Rhode Island Immigration
This entry was originally written by Alice Eichholz, Ph.D., CG for Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
Newport, Bristol and, to a lesser extent, Providence, were ports of entry for the slave trade (see Ethnic Groups of Rhode Island) in the colony's early history and the choice for later immigrants. Immigration records are held by the National Archives and available regionally at the National Archives'Northeast Region.
U.S. Customs Service passenger records for the ports of Providence (1820'67), Newport (1820'57), and Bristol and Warren (1820'71) are included in NARA microfilm publication M575 and are held regionally at the National Archives'Northeast Region (see page 11). Index to Passengers Arriving at Providence, R.I., June 18, 1911'October 5, 1954 (NARA microfilm publication T518), as well as the passenger lists to 1943, are available on microfilm at the National Archives.
