The compact size of Rhode Island belies the richness of its historical records, making its history books a key resource for genealogists. Many town and county histories include detailed genealogies, colonial land grants, church affiliations, and Revolutionary War service. These books often highlight Rhode Island’s religious tolerance and early industrialization, with records of Quaker, Baptist, and other communities. Maritime and merchant family histories are also common, especially in coastal towns. With strong colonial roots and a well-documented past, Rhode Island’s publications help genealogists connect family lines to some of the earliest chapters in American history.
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Histories, Memories & Biographies
Local and General History
- Proceedings of the Rhode Island Historical Society, 1875 - 1876 1,094 records
- History of Washington And Kent Counties, Rhode Island, Part 3 988 records
- History of the State of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations, Volume 4 (1920) 969 records
- The Waterman Family, Volume 3 820 records
- The Haviland Genealogy: Ancestors and Descendants of William Haviland of Newport, Rhode Island, and Flushing, Long Island, 1658 - 1688 712 records
- History of the Episcopal Church in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Volume 3 682 records
- Providence in Colonial Times (1912) 610 records
- Records of the Colony of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations, in New England, Volume 5, 1741 - 1756 610 records
- History of the State of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations, 1636 - 1700, Volume 1 (1859) 604 records
- Memoirs of the Wilkinson Family in America 594 records
- Proceedings of the Rhode Island Historical Society, 1892 - 1893 588 records
- William Tanner, Sr. of South Kingstown, Rhode Island and His Descendants 574 records
- Laphams in America: Thirteen Thousand Descendents Including Descendents of John from Devonshire, England, to Providence, Rhode Island, 1673 560 records
- Descendants of Joseph Greene of Westerly, Rhode Island 505 records
- The Greenes of Rhode Island, with Historical Records of English Ancestry, 1534 - 1902, Volume 1 504 records
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