|
Rhode Island Counties
Visit our County Sites:
Providence
Kent
Bristol
Washington
Newport
Until the county sites get
permanent hosts, we'll try and add data as time allows. Email
Christina to add your original source data
to this site. |
My name is Christina
Anthony and I am your Rhode Island state host. Our
goal at Genealogy Trails is to help you track your ancestors through time
by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for
the free use of all researchers. We welcome your feedback and comments,
and of course, your data contributions. If you have data that you would
like to have posted on this website, please
contact us
.
|
State Flower
Violet
|
We need State and
County Hosts
It's fun, it's informative and
it's a great group of people to work with.
|
State Bird
Rhode Island
Red
|
If
interested - View our Volunteer Information
Page and
contact Kim
(Basic webpage knowledge
and a desire to transcribe data is required)
|
We regret
that we are unable to perform personal research for folks!
All data we come across will be added to this
site.
We thank you for visiting and hope you'll
come back again to view the updates we make to this site.
Join our mailing lists
for researchers looking to connect and share
information. Our Rhode Island sites are covered under the North-Eastern
Coastal States Region list. You never know who you might meet and what
family data they may share with you -- it could start a whole new branch
of the family!
We also use the mailing lists to announce our website updates.
Remember to look around
at our
other states and consider
donating your source information -- every little bit helps
someone.
|
|
Colony of Rhode Island & Providence
Plantations
Rhode
Island is a part of the New
England region and was one of the 13 original American Colonies that declared independence from British rule which started
the American Revolution on May 4, 1776. The name Rhode Island refers to the largest Island in Narragansett Bay,
also known as Aquidneck Island which is where Newport is located. The state of Rhode Island, despite its name, isn't
an island. It's just that from every point in the state is within 30 miles of Sea Water, hence
the nickname the "Ocean State".
Providence Plantation
was founded by Roger Williams in 1636. He was a baptist minister fleeing
from religios persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Other
settlements were soon to follow. Williams was sent to England by fellow
citizens to secure a charter for the colony. Parliamentary patent was
secure in March in 1643. May 18, 1652, Rhode Island passed the first law
in North America making slavery illegal. That's how Rhode Island became
the safe haven for people who were prosecuted for their beliefs such as
the Baptists, Quakers, and Jews. In 1663 a Royal Charter was given by
Charles II of England. This charter guaranteed religios freedom for all
Christians and Jews.
|
