There are six different places where you can find Rhode Island vital records:
1. City and Town clerk offices
The local offices are the best places to find birth, death, marriage and divorce records, provided you know the city or town in which the event occurred.
2. Rhode Island Dept of Health
3 Capitol Hill, Rm. 101
Providence, RI 02908-5097
(401) 222-2811
Here you can find Birth Records since 1899, Death Records since 1949, and Marriage Records since 1899.
3. 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.
4. Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster Street
Providence, RI, 02903
The repository maintains the original statewide manuscript filings for birth and marriage records that are over 100 years old (since 1853) and death records that are over 50 years old (since 1853). 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, Portsmouth, etc.
5. Rhode Island Historical Society
121 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906
(401)331-8575
Births, deaths, marriages and divorces from 1853 to 1900.
6. Family Court
Garrahy Judicial Complex
1 Dorrance Plaza
Providence, RI 02903
Divorces after 1962.
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Births & Christenings 1600-1914 Rhode Island christenings and births for the period 1600-1914. |
Deaths & Burials 1802-1950 Rhode Island death and burial records recorded between 1802 and 1950. |
Deaths | Cemetery Transcriptions Search or browse this RootsWeb database by name for gravestone transcriptions in Rhode Island. |
Deaths | Social Security Administration Deaths reported to Social Security Administration that Rhode Island was the last residence, last benefit paid, or was the state the number was first issued. |
Marriages 1724-1916 Search this database of just over 200,000 records for Rhode Island marriages between 1724 and 1916. |
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