James Newell Arnold (1844-1927) was a writer, editor, historian and genealogist specializing in Rhode Island history. Arnold was born on August 3, 1844 near the village of Knightsville in Cranston, Rhode Island to Captain James Lincoln Arnold, a farmer, and Amey Underwood. Arnold was a descendent of Thomas Arnold who joined Roger Williams in Providence in 1636, and of Benedict Arnold, Rhode Island colony’s first governor. Sometime in his childhood, Arnold contracted an ailment that led him to the use of crutches for mobility throughout his life. In 1868, James Arnold moved the family to a farm in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Following this move, Arnold began his project to inventory historic burial grounds and to document the history of old Narragansett families.
Arnold’s professional work as a historian and writer began in earnest in the 1880s. Arnold traveled throughout Rhode Island collecting and transcribing local church records, pension rolls, burial records and town papers. He edited and published The Narragansett Historical Register, an 8 volume set on the history of southern Rhode Island, from 1882-1891. During that time, he moved to Providence in 1884 and worked as the assistant to historian Edward B. Hitchcock. From 1891-1912, he compiled and published his seminal work, Vital Records of Rhode Island, the first comprehensive set of vital records for the state covering 1636-1850 in 21 volumes.
In addition to his work on Rhode Island history, Arnold researched his Arnold family genealogy extensively, located and transcribed Revolutionary War newspapers, researched the Narragansett Indian tribe, and wrote numerous newspaper articles. Arnold died at Dexter Asylum on September 27, 1927 and was buried in a family plot in South Kingstown. After his death in 1927, a group of volunteers continued transcribing his records and continuing his cemetery inventory project until 1935.
There are no restrictions on access. This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Providence Public Library Special Collections, Rhode Island Collection department.
Copyright has been assigned to Providence Public Library. Researchers are requested to cite the collection name and the Providence Public Library in all bibliographic references.
[item number], [item title], MSS 033, James N. Arnold Collection, Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library.
This collection consists of material compiled and written by James N. Arnold, between 1860-1927 and of typescripts by volunteers continuing his work until 1935. This collection contains numerous research topics and writings related to the history of Rhode Island.
It includes personal records of James N. Arnold such as Arnold family genealogy records and correspondence, James Arnold’s personal writings, weather journals and photographs. Business records include material related to printing and sales of his publications. Research materials include transcriptions of cemetery records, vital records, and probates from Rhode Island towns and cities, topics related to the history of Rhode Island during the colonial period, Revolutionary War, and Civil War. Specific topics include the Narragansett Indians, numerous family genealogies and histories, town histories, deeds and probate records, military records, numerous essays on various subjects. The collection also includes cemetery and vital records from parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. There are also two card indexes that relate to numerous material throughout Arnold’s collection.
Upon his death in 1927, Arnold bequeathed his library and research materials to the Elmwood Public Library in Providence, Rhode Island (now the Knight Memorial Library). The original bequest included 1500 genealogical works, 2500 bound volumes and over 10,000 pamphlets in addition to his research and manuscript materials and glass plate negatives. The library of published items (genealogical works, bound volumes and pamphlets) was not maintained as a discrete collection. The glass plate negatives were transferred to the Providence Public Library sometime in the 2000s and are organized into VM 014, James N. Arnold Glass Plate Negative Collection.
During processing of this collection, a handwritten transcript copy of “Land Evidence Book, 1648-1696” was discarded due to poor condition since the original work is available in many published copies.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
The Arnold collection was transferred from Knight Memorial Library in November 2015.
No accruals are expected or accruals are expected.
James N. Arnold bequeathed his library and archival collection to the Elmwood Public Library Association, later named Knight Memorial Library, upon his death in 1927. During the years when Knight Memorial Library was a branch library of the Providence Public Library, the Arnold library of published materials was broken up and distributed amongst the library system. In 2015, the Knight Memorial Library gifted his archival materials to the Providence Public Library.
See also VM 014 - James N. Arnold Glass Plate Negative Collection
Materials are organized into two sub-series including research materials related to James N. Arnold’s interest in Arnold family genealogy as well as personal correspondence, photographs and records.
Materials contain James Newell Arnold’s personal research into the history of the Arnold family. Included are transcriptions of probate, vital records, newspaper clippings, military records, short family histories, and correspondence regarding the Arnold family. No original order was established for Arnold genealogy records so materials have been organized by type and content. Correspondence is in chronological order by year.
Materials include personal records and correspondence of Arnold related to his family and the Arnold family farm as well as his personal and political concerns unrelated to his historical research.
*Note one photograph of John Arnold (b.1815) family in oversized folder 526, map drawer 40
Clippings titled "Scraps Scientific and" are affixed to pages of an older business ledger. Legible content of ledger are dated 1849-1853 and reflect the business of a painter and paper hanger.
Business records related to his historical publications including cash ledgers, lists of subscribers to publications, correspondence and type blocks used for publications.
Includes notes regarding an inventory, done by Arnold in manuscript and later by volunteers in typescript, of tombstones and inscriptions across burial grounds and cemeteries across Rhode Island. Various New England cemeteries in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts are included. The tombstone records are organized alphabetically by location according to their original order.
Includes materials related to Arnold’s genealogical research and vital records research. Sub-series are organized according to record types.
Includes transcriptions of James N. Arnold's notes regarding various family genealogies compiled by volunteers in the 1930's. Materials are organized alphabetically by family name and include newspaper clippings, typescript copies of Arnold's personal notes of family groups, transcriptions of probate, family trees, family bibles, materials in private collections. Materials have been organized into folders according to how they were organized in binders at the Knight Memorial Library.
Includes Arnold's individual writing notebooks devoted to individual family histories. Some notebooks include related correspondence.
Includes various research notes, correspondence and family charts related to individual family groups.
Includes Arnold's manuscript drafts for the published "Vital Records of Rhode Island". Folder represent the original organization of materials.
Includes research materials compiled by James N. Arnold. The majority of materials are transcriptions of original materials found in other collections. It is indicated if the transcription is in manuscript (mss) or typescript.
Includes Arnold’s writings, both published and unpublished. Some of the manuscripts were typed by volunteers after his death. Sub-series are arranged by genre.
Includes works of fiction by James Arnold. Several works, written by him as a young adult, were written under pseudonyms.
Includes poetry written and collected by Arnold.
Includes works of long form non-fiction written by Arnold. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title.
Includes essays written by Arnold. Essays are organized alphabetically by title.
Includes clippings and manuscript copies of articles written for various newspapers. Materials are arranged alphabetically by publication title.
*articles have been photocopied and originals thrown away due to fragility and condition issue
Includes manuscript copies of indexes to various publications by Arnold.
Includes two card catalogs, created by volunteers and librarians at Elmwood Public Library, to index the Arnold Collection.
Includes cards for individuals includes in the Arnold cemetery inventories; arranged alphabetically by last name. Cards include individual names, birth and death dates if included on gravestone, and reference to town inventory with page number.
Includes cards for individuals included in Arnold's probate inventories; arranged alphabetically by last name. Cards include individual names and reference to location of probate record include town, volume and page number.
Organized alphabetically by subject, cards reference various resources in the Elmwood Public Library including the Arnold Collection as well as various publications, scrapbooks and filing boxes not included in the Arnold Collection.
Includes cards for individuals refersence in various resources in the Elmwood Public Library arranged alphabetically by last name. Resources point mostly to the Arnold Collection, but also include various publications not included in the collection.