City Directories

The Reference division owns a substantial collection of City Directories for Rhode Island and some for nearby Massachusetts. Dates included vary by city and town, so contact reference [at] rihs.org if you are looking for a directory for a specific year.

Tax records

Tax records are available for many Rhode Island cities and towns. They can be accessed via the card catalog in the Reading Room by looking under the name of the town and then under the heading "Assessor of Taxes" or "Board of Assessors." The time periods for which records are available will vary from city to city.

Telephone books

The Reference division owns a substantial collection of telephone books for several of Rhode Island's larger cities and for Fall River, Massachusetts. A more specific breakdown of cities and available dates follows. Gaps do exist to some extent for each date range, some more than others. The set for Providence is the most complete.