The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
______________________________________
One of the main goals for genealogists is finding birth, baptism, and/or christening information about their ancestors.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, many indexes to birth and baptism collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific birth, baptism, or christening information, and sometimes scanned images of the actual birth documents themselves. These free online collections have millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include birth information that is not included in the lists below. These different types can be found in 32 Ways to Find Ancestor Birth Information
If you are interested in baptism indexes that may include the birth date as well as baptism information, make sure and check out Church Records.
The lists below are specific birth, baptism, and christening indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
Rhode Island Birth Records
- Barrington Town Records (incl Probate), 1718-1886
- Barrington, Bristol, Births or Christenings, 1851-1876
- Bristol, Vital Records, 1680-1850
- Burrillville Birth, Marriage, and Death Records 1747-1900
- Burrillville, Vital Record Indexes (1766-1921) and Vital Records (1901-1915) –, 1766-1921
- Central Falls, Vital Records, 1850-1915
- Charlestown Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- Charlestown, Washington Births or Christenings, 1747-1850
- Coventry Births, Marriages, Deaths 1702-1870
- Coventry Births, Marriages, Deaths 1830-1915
- Coventry, Kent, Births or Christenings, 1851-1876
- Cranston Birth, Marriage, and Death Records: 1850-1915
- Cranston Town and Vital Records, 1722-1868
- Cranston, Vital Records, 1722-1890
- Cumberland, Vital Records, 1734-1858
- Cumberland, Vital Records, 1852-1901
- Cumberland, Vital Records, 1902-1915
- East Greenwich Vital Records, 1666-1950
- East Greenwich, Kent, Births or Christenings, 1851-1876
- East Greenwich, Land and Property Records (1677-1937) and Some Births and Marriages (1677-1793) –, 1677-1937
- East Providence Vital Records Registry Book, 1877-1888
- East Providence, Providence, First Baptist Church, Births or Christenings, 1794-1875
- East Providence, Return of Deaths (1872-1921) and Return of Births (1864-1899), 1864-1921
- East Providence, Vital Records 1883-1916
- Exeter Births and Deaths
- Exeter, Washington Births or Christenings, 1765-1850
- Glocester Births, Marriages, Deaths (1726-1815) and Deaths (1902-1915)
- Hopkinton Births and Deaths
- Hopkinton, Washington Births or Christenings, 1765-1850
- Hopkinton, Marriages 1881-1915, Births 1902-1915, and Deaths 1903-1915
- James N. Arnold Collection of Rhode Island Vital Records Online 1636-1850
- Jamestown Births, 1636-1850
- Jamestown, Newport Births or Christenings, 1850-1876
- Johnston, Providence Births or Christenings, 1722-1876
- Johnston, Births, Marriages, Deaths Prior to June 1, 1898
- Kent County, Death Indexes
- Lincoln Vital Records and Indexes 1894-1915
- Little Compton Births, 1636-1850
- Middletown Births, 1636-1850
- Middletown Births, Marriages, Deaths 1700-1870
- Middletown, Newport Births or Christenings, 1851-1876
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- Narragansett, Washington, Saint Pauls Church, Births or Christenings, 1718-1875
- New Shoreham Births, 1636-1850
- New Shoreham, Vital Records 1850-1915
- Newport and Portsmouth, Births and Deaths
- Newport and Portsmouth, Births and Deaths
- Newport Births, 1636-1850
- Newport County, Death Indexes
- Newport The United Brethren Births and Baptisms
- Newport Births, Marriages, Deaths 1880-1915
- Newport, Newport, Births or Christenings, 1851-1876
- Newport, Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths of the Friends Meeting
- North Kingstown Births and Deaths
- North Kingstown Births, Marriages, Deaths 1700-1950
- North Kingstown Births, Marriages, Deaths, Volumes 3-4, 1814-1910
- North Kingstown, Washington Births or Christenings, 1760-1850
- North Kingstown, Washington, Births or Christenings, 1770-1876
- North Smithfield Vital Record Indexes (1871-1970) and Vital Records (1871-1915), 1870-1970
- Pawtucket Births, 1828 – 1843
- Pawtucket Births 1886-1902 and Marriages 1885-1902, Returns of Births and Marriages 1900-1902
- Pawtucket Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths of North Providence and Pawtucket, 1748-1885; Indexes to Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1728-1914
- Pawtucket, Providence, Births or Christenings, 1636-1850
- Portsmouth Births, 1636-1850
- Portsmouth, Newport Births or Christenings, 1851-1862
- Providence Alphabetical Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths
- Providence County, Death Indexes
- Providence Births (1876-1890), Marriages (1870-1891), and Deaths (1880-1892)
- Providence Index of the Births, Marriages and Deaths; Births, from 1636 to 1850
- Providence Vital Records, 1894-1899
- Providence, Town Records, Births, 1636-1850
- Providence, Alphabetical Index of the Births, Marriages and Deaths
- Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914
- Rhode Island Births, 1897
- Rhode Island Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880
- Rhode Island Records
- Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945
- Rhode Island Vital Records (1800-1919), (1951-1955) and Indexes (1846-1950)
- Rhode Island Genealogical Collections
- Rhode Island, Death Records (1949-1950) and Delayed Births (1899-1900)
- Rhode Island, Delayed Births, 1846-1892, 1896-1898, 1901-1905 Index 1846-1898
- Rhode Island, Delayed Births, 1893-1895
- Rhode Island, Returns of Birth (1893-1898), Certificates of Death (1946-1948), out of State Deaths (1946-1947, 1954-1955), out of State Death Index (1900-1948, 1951-1954), and Miscellaneous 1954-1955
- Rhode Island, State Births Index, 1819, 1852-1900
- Rhode Island, Town Births Index, 1639-1932
- Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945
- Rhode Island, Vital Records, 1846-1898, 1901-1953
- Rhode Island, Vital Records, 1853-1920
- Richmond Births and Deaths
- Richmond Township, Washington Births or Christenings, 1729-1876
- Richmond, Washington Births or Christenings, 1759-1850
- Scituate Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1800-1903
- Smithfield Vital Records Index
- Smithfield Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Central Falls 1725-1948
- South Kingston Birth Records
- South Kingston, Washington Births or Christenings, 1769-1850
- South Kingstown Births and Deaths
- Tiverton Births, 1636-1850
- United States Births and Christenings, 1867-1931
- Vital Records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850
- Wakefield Church Of The Ascension Baptisms 1842-1883
- Warren Births, Marriages, Deaths 1730-1856
- Warren Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1850-1915
- Warren, Bristol Births or Christenings, 1851-1876
- Warwick Early Records
- Warwick, Kent Births or Christenings, 1871-1876
- West Greenwich Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1906-1915
- West Greenwich, Kent, Births or Christenings, 1852-1876
- Westerly Births and Deaths
- Westerly, Washington Births or Christenings, 1772-1850
- Woonsocket Township, Providence Births or Christenings, 1867-1876
- Woonsocket Vital Records (1880-1915) and Indexes (1867-1965), 1867-1965
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!