Here are some resources that have been helpful to me.
- Rhode Island State Census available on FamilySearch.org: 1885, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935. The data collected varies year by year and can be very helpful. Be careful of the 1905 cards, though: FamilySearch indexes them incorrectly as front + back of the previous card, so never rely on the search result screen, go to the original. Find the front of the card then click to the next record for the back side.
- The Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Transcription Project
- The Narragansett Historical Register.
- A large public library is likely to have the three-volume New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Clarence Almon Torrey (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011). If you find the couple you are seeking, the sources listed will be very helpful, although locating those books and articles will require a little work, or a visit to a genealogical library. Likewise, the same is true for Robert Charles Anderson’s The Great Migration Begins and The Great Migration series. Many early Rhode Islanders started their American life in Massachusetts (and were thrown out!!)
- Rhode Island Newspapers on Chronicling America: U.S. Newspaper Directory – there are 742 different titles – click “Libraries that Have It” to see if you can find it at a nearby library. This is just a guide; there are no online R.I. newspapers at that site yet. The only old Rhode Island newspapers I have accessed online are at the paid GenealogyBank.com site. However, you could try a free trial membership there.
- Rhode Island Historical Society Finding Aids. While you would have to visit the RIHS Library to view the manuscripts and special collections, the finding aids themselves offer important glimpses into some Rhode Island stories and can help you prepare for a trip. Searching within the finding aids can happen here.
- Not always free, but check out Early Rhode Island Church Records.
- Arnold’s Rhode Island Vital Records volumes (21 volumes) are available for download on my blog; but a few of the pdf’s are light and hard to read.
- Also visit FamilySearch.org to search Rhode Island vital record data. Be sure to specify a type of record in “Collections” on the side of the results screen, and then specify Collections further to access a Rhode Island record set.
- Read some guidance from the experts at The Rhode Island Genealogical Society. I especially like the explanation of Early R.I. Censuses and the R.I. Genealogy FAQ.
from the book Early Rhode Island
One Rhode Island Family 
This is a dream come true. I appreciate the work that many people did to make this possible and to Diane for pulling it all together in a sensible way. Pre-computer genealogy I had more difficulty finding resources in only one other state (NJ). Given my last name is Arnold, I appreciate the effort even more. If I were surnamed “Urhquart” finding information that was about that family would have been easier; but Arnold is very frequent and requires a “roster” to tell who belonged where. This is especially true for those who recycled first names, a product of naming practices. These resources aid in sorting out who belongs with who and where do they belong.
Thank you ever so nuch!
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