or by moving to another colony/state. One of the major sources for Rhode Island deaths is the R.I. Historical Cemetery
Database on computers at various libraries. The statewide index screen will lead you to the individual town screen to find gravestone and cemetery information. A
number of information-packed books are available for individual towns. Partial transcriptions of cemeteries in other towns appeared in the Rhode Island Genealogical Register
(CD mentioned above). Remember that the chances of finding a gravestone decline as you go back in history. There are few from the seventeenth century, more from the eighteenth, and lots from the nineteenth, but
at no time—including the present—did everyone have a gravestone. Providence is a special case for death records, since that town began collecting
data about ten years earlier than the state. They lack the names of parents but include name, street address, date and cause of death. See Returns of Interments
of the Dead, vol. 8, at the Providence City Archives in Providence City Hall for records from the 1840s. This information is available on microfilm of Providence city vital records. A: Check Alden G. Beaman's Rhode Island Genealogical Register, Vol. 16 (also available on the CD
Vital Records: Rhode Island 1500-1900s, Family Tree Maker's Family Archives, CD #215) for a will. This method will work for men and widows.
Married women usually did not leave wills. The abstracts include references to original records. Go to the town hall or to a microfilm of the record to get the full
details, sometimes even a room-by-room inventory of the deceased person's estate. See the next section for specific information on dealing with wills. Tip: search the CD for will of the father
of the person you're looking for. If a child had died leaving issue, the grandfather usually mentioned those children in his will as children of his deceased son or daughter. Tip:
if a wife is not mentioned in her husband's will, she had died before it was made. If you are trying to pin down a wife's death date, look at records of her husband's
sales of land. In Rhode Island the wife was required to sign her consent when her husband sold land. If she did not, it is highly probable that she had already died.
When pinning down the husband's date of death, look for the widow's sale of her "dower rights," the one-third of the real estate to which she was entitled by law. When she sells dower rights, her husband was dead. Although town vital records were weak on deaths before 1853, you will find some in James N. Arnold's Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850 (21 vols., Providence,
R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1891-1912). This massive work is available on CD (Vital Record of Rhode Island 1636-1850 Arnold Collection from
CDVenture, Inc.), The town records in the first six volumes include a scattering of deaths. If you belong to the New England Historic Genealogical Society, check the
Early American Newspaper Database, Series 1, to see whether the death was reported out of state or in a paper not covered by Arnold. This database covers
the earliest U.S. newspapers to 1876, but it is weak in Rhode Island material after the 1840s. Church records in later volumes are often a better source than the
town, although it is a painstaking task to search them. The concluding volumes provide newspaper notices of deaths, arranged alphabetically and then
chronologically. These are particularly full for the early nineteenth century, but it's still worth looking for the last quarter of the eighteenth century. You won't find
local papers from small towns during this period covered by Arnold. Providence and Newport papers reported deaths across the state. They also reported the deaths of
former Rhode Islanders in other states or countries, often an invaluable clue to migration to another place. Tip: look at the marriages of the man's children. If the father was dead when his
child married, then that will be specified in the marriage record, e.g. "Sarah Arnold, dau. of Stephen, dec. [deceased]." Men who were Revolutionary War pensioners and their wives/widows were, as a
condition of the pension, poor. They were therefore less likely to own property or have a gravestone, but their involvement with the pension board meant that their deaths are documented. Check Kathryn M. Gunning's
Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864, (Westminster, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 1999) for summaries of sworn depositions concerning the date and place of death. If you are
lucky enough to find one, then check the microfilm of the pension files at the National Archives office closest to you. The originals may include testimony of the
place and date of birth and, in the case of widows, proof of marriage, in addition to military service. A:
In town halls. What you will find in most cases is not the original will signed by your ancestor, but a copy made by the town clerk at the time in a large volume of
probate records. Original wills belonged to the family and occasionally can be found in manuscript collections at historical societies or in private hands. Copies of wills
are generally but not universally kept in the town halls of Rhode Island (check Handbook for New England Genealogists). Although all towns kept excellent records
of wills, those of North Kingstown were damaged in a fire and those of Newport were taken by the British during the Revolution and sunk in New York harbor. While both still exist, the damage makes them hard to use.
Tip: It doesn't hurt to call the town hall in advance to ask about hours and restrictions. Do not expect to use the photocopier at the town hall on the old probate books. Most offices do not allow
such copying of the old books, and others charge the princely sum of $1.50 per page. Take your digital camera. When you first look at the town records, it may seem that all the early probate
volumes must be missing. Where did they go? While some poor people did not have any probate records, in most cases the material is right there—in the town council
records. Most towns did not begin to keep separate books for probate until the beginning of the eighteenth century at the earliest. If you know the town and
approximate date, then these town council records can be helpful, although they require some patience with old handwriting. If your ancestor left a will, the
executor presented the will to the town council for probate, and, after giving bond, was given a letter of administration. If your ancestor died intestate (without a will),
the town council still had to appoint an administrator to settle the estate. In many towns a probate court took over this aspect of town council business in the early
eighteenth century. Each town had its own way of doing things, so keep poking around and opening volumes to check for yourself. Don't expect that the present
town clerk, who is principally concerned with day-to-day operations of the office, will have much time to help. If you get stuck, ask one of the RIGS volunteer researchers listed on the inside back cover of
Rhode Island Roots. A: The pages of closely spaced lines of handwriting with plenty of legalese can look
pretty daunting. Where to start? Well, simple as it may sound, start by writing down the volume and page numbers as well as the dates the will was made
(probably in the last couple of lines) and then proved (when the will was accepted by the probate court). It's easy to get excited by the content and forget these
critical details. Then at the beginning look at the name of the testator (person making the will) to check his town and to see if by any chance he has included a
profession. The first few lines will explain why he or she is making the will, usually in fairly formulaic terms, e.g., "being mindful that it is given to all men to die" or
"being sick and weak in body." Every once in awhile one will come across the man who made his will before he left for war or a long voyage.
After this paragraph you will usually find convenient indents. The word "item" will be written on the left, followed by text in a hanging indent. The first item is a direction
to bury the body in a decent manner and to pay all just debts. The second will typically be bequests to the "dearly beloved wife," although some people put this
one last. The wife was often given a great deal of the estate as long as she should remain a widow, but when she remarried or died, that legacy reverted to the other
heirs. If there is no mention of a wife, then she had already died. After the wife, the testator will list his sons and then daughters, set within their gender in order of
birth. Married daughters are called by their married names, often with the given name of their spouses. After the children, grandchildren of deceased children will be
listed, then other relatives and friends. The last item will typically be the designation of the executor and the revocation of all previous wills. On the left next
to the testator's signature will be the names of the witnesses. Even if these names mean nothing to you now, write them down—next month or next year you may uncover the connection.
If your ancestor died intestate (without a will), that doesn't mean that there will necessarily be no paperwork. If he or she was head of a household, the town
appointed an administrator for the estate, and an inventory of personal estate was presented. Sometimes you will find a division of property among heirs; other times
there will be a list of creditors of the estate. All of these items can yield important genealogical clues for men and widows. If your ancestor was poor enough, there
may be records of payment to caretakers, coffin-makers, and gravediggers in town council records. A: Use J. Carlyle Parker's Rhode Island Biographical and Sketch Index (Turlock CA:
Marietta Publishing Co., 1991). This alpha index of names directs you to the page and volume number of myriad sources, though not to the entry itself. Not only does
it occasionally take you to the specific answer you are seeking, but it also introduces some little-known but valuable reference materials. A: The standard source for Rhode Island military service before 1850 is undoubtedly Joseph J. Smith, Civil and Military List of Rhode Island (Providence, R.I.: Preston
and Rounds Co., 1900). This set of three volumes (1647-1800, 1800-1850, index) includes military duty of officers only as well as such civil appointments as justice
of the peace, deputy to the general assembly, prison inspectors, etc. For the vastly larger number of men who served in militias as common soldiers visit the
Rhode Island State Archives, 337 Westminster St., Providence or inquire from Kenneth S. Carlson by phone at (401) 277-2353 or by e-mail at For the Revolutionary period the Archives has a strong collection of muster rolls as
does the manuscript department at Rhode Island Historical Society. Kathryn M. Gunning's Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers 1818-1864, (Westminster, Md.:
Willow Bend Books, 1999) is a useful guide to those Rhode Islanders who met the stringent requirements for a pension. It should lead you to the microfilm of the
original records at the nearest National Archives Record Center. Not having the slightest experience with Civil War records, I can only recommend
starting with the Rhode Island Archives and its card file of service records. Brig. Gen. Elisha Dyer's Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations for the Year 1865
(2 vols., Providence, R.I.: E.L. Freeman & Sons, 1893-1895) is a flawed but still useful source.
Legal records are kept at the Rhode Island Supreme Court Judicial Records Center, 5 Hill St., Pawtucket. Two books by Jane Fletcher Fiske, Gleanings from Newport Court Files 1659-1783 and
Rhode Island General Court of Trials 1671-1704 (both Boxford, Mass.: The Author, 1998) are an invaluable resource. Some scattered
original records can be found in the manuscript collection of Rhode Island Historical Society.
A: Before the early nineteenth century guardianships in Rhode Island were decided by the local town council. When a man died leaving children under the age of 14,
the council would appoint a guardian. The mother was considered the "natural guardian" but frequently lacked the means to care for her family. Boys 14-21 and
girls 14-18 appeared before the council and asked for the right, always granted, to choose their own guardian. The process was far from complete, however, at that
point: the guardian chosen had to agree to accept the position and post bond to complete it faithfully. When the ward came of age, the guardian had to render a
complete accounting of his or her management. Generally speaking, it is hard to winkle the guardianship appointments out of unindexed, largely unpublished,
difficult-to-read council records even when you have the date of the father's death and the town in which the family lived.
I am unaware of official adoptions in the colonial period. Maureen Taylor's booklet Name Changes in Rhode Island 1800-1880 (Boston, Mass.: NEHGS, 1995) offers many clues about adoptions in that era.
Although apprenticeship may have been an important fact in your ancestor's life, it
is rare to be able to prove it in Rhode Island. Apprenticeships appear in town council records only when the arrangement was made by the town as a way of caring for and educating poor children.
Most apprenticeships were private arrangements for vocational training, often unrecorded in any surviving official sources. A few original indentures may be found in manuscript collections or private
hands. Sometimes apprenticeships did not work out. Maureen Taylor's Runaway, Deserters, and Notorious Villains, vols. 1 and 2 include many advertisements in
Rhode Island newspapers for runaway apprentices, often with vivid descriptions of their personal appearance and dress.
Following is a guide to basic sources, extracted from hundreds of deserving candidates. GENERAL
MILITARY
LEGAL
CEMETERY
Here are just a few of the many places a researcher should visit in person or by computer. For a fuller list see The Genealogist's Guide to New England.
|
||||
© Copyright 2005-2008 Rhode Island Genealogical Society. All rights reserved.
|
||||
