RHODE ISLAND FAMILIES ASSOCIATION

Genealogical Publications and Research

* FALL 2007 ISSUE *

* SPECIAL WILL INDEX OFFER *

RHODE ISLAND INDEX OF ALL WILLS FROM 1636 - 1850

(over 12,000 probate records) Order Volume 16 of the Rhode Island Genealogical Register (RIGR) at the discounted price of $50.00 or have us search for your ancestors will for only $15.00 per name (2 for $25.00). If there is a will, we will mail a copy of the abstract with the complete citation of where to locate the original will). Just mail your request to the address on this page, or send an E-Mail to: rigr@rcn.com

Visitors since 24 May 1997

(A) RHODE ISLAND GENEALOGICAL REGISTER

Alden G. Beaman, Ph.D., Editor volumes 1-12

Nellie M. C. Beaman, Editor volumes 13-20

Features articles of factual Genealogical Data covering the whole state of Rhode Island on such topics as:

WILL ABSTRACTS ARTICLES have been published on ALL cities and towns incorporated before 1850, namely: BARRINGTON, BRISTOL, BURRILLVILLE, CHARLESTOWN, COVENTRY, CRANSTON, CUMBERLAND, EAST GREENWICH, EXETER, FOSTER, GLOCESTER, HOPKINTON, JAMESTOWN, JOHNSTON, LITTLE COMPTON, MIDDLETOWN, NEWPORT, NEW SHOREHAM, NORTH KINGSTOWN, NORTH PROVIDENCE, PORTSMOUTH, PROVIDENCE, RICHMOND, SCITUATE, SMITHFIELD, SOUTH KINGSTOWN, TIVERTON, WARREN, WARWICK, WESTERLY, AND WEST GREENWICH.

Vol. 1+2: 276+277=544 pages, Hard Cover, reprinted in single vol.

Vol. 3-9: 4X96 pages in Quarterly issues (Vol. 6 #2, 157 pages)

Vol. 10-15, 17-20: 384 pages (average), Hard Cover Annual

Vol. 16: Index to ALL RI wills 1636-1850 as published in RIGR 1-15.

ALL VOLUMES INDEXED

PRICE: $35.00 per volume, post paid (except volume 16) to INDIVIDUALS for personal use. LIBRARIES, SOCIETIES, etc. please inquire.

ORDER FROM: RHODE ISLAND FAMILIES ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 1414

Ashburn, VA 20146-1414

ORDER FORM VALID FOR INDIVIDUALS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY:

SIGNATURE: __________________________ (all orders must be signed.)

Please send me the following volumes of the RIGR. My check is enclosed payable to: Rhode Island Families Association.

VA residents, please add 4.5% sales tax.

NAME: _________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________

____________________________________________ZIP__________

(B) RHODE ISLAND VITAL RECORDS, NEW SERIES

By Alden G. Beaman, Ph.D.

Vol. 1 & 2 1975-1976 These volumes completely reprinted in volumes 5, 8 & 9

Vol. 3 WASHINGTON COUNTY, RI BIRTHS & MARRIAGES FROM GRAVESTONE INSCRIPTIONS

1977 $35.00 2,500 births + 4,600 marriages 455 pages 1688-1850

Vol. 4 WASHINGTON COUNTY, RI BIRTHS FROM PROBATE RECORDS 1685-1860

1978 $55.00 14,000 births 352 pages

Vol. 5 WASHINGTON COUNTY, RI MARRIAGES FROM PROBATE RECORDS 1685-1860 c. 1978 $55.00 7,600 marriage entries 379 pages (SOLD OUT!)

Vol. 6 EAST & WEST GREENWICH BIRTHS FROM PROBATE, GRAVE & DEATH RECORDS

1980 $40.00 7,300 birth entries 340 pages 1680-1860

Vol. 7 EAST & WEST GREENWICH MARRIAGES FROM MARRIAGE, PROBATE, GRAVE & DEATH RECORDS 1980 $40.00 7,150 marriages 431 pages

Vol. 8 & 9 WASHINGTON COUNTY, RI BIRTHS 1760-1860 FROM DEATH AND MARRIAGE RECORDS 1981 in 2 volumes $70.00 14,500 births 365 + 362 pages

Vol. 10 NEWPORT COUNTY, RI MARRIAGES FROM PROBATE RECORDS 1647-1860

1984 $45.00 ca. 7,000 marriage entries 380 pages

Vol. 11 BIRTHS 1590-1930 FROM NEWPORT COMMON BURIAL GROUND INSCRIPTIONS

1985 $50.00 ca. 7,500 inscriptions; about 1/2 before 1775 466 pages

Vol. 12 & 13 NEWPORT CO, RI BIRTHS 1751-1860 FROM DEATH & MARRIAGE RECORDS

1986/7 in 2 volumes $90.00 ca. 15,000 births 371 + 371 pages

ALL VOLUMES ARE HARD COVERS

ALL PRICES ARE FOR INDIVIDUALS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.

Libraries, Societies, etc., please inquire.

FEATURES:

Each volume is completely alphabetical, volume 4 only by names of fathers.

Complete source references are given for each entry in all volumes except volume 3.

These volumes contain very low duplication of the data contained in James N. Arnold's Vital Records.

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ORDER FROM: RHODE ISLAND FAMILIES ASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 1414

Ashburn, VA 20146-1414

ORDER FORM VALID FOR INDIVIDUALS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

Please send me the following volumes. My check is enclosed payable to:

Rhode Island Families Association

VOLUMES: _________________________________________________________________

NAME: _________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ZIP__________

VA residents, please add 4.5% sales tax.

PLEASE ADD: Shipping and Handling: $3.00 for first volume, $1.00 each additional volume.

The Rhode Island Genealogical Society in May of 1991, honored the late Dr. Alden G. Beaman for his contribution to Rhode Island genealogy for publishing the will abstracts in the RHODE ISLAND GENEALOGICAL REGISTER (RIGR). Volume 16 of the RIGR is 340 pages; it is an index for each will in the State of Rhode Island from 1636 to 1850 as abstracted in volumes 1-15 of the RIGR. The index contains over 12,000 names for testators and other probate records for this time frame. This volume has taken the Rhode Island Families Association over 20 years to compile these records to this format.

The State of Rhode Island did not require birth, marriage and death records to be recorded until 1853. Therefore, many vital records were not recorded before that time. In fact, Dr. Alden G. Beaman (who obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard) estimated that in the City of Newport only one in thirty births were recorded before 1853. These records are published in James N. Arnold's Rhode Island Vital Records. Our RHODE ISLAND VITAL RECORDS, NEW SERIES (RIVR,NS) contains birth and marriage records derived from original sources such as probate, death, cemetery etc. This series has very low duplication of James N. Arnold's records. Dr. Beaman estimated that as many as fifty percent of the births and marriages that occurred in Rhode Island can be located in his RIVR,NS. Complete documentation is cited for each entry.

Nellie Beaman has conducted genealogical research since 1977. She was trained by her late father, Dr. Alden G. Beaman. She furthered her expertise by working at the Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, D.C. as a genealogist for two years. Furthermore, she worked for the American Archives Association for 7 years as a research forensic genealogist locating missing heirs to known estates and documenting their relationship to the decedent for Probate Court. She is the current editor of the Rhode Island Genealogical Register and the compiler of the Index of Wills for Rhode Island (vol. 16 of the RIGR). She has researched at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah and has volunteered at the local Family History Center for six years. She has numerous publications in genealogy, has lectured for many genealogical societies and organizations, and taught many genealogy classes and workshops. She currently conducts research at the National Archives, Library of Congress, Family History Center and the Daughters of the American Revolution Library.

For more information please E-Mail the Rhode Island Families Association at rigr@rcn.com

For more genealogical sites you can link to Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet at http://www.oz.net/~cyndihow/sites.htm

Visit the USGenWeb for Newport County at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rinewpor/

Compuserve's Genealogy Forum's home page can be reached at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/roots

See Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter for weekly reviews of computer related genealogy products at http://www.rootscomputing.com

Some pictures of historic Rhode Island gravestones

These are from the Newport Common Burial Ground