Hi David - The title of that database at ancestry.com is very misleading - as you noted it is not ALL bmd for RI for that period of time. It is mostly for Providence. The Providence Public Library has a series of books in 5 yr increments up to about 1945 for bmd, and it seems to me the ancestry database includes some but not all of these records. It includes a few other cities and towns as well according to the description. The thing I don't like about this database it is that it does not tell you where the original record is recorded. RI records are kept in 3 places - the city or town, the RI State archives, and the Department of Health Division of Vital Records 3 Capitol Hill Providence, RI 02908 401-222-2812 Information: 401-222-2811 If you read about RI records you will be told they are restricted - 100 yrs for births, and 50 for marriages & deaths. This is not entirely true. More recent records can be requested a the city or town. Some are very helpful, and some are not. Every year, the State Dept of Vital records transfers another year of data to the RI State Archives. You can request a record from the archives by email using this form that Arlan posted to the kent county RI pages http://www.rootsweb.com/~rikent/vrform.htm If your record is before 1853, the archives only has microfilm copies. You also need to know in which town the event took place because those are not indexed. You can request by email, but they will send you the documents with a bill by regular mail. The cost is 50 cents or $2.00 for a certified record. reference@sec.state.ri.us The mailing address for the archives is Kenneth S. Carlson Reference Archivist Rhode Island State Archives 337 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 Phone (401) 222 - 2353 Fax (401) 222 - 3199 You can request a document from a city or town, but most charge the same as the vital records dept - $15.00 If you go in person to a city or town, some will let you look through the record books yourself, and some will not. At the department of health you cannot look at anything. You make a request, give them your money, and if they don't find the record you pay anyway. If you go in person, you probably won't be able to get your record while you wait. Here is a page from vital check with information about RI http://www.health.ri.gov/chic/vital/index.php Vitalcheck is a commercial service and it allows you to pay by credit card but they charge additional fees. I like to use their page however because it provides a link to a listing of all the cities' and towns' addresses in one place. You can obtain records more recently than 100 / 50 years by using the city or town halls. In New England, we do not have county government as they do in other parts of the US. There is a Judicial Archives center in Pawtucket for pre 1900 court records of the state. civil, criminal, divorce, naturalization Supreme Court Judicial Records Center Five Hill Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 (401) 721 - 2640 www.judicial-records.state.ri.us/main.htm Probate records are at the city/town. Also, in RI adoption records are sealed. If I forgot anything, I'm sure someone will let us know. Lisa ----- Original Message ----- From: "david cheek" <mcheek@bigpond.net.au> To: <RIGENWEB-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 4:18 AM Subject: [RIGENWEB] New Lister > Hi List > > Many thanks for those kind people who have contacted me off & on list, it is > most appreciated, however, > > The RI data which is easily accessible I have recorded and noted.....It is > the definitive detail which I wish to know where it can be obtained, e.g. > does RI have a Births, Deaths & Marriages Registry where this data is > located in a central point for access by the general public either on or off > line???? > > Ancestry.com for all its bragging does not appear to me to have definitive > data, example Births in RI from 1600 something to 1930, I enter a know name > say in 1870 and it says no record, well then what does the heading mean???? > Is there a depository with this data somewhere or not???? > > Sorry to sound pedantic, in Australia each State has its own BDM Registry > office and holds ALL the data for that State!!!! Is there something > similar in RI and/or its Counties??? > > I await your comments with interest....... > > Happy researching > > David Cheek - Adelaide - Australia > Protected by Norton Anti-Virus 2006 > Transcriber of Parish Registers in South West > Somerset and FreeBMD >
David and Others, I have had good luck with the RI State Archives. You can down load the application form on-line fill it out and e-mail as an attachment the request to Kenneth Carlson. He will then look the information up and then mail it to you with a bill. I found that using the e-mail is faster than snail mail. I have a copy of the request form if you need it. Marsha Grant Ocain San Antonio, TX _____________________________ At 09:53 AM 3/27/2006, you wrote: >Hi David - > >The title of that database at ancestry.com is very misleading > - as you noted it is not ALL bmd for RI for that period of time. >It is mostly for Providence. The Providence Public Library >has a series of books in 5 yr increments up to about 1945 >for bmd, and it seems to me the ancestry database includes >some but not all of these records. It includes a few other >cities and towns as well according to the description. >The thing I don't like about this database it is that >it does not tell you where the original record is recorded. > >RI records are kept in 3 places - the city or town, the RI State >archives, and the > >Department of Health >Division of Vital Records >3 Capitol Hill >Providence, RI 02908 >401-222-2812 >Information: 401-222-2811 > >If you read about RI records you will be told they are restricted - >100 yrs for births, and 50 for marriages & deaths. This is not >entirely true. More recent records can be requested a the city >or town. Some are very helpful, and some are not. > >Every year, the State Dept of Vital records transfers another year >of data to the RI State Archives. > >You can request a record from the archives by email using this >form that Arlan posted to the kent county RI pages > >http://www.rootsweb.com/~rikent/vrform.htm > >If your record is before 1853, the archives only has microfilm copies. >You also need to know in which town the event took place because >those are not indexed. > >You can request by email, but they will send you the documents with >a bill by regular mail. The cost is 50 cents or $2.00 for a certified >record. >reference@sec.state.ri.us > >The mailing address for the archives is > >Kenneth S. Carlson >Reference Archivist >Rhode Island State Archives >337 Westminster Street Providence, RI 02903 >Phone (401) 222 - 2353 >Fax (401) 222 - 3199 > >You can request a document from a city or town, but most charge >the same as the vital records dept - $15.00 > >If you go in person to a city or town, some will let you look through >the record books yourself, and some will not. > >At the department of health you cannot look at anything. You make >a request, give them your money, and if they don't find the record >you pay anyway. If you go in person, you probably won't be able to >get your record while you wait. > >Here is a page from vital check with information about RI >http://www.health.ri.gov/chic/vital/index.php > >Vitalcheck is a commercial service and it allows you to pay >by credit card but they charge additional fees. I like to use their >page however because it provides a link to a listing of all the >cities' and towns' addresses in one place. > >You can obtain records more recently than 100 / 50 years by >using the city or town halls. > >In New England, we do not have county government as they >do in other parts of the US. > >There is a Judicial Archives center in Pawtucket for pre 1900 >court records of the state. civil, criminal, divorce, naturalization > >Supreme Court Judicial Records Center >Five Hill Street >Pawtucket, RI >02860 >(401) 721 - 2640 >www.judicial-records.state.ri.us/main.htm > >Probate records are at the city/town. > >Also, in RI adoption records are sealed. > >If I forgot anything, I'm sure someone will let us know. > >Lisa > > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "david cheek" <mcheek@bigpond.net.au> >To: <RIGENWEB-L@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 4:18 AM >Subject: [RIGENWEB] New Lister > > > > Hi List > > > > Many thanks for those kind people who have contacted me off & on >list, it is > > most appreciated, however, > > > > The RI data which is easily accessible I have recorded and >noted.....It is > > the definitive detail which I wish to know where it can be obtained, >e.g. > > does RI have a Births, Deaths & Marriages Registry where this data >is > > located in a central point for access by the general public either >on or off > > line???? > > > > Ancestry.com for all its bragging does not appear to me to have >definitive > > data, example Births in RI from 1600 something to 1930, I enter a >know name > > say in 1870 and it says no record, well then what does the heading >mean???? > > Is there a depository with this data somewhere or not???? > > > > Sorry to sound pedantic, in Australia each State has its own BDM >Registry > > office and holds ALL the data for that State!!!! Is there >something > > similar in RI and/or its Counties??? > > > > I await your comments with interest....... > > > > Happy researching > > > > David Cheek - Adelaide - Australia > > Protected by Norton Anti-Virus 2006 > > Transcriber of Parish Registers in South West > > Somerset and FreeBMD > > > > > >==== RIGENWEB Mailing List ==== >Washington County RIGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~riwashin/ >Scans of Rhode Island Maps are at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/maps/