Rhode Island has published newspapers since 1732, and the Providence Public Library has indexed the Providence Journal daily since the early 1900s. That index, together with the library’s Rhode Island Collection, is the best route to older obituaries.
Rhode Island obituaries in historic newspapers
James Franklin, Benjamin Franklin’s older brother, printed the Rhode-Island Gazette in Newport in 1732. The Newport Mercury followed in 1758 and the Providence Gazette in 1762. These papers reported deaths in brief notices that often noted a person’s age and church, and sometimes a death at sea.
The Providence Journal, founded in 1829, became the state’s paper of record and ran death notices for families from every town. Mill villages in the Blackstone and Pawtuxet valleys drew French-Canadian, Irish, Portuguese and Italian workers, and their community papers are useful when an English-language notice is missing.
Providence Public Library’s Rhode Island Index has covered the Journal since the early 1900s. Recent Journal obituaries, from about 2001 onward, are online through Legacy.com.
Where to find Rhode Island obituaries
Archives and libraries
- Rhode Island Collection, Providence Public Library — Home of the Rhode Island Index, a long-running index to the Providence Journal and other sources.
- Rhode Island Historical Society — Research library with Rhode Island newspapers, manuscripts and genealogy collections.
- Rhode Island Newspapers, FamilySearch Research Wiki — Volunteer-maintained guide to Rhode Island newspaper archives, indexes and microfilm, with county-by-county links.
Nationwide newspaper archives
- Chronicling America, Library of Congress — Free digitized newspapers from every state. Narrow a search to Rhode Island and the years you need.
- Google News Archive — Free scans of hundreds of older newspapers, browsable by title and date.
- Internet Archive newspapers — Free digitized newspapers and microfilm uploaded by libraries.
- FamilySearch — Free obituary indexes, death records and the Social Security Death Index (free account).
- Find a Grave — Volunteer-built cemetery memorials, many with transcribed obituaries.
- Newspapers.com — Large subscription archive of U.S. papers. Many public libraries offer free access.
- GenealogyBank — Subscription archive of historic newspapers and modern obituaries.
- Legacy.com — Obituaries published since about 2000 in most U.S. daily newspapers.
Tips for finding an obituary in Rhode Island
- Pin down the date and place first. A death index or death certificate gives the exact date and county, and then you only need to search the local papers for the following week or two.
- Search more than one town. Obituaries often ran in the paper where the person was born or had lived before, not just where they died. Small-town weeklies sometimes published a notice weeks later.
- Look beyond the word “obituary.” Older papers reported deaths under headings like “Died,” “Deaths,” local news and personals columns, funeral notices and cards of thanks. See death notices vs. obituaries.
- Try every spelling. Search initials, nicknames and misspellings, and for married women in older papers, search the husband’s name (“Mrs. John Smith”). Digitized text often misreads old type.
- Ask a librarian. Many public libraries and state archives will look up an obituary for free or a small fee, and newspaper microfilm can often be borrowed through interlibrary loan.