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Free Rhode Island genealogy records
Where to find free birth, death, marriage, census, probate, land and newspaper records for Rhode Island, and which offices hold what. Last checked Oct 2026.
Check before relying on these:
- Start of statewide registration: CDC gives no year; 1853 comes from published genealogy charts.
Birth, death and marriage records
When statewide registration began: Statewide registration is usually dated to 1853. Town clerks recorded earlier events.
- The state office keeps births and marriages for 100 years and deaths for 50 years. After that they go to the Rhode Island State Archives.
- City and town clerks also hold their own records.
Current office addresses, fees and eligibility rules are on the CDC "Where to Write for Vital Records" page for Rhode Island. Records that are too recent are usually restricted to close family. Older ones are often free to view as indexes or images on the free databases below.
Before statewide registration, births, marriages and deaths were recorded by town clerks, often back to the town's founding.
Census records
- Federal censuses from 1790 to 1950 are free to search on several sites. The 1950 census is free from the National Archives' 1950 Census site, and NARA's census research pages explain each year.
- Almost all of the 1890 federal census was destroyed after a 1921 fire, so families can "disappear" between 1880 and 1900.
- Rhode Island took state censuses in 1865, 1875, 1885, 1905, 1915, 1925 and 1936.
- Census records only exist for years after statehood or territorial organization.
Probate and land records
- Probate: City and town probate courts handle estates. Town clerks hold deeds. Older probate files are often transferred to the state archives.
- Land: Rhode Island is a state-land state, so there are no federal land-entry files for most of it. Original grants came from the colony, state or earlier governments; look for them at the state archives or land office. Later deeds are recorded by the town clerk.
Historic newspapers
- Chronicling America: Rhode Island newspapers is the Library of Congress's free archive of digitized historic newspapers, filtered to this state.
- Rhode Island Digital Newspaper Project is Rhode Island's partner in the National Digital Newspaper Program, which digitizes the state's papers for Chronicling America.
- Obituaries are the best newspaper find for genealogy. If your family's paper isn't digitized, the local public library or historical society may have it on microfilm.
Archives, libraries and societies
- Rhode Island State Archives: the state's official archives, with older government records such as court, land, military and often vital records.
- Rhode Island Historical Society: historical society or research library with manuscripts, photographs and local histories.
Tips for the local level
- In Rhode Island the town, not the county, is the key unit for vital and land records. Write to the town clerk where the event happened.
- Call or email before visiting. Many courthouses have moved older books to the state archives or a county records center.
- Look for the local genealogical society and the county page of the free, volunteer-run USGenWeb Project, which often have transcriptions and cemetery lists.
Big free (and freemium) databases
- FamilySearch Research Wiki: Rhode Island: a free, volunteer-edited guide to Rhode Island record types, useful for double-checking anything on this page.
- FamilySearch: a free nonprofit genealogy site with indexed records and digitized microfilm. You need a free account to search.
- Find a Grave: free, volunteer-built cemetery listings, often with headstone photos.
- BillionGraves: free headstone photos tagged with GPS locations.
- National Archives genealogy pages: guides to federal census, military, immigration and land records.
- Ancestry: a large subscription site. Some indexes are free with a free account, and many public libraries offer free in-library access.
Sources
- CDC/NCHS, Where to Write for Vital Records: Rhode Island
- Family Tree Magazine, "US Statewide Vital Records" chart (2018)
- National Archives, State Archives list
- Library of Congress, National Digital Newspaper Program awardees
- National Archives, Census Records
Last checked Oct 2026. Offices, fees and web addresses change. If something here is wrong, the official office is always right.
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