Rhode Island Statewide Resources
The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area. Rhode Island borders Connecticut to the west and Massachusetts to the north and east, and it shares a water boundary with New York’s Fishers Island to the southwest.
Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen original colonies to declare independence from British rule and the last to ratify the United States Constitution.
Rhode Island’s official nickname is “The Ocean State,” a reference to the state’s geography, since Rhode Island has several large bays and inlets that amount to about 30% of its total area. Its land area is 1,045 square miles (2706 km2), but its total area is significantly larger (in the United States, all seawater and ocean floors that are more than three nautical miles from land belong to the Federal Government.)
In 1636, Roger Williams, after being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious views, settled at the tip of Narragansett Bay, on land granted to him by the Narragansett tribe. He called the site Providence and declared it a place of religious freedom. Detractors of the idea of liberty of conscience sometimes referred to it as “Rogue’s Island”.
In 1638, after conferring with Williams, Anne Hutchinson, William Coddington, John Clarke, Philip Sherman, and other religious dissidents settled on Aquidneck Island (then known as Rhode Island), which was purchased from the local natives, who called it Pocasset. The settlement of Portsmouth was governed by the Portsmouth Compact. The southern part of the island became the separate settlement of Newport after disagreements among the founders.
Samuel Gorton purchased the Native American lands at Shawomet in 1642, precipitating a military dispute with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1644, Providence, Portsmouth, and Newport united for their common independence as the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, governed by an elected council and “president”. Gorton received a separate charter for his settlement in 1648, which he named Warwick after his patron. These allied colonies were united in the charter of 1663, used as the state constitution until 1842.
Although Rhode Island remained at peace with the Native Americans, the relationship between the other New England colonies and the Native Americans was more strained, and sometimes led to bloodshed, despite attempts by the Rhode Island leadership to broker peace. During King Philip’s War (1675–1676), both sides regularly violated Rhode Island’s neutrality. The war’s largest battle occurred in Rhode Island, when a force of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Plymouth militia under General Josiah Winslow invaded and destroyed the fortified Narragansett Indian village in the Great Swamp in southern Rhode Island, on December 19, 1675. The Narragansett also invaded, and burnt down several of the cities of Rhode Island, including Providence, although they allowed the population to leave first. Also in one of the final actions of the war, troops from Connecticut hunted down and killed “King Philip”, as they called the Narragansett war-leader Metacom, on Rhode Island’s territory.
The colony was amalgamated into the Dominion of New England in 1686, as James II of England attempted to enforce royal authority over the autonomous colonies in British North America. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the colony regained its independence under the Royal Charter. The bedrock of the economy continued to be agriculture, especially dairy farming, and fishing. Lumber and shipbuilding also became major industries. Slaves were introduced at this time, although there is no record of any law relegalising slave-holding. Ironically, the colony later prospered under the slave trade, by distilling rum to sell in Africa as part of a profitable triangular trade in slaves and sugar with the Caribbean.
Rhode Island was the first of the thirteen colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776. It was also the last colony of the thirteen colonies to ratify the United States Constitution on May 29, 1790 once assurances were made that a Bill of Rights would become part of the Constitution. As the home of Brown University, Rhode Island is one of only eight states hosting a colonial college chartered on its territory prior to the American Revolution.
Rhode Island’s tradition of independence and dissent gave it a prominent role in the American Revolution. In 1772, the first bloodshed of the American Revolution took place in Rhode Island when a band of Providence residents attacked a grounded British ship for enforcing unpopular British trade regulations. This incident would come to be known as the Gaspee Affair. Rhode Island was the first of the original thirteen colonies to declare its independence from Great Britain (May 4, 1776), and the last to ratify the Constitution, doing the latter only after being threatened with having its exports taxed as a foreign nation.
During the Revolution, the British occupied Newport. A combined Franco-American force fought to drive them off of Aquidneck Island. Portsmouth was the site of the first African American military unit, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, to fight for the U.S. in the Battle of Rhode Island August 29, 1778. The arrival of a far superior French fleet forced the British to scuttle their own ships, rather than surrender them to the French.
The celebrated march of 1781 to Yorktown, Virginia that ended with the defeat of the British at the Siege of Yorktown and the Battle of the Chesapeake began in Newport, Rhode Island under the joint command of General George Washington who led American soldiers and the Comte de Rochambeau who led French soldiers sent by King Louis XVI.
These allied forces spent one year in Providence, Rhode Island, including at Brown University’s University Hall, preparing for an opportune moment to begin their decisive march. Several patriots residing in Rhode Island were involved in the American Revolution, including Royal Governor Samuel Ward, Royal Governor and first Brown University Chancellor Stephen Hopkins, the Reverend James Manning, General James Mitchell Varnum, John Brown, Dr. Solomon Drowne, Yale College president Ezra Stiles and first United States Senator from Rhode Island Theodore Foster.
The Industrial Revolution began in America in 1789 when Moses Brown invested in a water-powered textile mill designed and run by Samuel Slater. As the Industrial Revolution moved large numbers of workers into the cities, a permanently landless, and therefore voteless, class developed. By 1829, 60% of the state’s free white males were ineligible to vote.
Several attempts had been made to address this problem, but none were successful. In 1842, Thomas Dorr drafted a liberal constitution which was passed by popular referendum. However, the conservative sitting governor, Samuel Ward King, opposed the people’s wishes, leading to the Dorr Rebellion. Although this was not a success, a modified version of the constitution was passed in November, which allowed any white male to vote if he owned land or could pay a $1 poll tax.
In addition to industrialization, Rhode Island was heavily involved in the slave trade during the post-revolution era. Slavery was extant in the state as early as 1652, and by 1774, the slave population of Rhode Island was 6.3%, nearly twice as high as any other New England colony. In the late 18th century, several Rhode Island merchant families began actively engaging in the triangle slave trade. Notable among these was brothers John and Nicholas of the Brown family, for whom Brown University is named, although some Browns, particularly Moses, became prominent abolitionists. In the years after the Revolution, Rhode Island merchants controlled between 60% and 90% of the American trade in African slaves.
During the Civil War, Rhode Island was the first Union state to send troops in response to President Lincoln’s request for help from the states. Rhode Island furnished 25,236 fighting men, of whom 1,685 died. On the home front, Rhode Island, along with the other northern states, used its industrial capacity to supply the Union Army with the materials it needed to win the war. The United States Naval Academy moved here temporarily during the war.
In 1866, Rhode Island abolished racial segregation in the public schools throughout the state.
Post-war immigration increased the population. From the 1860s to the 1880s, most immigrants were from England, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, and Quebec. Toward the end of the century, however, most immigrants were from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. At the turn of the century, Rhode Island had a booming economy, which fed the demand for immigration. In the years leading up to World War I, Rhode Island’s constitution remained reactionary, in contrast to the more progressive reforms that were occurring in the rest of the country. The state never ratified the 18th Amendment establishing national prohibition of alcohol.
During World War I, Rhode Island furnished 28,817 troops, of whom 612 died. After the war, the state was hit hard by the Spanish Influenza.[31] In the 1920s and 1930s, rural Rhode Island saw a surge in Ku Klux Klan membership, largely in reaction to the large waves of immigrants moving to the state. The Klan is believed to be responsible for burning the Watchman Industrial School in Scituate, which was a school for African American children.
In the 20th century, the state continued to grow, though the decline in industry devastated many urban areas. These areas were affected further, as with the rest of the country’s urban areas, by construction of Interstate highways through city cores and the suburbanization caused by it and by the GI Bill.
Rhode Island’s continued growth and modernization led to the creation of an urban mass transit system and improved health and sanitation programs.
Since the Great Depression, the Rhode Island Democratic Party has dominated local politics. Rhode Island has comprehensive health insurance for low-income children, and a large social safety net. Many urban areas still have a high rate of children in poverty. Due to an influx of residents from Boston, increasing housing costs have resulted in more homeless in Rhode Island.
Income tax was first enacted in 1971.
The Republican Party, virtually non-existent in the state legislature, has successfully nominated state-wide “good government” reform candidates who criticize the state’s high taxes and the excesses of the Democratic Party. Current Governor Donald Carcieri of East Greenwich, and former Mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci of Providence (who later became an independent political boss, and was convicted on RICO charges) ran as Republican reform candidates.
In recent years former Speaker of the House John Harwood, State Senator John Celona, and State Senate President William Irons were forced to resign amid scandals. In 2003, a nightclub fire in West Warwick claimed one hundred lives and caught national attention. The fire resulted in criminal sentences.
In March, 2010, areas of the state received record flooding due to rising rivers from heavy rain. The first period of rainy weather in mid-March caused localized flooding, but just two weeks later, more rain caused more widespread flooding in many towns, especially south of Providence. Rain totals on March 29–30, 2010 exceeded 14 inches in many locales, resulting in the inundation of area rivers – especially the Pawtuxet River which runs through central Rhode Island.
The overflow of the Pawtuxet River, nearly 11 feet above flood stage, submerged a sewage plant and closed a five mile stretch of Interstate 95. In addition, it flooded two shopping malls, numerous businesses, and many homes in Warwick, West Warwick, Cranston, and Westerly;Amtrak service between New York and Boston was also suspended during this period. Following the flood, Rhode Island was in a state of emergency for two days and President Obama came to neighboring Massachusettes to assess the damage; FEMA was also called in to help flood victims. As of June 2010, one of the malls has not reopened and many other places are still working to reopen.
Source: Wikipedia
Rhode Island History Resources
Rhode Island Department of Archives
Rhode Island Library and Information Services site
Rhode Island Marriage Records
Rhode Island State Government
Rhode Island State Government site
Rhode Island Tourism and State Parks
Visit Rhode Island Tourism Site
RI Genweb
Rhode Island Genweb Archives page
USGenWeb Archives – Statewide Resources
Rhode Island Cemeteries
Rhode Island Cemetery transcriptions from Interment.net
Some “Rhode Island” Genealogy related News items
“rhode island” genealogy – Google News
Group focused on the past looks forward to the future – Tasley Eastern Shore News
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Group focused on the past looks forward to the future
Tasley Eastern Shore News Among other adult-oriented offerings the society sponsored recently were a genealogy seminar and Windsor Chair making classes, and a sewing guild is in the works. Barker also hopes to make the Decorative Arts Symposium held each fall more accessible to … |
Fort Kent Historical Society, archives unveil massive genealogical collection – Bangor Daily News
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Fort Kent Historical Society, archives unveil massive genealogical collection
Bangor Daily News Chad Pelletier knew exactly where a treasure trove of Franco-American genealogical information was lurking and, when the entire collection became available, found himself at the right place at the right time. Thanks to his efforts and with the support … |
CLIMBING THE FAMILY TREE: Genealogists expand their roots through social … – Monterey County Herald
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CLIMBING THE FAMILY TREE: Genealogists expand their roots through social …
Monterey County Herald In addition to her keynote speech, Brisson-Banks will teach classes throughout the one-day genealogy seminar. The Rhode Island native will present "New England Research," as well "Scotland Research Strategies." In the afternoon, Brisson-Banks will … |
The historical perspective: A Valentine’s Day Mystery – Martha’s Vineyard Times
 Martha’s Vineyard Times |
The historical perspective: A Valentine's Day Mystery
Martha’s Vineyard Times After moving with her family a number of times, a 1910 census shows that 51-year-old Julia was single and living alone in Providence, Rhode Island. It was around this time that the mystery of Julia's valentines begins. Amid warm greetings and well … |
Calendar, Feb. 3 to 9 – Wicked Local
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Calendar, Feb. 3 to 9
Wicked Local 10 am-5 pm, Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, 224 Benefit St., 20 North Main St., Providence, RI Runs through July 8. Form ore information, call 401-454-6500 or visit risdmuseum.org. Blue Hills Adult Walking Club moderate walk. |
Tracking Down Ancestors Through City Directories – EastBayRI.com
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Tracking Down Ancestors Through City Directories
EastBayRI.com By Lynda Rego If you haven't used city directories in your genealogy research, you're missing a wonderful resource that not only pinpoints an ancestor by place and time, but offers a detailed picture of where he or she lived. They also can fill in gaps … |
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