More RI Court Records

I mentioned last week that many of the courts in RI had changed names over time. Here's an example of a record from the "Court of Judicature Assize and General Gaol Delivery" from King's County in 1769. This court was one of the precursors to the Supreme Court of Rhode Island.

  Court of Judicature Assize and General Gaol Delivery, King's County [Washington County], RI, Vol. B, 1763-1782, April 1769, pg 202, RI Supreme Court Judicial Records Center, Pawtucket, RI.

 This case summary names William Sachem, James Niles and a variety of other Narragansett Indians in a land dispute relating to 30 acres in Charlestown. Unfortunately, many of the case files associated with these record books are inaccessible, so this is the only information related to this case. This case refers to another court record, from the Inferior Court of Common Pleas in 1768, which has more information about the dispute.

In another case from the Court of Common Pleas, James Niles, Junior, an Indian man and Cooper, sues Michael Toby for trespass, but that it was later withdrawn.

Washington County, Court of Common Pleas, Record Book H, pg 134, 1770, Niles vs. Toby. RISCJRC, Pawtucket.

By the careful use of court records, you can often find interesting information relating to an ancestor's occupation, residence, neighbors and community. In colonial Rhode Island research in particular, I have found that court records and land records are some of the best resources when establishing relationships since so few vital records are available.

Next week, some cool examples of naturalization records found at the RI Supreme Court Judicial Records Center.

RI Court Records

One of the standard entries on my to-do list for any genealogy research project is court records at the Rhode Island Supreme Court Judicial Records Center in Pawtucket (Supreme Court Judicial Records Center). They have civil, criminal and divorce court records from 1671 to 1900 and naturalization records until 1982. While many of the court case file papers are unavailable due to water and mold damage, the indexes and record books are available for all five counties. The nice part is that for court records up to 1900, they are all housed in one place, which makes searching a breeze, and you don't have to truck around the state hitting all the different courts. The strange thing about RI, or rather one of the many strange things, is that counties as a geopolitical unit are rarely important. Most records that genealogists use frequently are held at the town level, and the main exception is for court records. The five RI counties, Bristol, Newport, Providence, Kent and Washington all have plaintiff and defendent indexes as well as record books for each type of court.

There are two levels of civil court records that I usually search, the Court of Common Pleas and the Supreme Court record books, but the names of these courts have changed over time. It's always amazing to me how many folks are sued, and counter-sued, usually over unpaid debts and land disputes in colonial RI. More recent materials can also be found, as well. One of the more unusual books that I viewed as I was tracking down a family story about a mill riot and an arrest (covered in my seminar entitled "Broken Threads") was the 4th District Court at East Greenwich criminal court dockets that summarize the every day criminal court's dispensing of justice. Some of the fascinating information found in this book includes the person making the complaint, the "respondent" or defendent, the arresting officer, the court date, the judgement, court fees and disposition.

In 1922, for example, there was enforcement of drunk driving when John J. Iera was found guilty of "operating automobile while intoxicated" and he was fined $100 and charged $6.80 in court costs. There are records of assaults with dangerous weapons, domestic abuse, as well as info about who posted the bail bonds for the defendents. I did not find any court record for my arrested, mill riot-causing grandfather, but the charges may have been dropped and he may not have had to go to court.

RI 4th District Court Criminal Dockets at the RI Supreme Court Judicial Records Center in Pawtucket, RI.

Page from Criminal Court Docket, RI SCJRC, Pawtucket, RI

So, as you're researching your Roots in Rhode Island and thing you may have one of those mlill rioters in your family, don't forget to check the court records, and remember that they are organized by county, not town! I'll show some more treats that found in the RI court records in upcoming posts.

Another hidden gem - Langworthy Public Library

I visited another gem of a public library last week that has a wonderful genealogical collection in their special archives room. The Langworthy Public Library (http://langworthylibrary.org/) in Hope Valley, Rhode Island. Hope Valley is one of the many villages in Hopkinton, and this little place has an amazing quantity of high quality manuscript materials.

Some of the Gladys Palmer Collection at Langworthy

Ledgers from a number of local businesses

A page from the ledger of a coffin manufacturer in Hopkinton

One of the largest collections was donated by a local genealogist, Gladys Palmer, and her collection contains materials on local history and families as well as her extensive genealogical research notes.



The vertical files have newspaper clippings of important locals, including some interesting bits about Elisha R. Bitgood, a local manufacturer, and "weather prophet."

Newspaper clipping of Bitgood's obituary (unknown newspaper about 1961)

If you have relatives from any of the small villages in Hopkinton such as Moscow (yes, Moscow, Rhode Island), Ashville, Barberville, Wyoming, Hope Valley or Woodville, Langworthy Public Library should be on your research To Do list.

NERGC 2015 Early Bird Registration closes soon!

Talk about a great opportunity to learn more about research in Rhode Island! I'll be giving two lectures on Saturday, 18 April 2015,"GPS for Genealogy: Another Kind of Navigation," about the genealogical proof standard, and "Which Autosomal DNA test is right for YOU?" about genetic genealogy and autosomal DNA testing.
See the press release below

The New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) is just around the corner this April 2015. Judy G. Russell, the Legal Genealogist and Lisa Louise Cooke, the host of the Genealogy Gems podcast are the featured national speakers. Did you know that Lisa has never been to New England before?!! This is your chance to see two amazing nationally-recognized speakers. And D. Joshua Taylor of Genealogy Roadshow is giving several talks and a banquet talk too.

Why pay full price? Save 20% by registering now! NERGC Early Bird registration deadline is February 28th. To register online or download the Program Brochure, go to www.nergc.org. See you in Providence!

www.nergc.org

Lisa Louise Cooke is the owner of Genealogy Gems, a genealogy and family history multi-media company. She is Producer and Host of the Genealogy Gems Podcast, the popular online genealogy audio show as well as the Family History: Genealogy Made Easy podcast, both available at www.GenealogyGems.com, in iTunes, and through the free Genealogy Gems Toolbar. Her podcasts bring genealogy news, research strategies, expert interviews and inspiration to genealogists in 75 countries around the world.

The Legal Genealogist Judy G. Russell is a genealogist with a law degree. She writes, teaches and lectures on a wide variety of genealogical topics, ranging from using court records in family history to understanding DNA testing. A Colorado native with roots deep in the American south on her mother’s side and entirely in Germany on her father’s side, she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. She has written for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and National Genealogical Society Magazine, among other publications. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, from which she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer.

The Rhode Island Historical Society Library is finally reopened, only for the Newport Historical Society, another one of the Rhode Island research gems, to be closed for construction. Oh well, you can't have it all, or not all at the same time!

 There are still wonderful resources to explore relating to your RI ancestors. If you have any relatives who were at the Rhode Island House of Corrections, the Hospital for the Insane, or at the RI State Infirmary, also known as the Almshouse, there are some truly wonderful resources available.

While the vast majority of the records the Hospital for the Insane are missing (purportedly in someone's basement), the RIHSL has one of the earliest ledgers, from 1895-1898 (Rhode Island Historical Society Library- Rhode Island State Institutions Records.) If you had an ancestor committed to the asylum, you can do a page by page search for their admission during that time.

If your ancestor spent any time in the state penal system, there are the discharges for the House of Corrections (MSS 231, SG 1, Series 2, Vol. 19). One name jumped out at me as I was scrolling through the pages; Emma Skuce was repeatedly incarcerated in State Prison and County Jail. The record of her death is also found in the book, on 15 Nov 1915. If you received a death certificate from the RI state archives which give the House of Corrections as the location of death, you could check the ledger for the original record and determine the reason for incarceration which could lead you to court records and learning more about the reasons for their stay at the "state farm."

If you have an ancestor who died at the "State Hospital" in "Howard," this is actually a section of Cranston that was designated for a variety of state institutions including the poor house, the state prison and the Hospital for the Insane. Even today, the State Dept. of Health, State Dept of Corrections and a number of other state departments have offices and facilities there. Many of the admissions ledgers are available at the RI State Archives, and can provide fascinating detail about our poor ancestors and the treatment of various illness. Reading through these ledgers, it was fascinating to note that whole families of children would come in to the hospital for "T&A," tonsils and adenoid surgery. Another ledger has "Patient Histories" which records why and how people arrived at the hospital.

Image from 1915 Reports Presented to the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Office of the Secretary of State, 1915. E.L. Freeman Co., Providence, RI

With a wealth of resources available for our less than illustrious ancestors, we should take advantage of the records available to add more interest to our family histories.

Challenges and Discoveries

One of my favorite places to work is the Reading Room at the Rhode Island Historical Society Library. Since its recent closure (see their website /http://www.rihs.org/), with deadlines looming, I have been forced (let's say challenged, instead) to seek out alternative repositories for my research. I've already posted about how much I love the Providence Public Library, but to avoid a trip downtown, where parking is difficult, I went off to the library at Rhode Island College. http://www.ric.edu/adamslibrary/. I had never been, but it was their school break, and they had one of the ProScan 2000 microfilm readers for my perusal of the Providence Journal. While I didn't have time to explore, it is definitely on my list of places to return to, particularly for it's special collections, The Cape Verdean Collection (http://ric.libguides.com/content.php?pid=179008&sid=1506076) and the Joseph R. Muratore Collection of Italian American materials (http://www.ric.edu/adamslibrary/assets/muratore.pdf).

My other trip was to Woonsocket, both the American-French Genealogical Society (http://www.afgs.org/) library, and the Woonsocket Harris Public Library (http://www.woonsocketlibrary.org/). While I have been to AFGS many times, the addition of the Family History Center, new computer databases and some lovely new donations (that I am not allowed to reveal), their collection of French Canadian and RI and MA resources is fantastic. I also found a unique source for records of the Catholic Diocese of Providence. Check them out for yourself, because I was amazed at the parish records they have on film. The public library was also a wonderful discovery. While I usually would use the microfilm at the RIHSL for the local newspaper, The Call, RIHSL does not have a ProScan microfilm reader to digitize the films. Everything on microfilm has to be printed. The digital microfilm reader at the Woonsocket Public Library was a boon! No printing out the pages and taking them home to scan. A bit of a drive, but perhaps more efficient in the long run.

While it's not much fun to truck around RI in the winter snow (and it snowed on my way to Woonsocket), the unfortunate closure of my main research library has helped expand my horizons, and forced me to be creative and more adventurous for my research, and that's not a bad thing, at all. Maybe I'll find some other new places while the library remains closed, and I'll have something new to write about!

Martitime History and Newport

I've been enjoying all the beauty that Rhode Island can offer this summer, as my family bought a sailboat and spent the summer out on the water. Sailing on Narragansett Bay reminds me of how significant maritime trade and the navy have been to my home state.The maritime history of RI has left records all over the state including the admiralty records at the RI State Archives (including letters of marque for privateers during the Revolution), whaling ships logs in the Nicholson Collection at the Providence Public library, and a host of materials at the Newport Historical Society (http://www.newporthistorical.org/).

Newport has a fascinating history as a haven for Plymouth Colony rebels who wanted religious freedom. The area is the home of the Seventh Day Baptists, a haven for Quakers and boasts the oldest Jewish Synagogue in the US. And Newport was one of the largest ports on the east coast. As early as the late 1600's, Newport has been a significant port of call first for the Royal Navy, then for trade along the eastern seaboard.

The Newport Historical Society has recently updated their website to include a list of their significant manuscript and special collections.They have an amazing amount of genealogical material on Newport families, and an emphasis on the maritime history of Newport in the form of ship's logs, diaries and merchant's records. The staff is fabulous, and the building itself is an historical gem. They are cataloguing their collectionsr and putting more online and have found a bunch of treasures lurking within their collections. Check out their "FOUND!" page to see some of their unique treasures! http://www.newporthistorical.org/index.php/category/found/

If you have Newport families make sure that you check out this fabulous gem hidden in downtown of one of the oldest seaports in the United States!