by James N. Arnold
From the Introduction, Volume 1
“We are fully aware of the fact that many will consult these pages and feel bitter disappointment in not finding the name they seek, and will wonder that a family so numerous, or one residing so long in the town, has so little or nothing recorded. This very feeling has come often on the compiler; and he has often wondered, but the reader must remember that this is not the fault of the records or compiler, but of the parties themselves, that they failed to place the items upon the Town Records. The compiler believes that not more than a quarter of what should have been placed there from the year 1790 to 1850.”
Nonetheless, the Vital Record of Rhode Island is a precious multi-volume book found in most local history collections in Rhode Island libraries. Click on each book title to reach the volume, and use the index at the front of the books, or the digital search box to find what you are looking for.
Index |
Volume 1 |
Volume 2 |
Volume 3 |
Volume 4 |
Volume 5 |
Volume 6 |
Volume 7 |
Volume 8 |
Volume 9 |
Volume 10 |
Volume 11 |
Volume 12 |
Volume 13 |
Volume 14 |
Volume 15 |
Volume 16 |
Volume 17 |
Volume 18 |
Volume 19 |
Volume 20 |
Volume 21 |