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NETOP
RIHS NETworked Online Public
catalog
To begin
searching RIHS collections, click above.
This electronic catalog
was made possible through a $75,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and
Library Services to increase public access to the Society's diverse
holdings. This initial version contains only a portion of our full
collection. We are currently working to electronically catalog all
collection items. The most complete access is still available at the RIHS
Library.
THE
REFERENCE LIBRARIAN
We invite you to visit our library to take advantage
of
everything
the collections have
to
offer. The Reference Staff will be happy to direct you
to resources that may provide the information you seek. We
realize that an in-person visit is not always possible. For those of you
unable to visit, we can suggest several options based on your topics of
interest. The Links
section of this website also contains additional research resources.
Categories:
Frequently
Asked Questions I Trivia I AskRI
I General History
I Maps
I
Genealogy I Cemeteries
I Historic Houses I Unique
Resources I Newspapers I Rhode
Island History Magazine I Historical and Preservation Societies I
Ready Reference I Independent
Researchers
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Click
here for the answers to common questions
about Rhode Island.
RHODE
ISLAND FACTS AND TRIVIA
Visit the
Rhode Island Facts and Trivia
website
for more fun and useful information about Rhode Island.
AskRI
 Rhode
Island’s Statewide Reference Resource Center
is online.
This is the place to go with general
questions on Rhode Island history.
And if you have a card from any of Rhode Island’s public libraries, you
can also access a number of electronic resources from this site, including HeritageQuest
Online,
a resource for genealogy researchers.
GENERAL
RHODE ISLAND HISTORY
For a brief history of the state with timeline, see
RootsWeb.
For
a more in-depth treatment of Rhode Island history, see the
Rhode Island Student/Teacher Guide.
MAPS
OF HISTORIC RHODE ISLAND
Rand
McNally & Company Map of Rhode Island
(Atlas of the World, 1895)
Historical
Maps of Rhode Island
Historic
USGS Maps of Rhode Island
Census
Finder - Maps of Rhode Island
The
Rhode Island Historical Society
Library has many other historic maps, as well as a listing of historic maps
in Rhode Island institutions.
GENEALOGICAL
QUERIES
There
is an extensive list of genealogical websites located in the Links
section of this website. The Rhode Island Historical Society cannot vouch for the information listed
on these sites, but they can be useful for narrowing your search.
Additionally, federal census and immigration records can be found at
regional centers of the
National
Archives.
Use the National Archives website to find your regional office
or call toll free
1-866-272-6272.
RHODE
ISLAND VITAL RECORDS
Click
here
to learn how to obtain your Vital Records.
FEDERAL
AND ADDITIONAL STATE RECORDS
Click
here
to learn how to obtain these records.
GENEALOGICAL
RESEARCH IN THE MANUSCRIPTS COLLECTION
Click
here
to learn about using our manuscripts collection for genealogical research.
PASSENGER
LISTS
Click
here
to learn about Rhode Island passenger lists at the Rhode Island Historical
Society.
RHODE ISLAND CEMETERIES
The
Rhode Island Historical Society
Library is one of six libraries statewide where you can access the complete
database of mostly pre-1900 graves in Rhode Island cemeteries. For a description of
the database and to search the online index to the complete database, see
Rhode Island Cemeteries Database.
For questions about the location, registration
and care of cemeteries in Rhode Island, contact the
Rhode
Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission.
HOUSE
HISTORIES
Click
here
for a sheet on resources for researching the history of a house. Be sure to
look at the
town surveys published by the Rhode Island Preservation & Heritage Commission. These are
also available in print at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library and most
Rhode Island public libraries.
If
you want to register your house as historic in:
Established
by Congress under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the
National Register of Historic Places is a list of buildings, districts,
historic sites, archaeological sites and other properties that are
officially recognized by the United States government as being especially
worthy of protection and preservation.
National
Register Bulletin: Researching A Historic Property,
by Eleanor O'Donnell 1991, revised 1998.
A
DOZEN RESOURCES UNIQUE TO RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY
Click
here
for examples of the unique resources available at the library.
RHODE
ISLAND NEWSPAPERS
The
library has a microfilm collection of almost every Rhode Island newspaper
ever published. To see a description of our collection, see
Rhode Island
Newspapers & Periodicals. You can
also search for a specific newspaper
or periodical through
the InRhode Library Catalog.
LOCAL HISTORICAL AND PRESERVATION SOCIETIES
Click here for a
Directory of Rhode Island Historical and Preservation Societies.
RHODE
ISLAND HISTORY
Rhode
Island History is the tri-annual journal of The Rhode Island
Historical Society. Ideal reading for the history buff, this
illustrated magazine offers a variety of in-depth articles about
topics related to Rhode Island's past. Each issue is handsomely
highlighted with photographs and art, along with scholarly articles and
occasional book reviews.
READY
REFERENCE
This
is a free service and applies only to questions pertaining to our
collections that we can answer quickly and easily. Because
of low staff levels we are unable to provide in-depth
research at this time. E-mail your question to
reference@rihs.org
or call the Reference Desk at the library, 401-273-8107
x10. Library staff will determine whether your question qualifies as a
ready reference request.
It
may take two to three weeks to respond to your e-mail because of the volume
of inquiries we receive.
Examples
of Ready Reference questions:
Do
you own the book The Browns of Providence Plantations by James
Hedges?
How do I request a copy of a document from one of your manuscript
collections?
Do you have resources on 19th century businesses in
Rhode Island?
HIRE
AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER
For
questions that require in-depth research you may want to hire an
Independent
Researcher to conduct your research for you. Click on the
link below for a list of local Independent Researchers who are familiar
with our collections and may be able to help you; or click on the link to
the website for the
Association of
Professional Genealogists.
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