Listed below are local and national sources to begin your genealogy research.


RHODE ISLAND SITES AND ORGANIZATIONS

American-French Genealogical Society.  Based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the society offers free databases, including cemetery headstone listings and an obituary index. A visit to the library is $5.00 for non members.

Burrillville Historical and Preservation Society.  Archives include newspaper clippings, cemetery information and village histories.

North Smithfield Town Clerks Office. 
PO Box 248 | One Main Street | Slatersville, RI 02876 | Ph: 401.767.2200
The Town Clerk maintains vital records from 1871 to the present, including birth and death certificates and marriage licenses.  Records dating prior to 1871 are available in either Central Falls or Smithfield.

Office of Vital Records, RI State Department of Health.  Vital Records (birth and marriage records up to 100 years old; death records up to 50 years old).  Office open to public Monday-Friday, 12:30pm-4:00pm

Rhode Island Genealogical Society.  Newsletters and workshops focusing on researching the genealogy of Rhode Island Families.

Rhode Island Historical Society Library.  The printed collection (1589 to present) and manuscript collection (1635 to present) includes local civic history; genealogy; maritime materials; church, business and labor records; and, diaries.
  • The Rhode Island Newspaper Project:  The RI Historical Society website describes this project as "a microfilm collection of almost every Rhode Island newspaper ever published.  Search a directory of newspapers on microfilm at the Library of Congress website Chronicling America to find what Rhode Island newspapers were available in a given area or time."
  • NETOP, the Rhode Island Historical Society's NETworked Online Public catalog--containing "records for all genres of the Society's collections. This includes, but is not limited to: books, objects, maps, manuscripts, newspapers, paintings, film, textiles, pamphlets, and broadsides."

Rhode Island USGenWeb Genealogy and History Project provides free access to sites for Rhode Island genealogical research by county.  Includes cemetery directory and databases.  Link to the national site for similar county-level research in other states.


NATIONAL SITES AND ORGANIZATIONS

Cyndi's List: a comprehensive, categorized and cross-referenced list of links for genealogical research.

Ellis Island.  Offers free search of Ellis Island and Port of New York records.
  • Genealogy links include downloadable pedigree charts, family sheets, and passenger logs.  Free registration is required before download.










Family Search with records spanning billions of names across hundreds of collections—including birth, marriage, death, probate, land, military, IGI extracted, and more.  You can create a personal ancestry file and reports on this site.  Free databases include:
Geni :  Create a family tree with powerful genealogy tools. Free membership with account creation.

Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild.  Free access to transcribed passenger arrival records.  Currently offers data from 1827 - 1913.

Just a Joy Family Heirloom Exchange.  This site was created to be the link between"Orphaned Heirlooms" in the hands of antique dealers & collectors & the families who would cherish them.  There's a $20 annual membership fee to access a database of thousands of items linked to nearly  50,000 family names.

National Archives provides access to :
RootsWeb.  Offers guides, research templates, web links, mailing lists, search engines and more.

If you are looking for a Certified Genealogist, here are a couple of sites to direct you to someone:
Association of Certified Genealogists
Board of Certified Genealogists
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