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Rhode
Island State Vital Records Office, Rhode Island Dept of Health,
3 Capitol Hill, Rm. 101, Providence, RI 02908-5097; (401) 222-2811.  It has:
- Event: Birth and Marriage
1899 to present; Cost
of copy: $15.00
- Event: Death 1949 to present; Cost
of copy: $15.00
Please
be advised that in most cases you will receive your records more quickly from the City and Town locations than from the State Office or Order Birth and Death Records Online using Vital Chek Services! .
Rhode
Island State Archives,
337 Westminster Street,
Providence, RI, 02903; The repository maintains the original statewide manuscript filings for birth and marriage for the period 1852 - 1898; deaths 1853 - 1948. Alphabetical indices for these records include 1852 - 1900 (birth and marriage); 1853 - 1945 (deaths). Additionally, there are also original reported out-of-state deaths recordings for the period 1900 - 1948 (alphabetical index available) and records of delayed birth filings, 1846 - 1898 (index available). Aside from these original manuscripts the archives also maintains an extensive collection of pre-1852, municipal vital record filings (microfilm copies) dating from the earliest recordings in Providence, Westerly, Protsmouth, etc.
Family History Center,
Church Latter Day Saints,
1000 Narragansett Blvd,
Warwick RI, 02888;
(401) 463-8150; The Family History Center has all vital records on microfilm from the colonial times to the present except divorce records, Arnold's Vital Record of Rhode Island
Rhode Island Historical Society, 121
Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906, (401)331-8575. It has Event: Birth, Death, Marriage or Divorce 1853 - ~1900; Cost
of copy: Varies
Event: Birth, Death, Marriage or Divorce since colonial periods
Cost
of copy: Varies
Remarks: contact town clerk's office in the town where
the event occurred
Event: Divorce prior to 1962
Cost
of copy: Contact
Court
Remarks: Providence College Archives, Providence, RI
Event: Divorce 1962 to present
Cost
of copy: Contact
Court
Remarks: Divorces
were granted through all of the courts. Those granted before
1962 are at the various county superior courts. After 1962 records
can be obtained-with some restrictions-from Family Court, Garrahy Judicial Complex, 1 Dorrance Plaza, Providence,
RI 02903
Although
many vital events before 1853 were not recorded, those that
were are fairly easy to locate. The general assembly mandated
that marriage intentions be recorded beginning in 1647, although
the law was not enforced. More often, marriages were reported
by ministers to town clerks. Births were often recorded in family
groups at different times in a family's life. Not all births
were recorded even when some in the family were. Births, deaths,
and marriages (both bride and groom listed separately) are recorded
from the earliest settlement to 1850 and are organized according
to county and town. More information is often given under the
groom's entry. Towns, for the most part, still hold all of these
originals in the clerk's office.
Copies
of vital events recorded in towns beginning in 1853 were sent
to the Rhode Island Division of Vital Statistics. The records
for this time period have been stored at the Records Center,
although births are still at the Health Department along with
the indexes for both births and deaths. There are computerized
indexes to marriages and deaths to 1900 at the Rhode Island
Historical Society. |
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Search All U.S and Foriegn Birth, Marriage and Death Records
Most early birth records contain very little biographical information. Typical early New England town and church records, for example, give little information beyond the name of the child, date and place of birth, and parents’ names. Some localities listed only the name of the father.
While early birth records can be discouragingly lacking in information, by the mid-nineteenth century birth records in the United States began to include more information. Even though births were not widely recorded during the early years of America’s existence, the records that do exist may be the only source of a birth date for an individual and should always be consulted.
Delayed births are also important vital registrations that you should consider for obtaining biographical information. When Social Security benefits were instituted in 1937, individuals claiming benefits had to document their birth even if the state of their birth did not require registration when they were born. Individuals who were not registered with state or county agencies at the time of their birth often applied for a delayed birth registration. Obtaining passports, insurance, and other benefits also required proof of age. Applications were accompanied with full name, address, and date and place of birth; father’s name, race, and place of birth; and evidence to support the facts presented. The evidence could be in the form of a baptismal certificate, Bible record, school record, affidavit from the attending physician or midwife, application for an insurance policy, birth certificate of a child, or an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts. Delayed birth records are usually filed and indexed separately from regular birth registrations, and it may be necessary to request a separate search for them.
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Search Pennsylvania Marriages from ? and Search U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
Because of the importance of the legal distribution and control of property, most states and counties began to record marriages before births and deaths. The recording of a marriage is a two-step process. Traditionally, couples apply for a license to marry, and the applications are usually filed loose among other applications or in bound volumes. Marriage returns are filed once the marriage has taken place. The latter document is the proof of a marriage (not the license application).
Marriage applications are often filled out by both the bride and groom and typically contain a significant amount of genealogical information. They may list full names of the bride and groom, their residences, races, ages, dates and places of birth, previous marriages, occupations, and their parents’ names, places of birth, and occupations.
Marriage certificates are issued by counties after the marriage ceremony is completed, and these are usually found among family items. While the certificates tend to have less biographical data than the application, the name of the individual officiating at the wedding may lead you to religious records by revealing the denomination. The religious records, in turn, may reveal the names of witnesses and other useful information.
Early American records sometimes include marriage bonds, which served as a protection for the future children of the marriage. A bond obligated a prospective groom to pay the bond if he were discovered to be a bigamist or imposter or otherwise ineligible to contract a valid marriage. As long as the marriage was legal, the bond was void. Bonds generally include the groom’s name, name of the surety, the sum, and the date of the agreement.
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Searth the Social Security Death Index, Obituary Collection, or the ?
Early death records in the United States provide little more than the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death. Obituaries and cemetery, court, and other records often provide more information about the deceased than do most official death records created before the last quarter of the 1800s.
By 1900 death records included more details. They often include the name of the deceased; date, place, and cause of death; age at the time of death; place of birth; parents’ names; occupation; name of spouse; name of the person giving the information; the informant’s relationship to the deceased; the name and address of the funeral director; and the place of burial. Race is listed in some records, and modern death certificates generally include a Social Security number.
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