Vital records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850

Date: 1636 to 1850
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Surname/tag: Rhode_Island

Other: Rhode Island Sources

Contents 1 Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 1.1 Available online at these locations: 1.1.1 Background information 1.1.2 Search 1.1.3 First series: Births, marriages and deaths. 1.2 Citation Formats

Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850

In 1891, James N. Arnold began publishing a series of vital records books for the towns of Rhode Island. The series would go on to include church records and newspaper records, ultimately filling twenty-one volumes with information. Index to volumes at bottom of page.

• by James Newell Arnold (1844-1927)
• published by Narragansett Historical Pub. Co. , Providence, R.I., 1891
• Page vii: "The figures at the left of the name is the book and page of the original Town Record, the hyphen separating the two apart."
• Vol. 1-6 contain the town records and are paginated within each town. So for these volumes, the citation should include the town name as well.
• WikiTree Profiles that use this source

Available online at these locations:

Background information

• https://www.massmayflower.org/research/online/vital-records/vital-records-ri.htm
• https://onerhodeislandfamily.com/free-rhode-island-resources/free-r-i-vital-records/
• https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Rhode_Island_Vital_Records

Search

• https://www.americanancestors.org/search/databasesearch/532/rhode-island-vital-records-1636-1850
• https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3897/
• Index https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordofrho00arno
• All Volumes: https://onerhodeislandfamily.com/free-rhode-island-resources/free-r-i-vital-records/

First series: Births, marriages and deaths.

• Several:

• https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009563076
• https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008733151

• Vol. 1 Kent County
  • Part 1 Warwick
    • Marriages, Page 1-136
    • Births and Deaths, Page 137-218
  • Part 2 East Greenwich
    • Marriages, Page 1-93
    • Births and Deaths, Page 94-173
  • Part 3 West Greenwich
    • Marriages, Page 1-59
    • Births and Deaths, Page 60-104
  • Part 4 Coventry
    • Marriages, Page 1-60
    • Births and Deaths, Page 61-96
  • https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112037798458
  • https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924098822095
  • https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/297884
• Vol. 2 Providence County

• Part 1 Providence

• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098822103/page/n53

• Part 2 Cranston

• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098822103/page/n333

• Part 3 Johnston

• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098822103/page/n369

• Part 4 North Providence

• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098822103/page/n399

• Vol. 3 Providence County (continued)

• Part 1 Glocester

• https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009595841

• Part 2 Burrilville

• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7pn97t8d?urlappend=%3Bseq=77

• Part 3 Scituate

• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7pn97t8d?urlappend=%3Bseq=101

• Part 4 Foster

• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7pn97t8d?urlappend=%3Bseq=153

• Part 5 Cumberland

• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7pn97t8d?urlappend=%3Bseq=195

• Part 6 Smithfield

• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7pn97t8d?urlappend=%3Bseq=331

• Vol. 4 Newport County

• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098819976

• Vol. 5 (1894) Washington County

• https://books.google.com/books?id=E9pKAQAAMAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098819984
• https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE104642

• Vol. 6 Bristol County

• https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE105339
• https://books.google.com/books?id=E9pKAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PR1
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098819984 (contains volumes 5 and 6)

• Vol. 7 (1895) Friends and Ministers

• https://books.google.com/books?id=y9EUAAAAYAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098819992
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh00arno
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t08w41s7v

• Vol. 8 (1896) Episcopal and Congregational

• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044014800700?urlappend=%3Bseq=13
• https://books.google.com/books?id=CdIUAAAAYAAJ

Note for the abbreviations in the Bristol Congregational Church records: "b." means received in the church "before" that date, while "p." means received by profession of faith and "l." means received by letter. Prior to 1831, the method of reception into the church was not recorded. See J. P. Lane, Manual of the First Congregational Church, Bristol, R.I.

Note also the clarifying article "Elder Wights Marriages" from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 120 (1966) pages 3–11, in which it is observed that Elder Wight consistently recorded the maiden name, rather than the standard married name, when recording the second marriage of a widow.

See also volume 34, 1880 of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register pp.132–138 and pp.259–264 for baptisms of the First Congregational Church at Bristol prior to 1730, which Arnold omitted.

• Vol. 9 (1897) Seekonk(including East Providence), Pawtucket and Newman Congregational Church

• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordrhod00arnogoog
• https://books.google.com/books?id=svYLAAAAYAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442359
• https://books.google.com/books?id=svYLAAAAYAAJ

• Vol. 10 (1898) Town and Church

• https://books.google.com/books?id=aNIUAAAAYAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh02arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442342
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t7rn39m6x

• Vol. 11 (1900) Church Records

• https://books.google.com/books?id=sNIUAAAAYAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh03arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442334
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordofrho11arno
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t8bg2tt0c

• Vol. 12 (1901) Revolutionary Rolls and Newspapers

• https://books.google.com/books?id=nIMlAQAAMAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh04arno
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t78s4w406

• Vol. 13 (1903) Deaths. Providence Journal, S to Z. Providence Gazette, A to J, 1762-1830
  • Introduction
  • Index
  • Providence Journal: Letters S to Z, Page 17-95
  • Providence Gazette: Letters A to J, Page 99-542

• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh05arno
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh06arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442326
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t54f1xv14
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t3tt4rw8g

• Vol. 14 (1905) Providence Gazette - Deaths K to Z. Marriages A B C, 1762-1825

• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh07arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442391
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t6154r25d

• Vol. 15 (1906) Providence Gazette - Marriages D to Z. United States Chronicle - Deaths A to Z.

• https://books.google.com/books?id=l_NKAQAAMAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh08arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442383
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t9474jc00

• Vol. 16 (1907) United States Chronicle - Marriages. American Journal, Impartial Observer, and Providence Journal - Marriages and Deaths. Providence Semi Weekly Journal - Marriages.

• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh10arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442375
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t49p36d7z

• Vol. 17 (1908) Providence Phenix, Providence Patriot, and Columbian Phenix - Marriages - A to R

• https://books.google.com/books?id=jYQlAQAAMAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh11arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442367
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t0pr7z362
• https://www.americanancestors.org/DB532/i/63428/Index_00F/0

• Vol. 18 (1909) Providence Phenix, Providence Patriot, and Columbian Phenix - Marriages: S to Z, Deaths: A to M.

• https://books.google.com/books?id=HYUlAQAAMAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh12arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442425
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t0ks6v25x
• https://www.americanancestors.org/DB532/i/63429/Index_00C/0

• Vol. 19 (1910) Providence Phenix, Providence Patriot, and Columbian Phenix - Deaths: N to Z. Rhode Island American - Marriages: A to G.

• https://books.google.com/books?id=3dtKAQAAMAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442417
• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh13arno
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t03x8dj82
• https://www.americanancestors.org/DB532/i/63430/Index_00C/0

• Vol. 20 (1911) Rhode Island American. Marriages, H to Z. Deaths, A and B.

• https://books.google.com/books?id=gdMUAAAAYAAJ
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924096442409
• https://www.americanancestors.org/DB532/i/63431/Index_00C/0

• Vol. 21 (1912) Rhode Island American: Deaths C to S.

• https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofrh15arno
• https://archive.org/details/cu31924098820008
• https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t86h4q71v
• https://www.americanancestors.org/DB532/i/63432/Index_00C/75843242

Index to volumes. (Dates need adding -- if you can add them, please do! )

Vol#	Dates	Areas and events covered
V 1		Kent County. Part 1 Warwick Marriages, Page 1-136 Births and Deaths, Page 137-218 Part 2 East Greenwich Marriages, Page 1-93 Births and Deaths, Page 94-173 Part 3 West Greenwich Marriages, Page 1-59 Births and Deaths, Page 60-104 Part 4 Coventry Marriages, Page 1-60 Births and Deaths, Page 61-96
V 2-3		Providence County.
V 4		Newport County.
V 5		Washington County.
V 6		Bristol County (Towns of Bristol, Barrington, Warren)
V 7		Friends and ministers.
V 8		Episcopal and Congregational.
V 9		Seekonk (incl. East Providence), Pawtucket and Newman Congregational Church.
	1812; 1828	^^ Note: The above areas split from Rehoboth, MA: Seekonk in 1812, Pawtucket in 1828 (with church). See V9 Introduction (at archive.org)
V 10		Town and church.
V 11		Church records.
V 12		Revolutionary rolls and newspapers.
V 13	1762-1830	Deaths: Providence Journal, S-Z. Deaths: Providence Gazette, A-J.
V 14	1762-1825	Deaths: Providence Gazette,K-Z. Marriages: Providence Gazette, A-C.
V 15		Marriages: Providence Gazette, D-Z. Deaths:: United States Chronicle. A-Z.
V 16		Marriages: United States Chronicle. Marriages and deaths: American Journal, Impartial Observer, Providence Journal. Marriages: Providence Semiweekly Journal.
V 17		Marriages: Providence Phenix, Providence Patriot, Columbian Phenix. A-R.
V 18		Marriages: Providence Phenix, Providence patriot, Columbian Phenix. S-Z. Deaths: Providence Phenix, Providence patriot, Columbian Phenix. A-M.
V 19		Deaths: Providence Phenix, Providence patriot, Columbian Phenix. N-Z. Marriages: Rhode Island American. A-G.
V 20		Marriages: Rhode Island American. H-Z. Deaths: Rhode Island American. A-B.
V 21		Deaths: Rhode Island American. C-S.

Citation Formats

Please add your preferred citation format below, so that it may be easily copied by you and others:

• <span id='Arnold'></span>Arnold, James Newell. ''[[Space:Vital records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850|Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850]]'' (Narragansett Historical Pub. Co., Providence, R.I., 1891) Vol. , [ Page ].
• ([[#Arnold|Arnold]])
• <ref name=Arnold>Arnold, James Newell. ''[[Space:Vital records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850|Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850]]'' (Narragansett Historical Pub. Co., Providence, R.I., 1891) Vol. , [ Page ].</ref>

Vol. 1-6 contain the town records and are paginated within each town. So for these volumes, the citation should include the town name as well.