Is the 1890 census available on-line freely?

Question

I'm trying to find out if my great great grandmother did die in Rhode Island in 1895 because it's bothering me, it doesn't make sense her being there..

Answer 1

Hi - unfortunately, the vast majority of the 1890 U.S. Census records were lost due to fire.  

Ancestry's site says:  "When a basement fire in the Commerce Building in Washington, D.C. destroyed most of the 1890 federal census, a valuable source of information was lost to researchers of America's past. Ancestry.com, with the aid of the National Archives and Records Administration and the Allen County Public Library, now provides the first definitive online substitute for the missing census. More than 20 million records have been identified for inclusion in the collection and additions will be made regularly as they become available for posting. It will include fragments of the original 1890 census that survived the fire, special veterans schedules, several Native American tribe censuses for years surrounding 1890, state censuses (1885 or 1895), city and county directories, alumni directories, and voter registration documents. When completed, this collection will be an unparalleled tool for researchers of American ancestors."

Try this site to see if they have the records you're looking for:

http://www.familyhistory.com/censusyear....

This site says 1890 Rhode Island Federal Census Records were completely destroyed by fire including the veterans and widows schedules.  http://www.censusfinder.com/rhode_island...

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, hope this helps!

Answer 2

Your other answer was correct.  1890 is tricky.  But another avenue to try would be cemetery or church records.  If you know the city, you can search the names of cemeteries and for some, you can check their listings.  If you are into genealogy, or have access to Family Tree Maker, they have a lot of cemetery records and other things that can help.