Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 - Comprehensive Family

In this review of Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850 the bottom line is simple: this is a focused resource for genealogists and local historians who need primary vital records spanning births, marriages and deaths from early Rhode Island communities. Compiled as an excerpt and described as part of the State Record for the western part of old Rehoboth, the book's strongest appeal is its concentrated collection of names and events that otherwise require digging through disparate town records. For anyone tracing Rhode Island ancestry or confirming family connections, this classic reprint is a practical reference.

Key Features

• Comprehensive coverage: Collects births, marriages and deaths recorded between 1636 and 1850 to centralize essential family events for research.
• Local focus: Emphasizes the west part of old Rehoboth and related communities, which makes it valuable for those tracing families from that area.
• Historical excerpt: Reprints primary material that functions as a portion of the state record, helping confirm dates and relationships without visiting archives.
• Reference format: Presents entries in a register style designed for quick lookup of names and events during the covered period.
• Use in genealogy: Serves as a straightforward tool for building family trees and cross-checking data found in other sources.

Who It's For

Genealogists, family historians and local researchers focused on Rhode Island or New England families will get the most value from this register, particularly when ancestors lived in or near the old Rehoboth area. Its concentrated extracts make it efficient for confirming vital events without needing multiple town volumes.

Those seeking modern interpretive commentary, illustrations, or a broad regional survey should look elsewhere; this is a documentary reprint intended as a working reference rather than a narrative history or picture-led volume.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Centralizes vital records from 1636 to 1850, saving time for researchers seeking primary entries.
• Focus on old Rehoboth and the surrounding area provides targeted value for local family studies.
• Reprint format preserves historical wording and entries, useful for citation and verification.

Cons

• Limited to recorded births, marriages and deaths and does not include interpretive narrative or broader context.

Specifications

Title	Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850
Subtitle	Births, Marriages and Deaths; A Family Register for the People
Author / Compiler	James Newell Arnold
Coverage Years	1636-1850
Content Type	Excerpt / Classic reprint of vital records
Geographic Focus	Rhode Island (includes west part of old Rehoboth)

Our Verdict

For anyone assembling a Rhode Island family tree or verifying ancestors from the Rehoboth area, this reprint is a pragmatic and well-focused reference. It delivers original register entries in a compact format that saves archival time and provides reliable citations, making it good value for serious local researchers and genealogists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this volume include entries for the entire state?
The book concentrates on records relevant to the western part of old Rehoboth and related communities, presented as part of the state record rather than a complete statewide compilation.

Is the content original material or modern summaries?
The reprint reproduces original vital record entries as an excerpt, preserving the register-style wording used in the historical records.

Who edited or compiled this register?
The material is associated with the work of James Newell Arnold, who compiled and organized the vital records for use by researchers.