I found the searches to be very easy and logical. You must enter a last name, of course. However, you may also optionally enter a first name, minimum age, and maximum age of the individual(s) you are searching for. I did a search on my own surname and found several households listed in the 1910 Rhode Island census.

I first clicked on Charles Eastman. The next displayed page said, "Because the household information on the original census form was blank or unreadable, we have included the entire census page where the individual appears. Enjoy!" A listing of all the names found on that census page followed. I tried some other names, and they all worked in the manner I expected. When I clicked on the name of a three-year-old, the next page displayed the names of everyone in the same household.

The free index search can be very useful, but of course, it is still only an index. Any genealogist will want to see a copy of the original census page in the census enumerator’s own handwriting. Only by looking at the original page can you find vital information such as age, birthplace, occupation, immigration date, naturalization date, and more. None of that is available in the index. You will especially want to check for transcription errors. Census4all will send you a photocopy of the original page for a fee. The image will be sent to you on paper via regular mail. They will also send you a digital image of the same page by e-mail. The normal price is $25 U.S. funds, but the Web site says you may purchase the images for half price ($12.50) during their "half-price sale." You also need to add $1 for shipping.

Only the 1910 Rhode Island census index is available right now. Census4All says New Hampshire is next in its plans and should be available in about a month. Vermont will follow soon after. You can subscribe to an announcement mailing list that will notify you when new states are added.

To learn more about Census4All or to search the 1910 Rhode Island Census Index, visit the site.