Rhode Island Obituaries

Rhode Island has published newspapers since 1732, and Providence Public Library’s Rhode Island Index covers the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin from 1900 to 2004. That index, together with the library’s Rhode Island Collection, is the best route to older obituaries.

Recent Rhode Island obituaries (2000 to today)

Most obituaries published since about 2000 are online. Daily papers post paid death notices and family-written obituaries in an Obituaries section, usually hosted by Legacy.com, and keep them online with a guest book. The largest daily papers in Rhode Island are:

• Providence Journal
• Newport Daily News
• The Westerly Sun
• The Call (Woonsocket)

Legacy.com’s Rhode Island page searches the obituaries of most of these papers and many smaller ones at once. Funeral homes also post obituaries on their own websites, often before the newspaper does and sometimes instead of it: search the person’s name with the town and “obituary” or “funeral home.” For obituaries no longer online, ask your public or state library: many offer NewsBank or ProQuest databases with the full text of recent newspapers, free with a library card.

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, a card index used at the library, covers the Journal and Evening Bulletin from 1900 to 2004. Recent Journal obituaries, from about 2001 onward, are online through Legacy.com.

Where to find older Rhode Island obituaries

Digitized Rhode Island newspapers

• Rhode Island newspapers on Chronicling America — Free Rhode Island titles digitized by Providence Public Library and the Rhode Island Historical Society.
• Rhode Island Newspapers project — The Rhode Island Digital Newspaper Project's site, with news of titles added to Chronicling America.

Obituary and death indexes

• Rhode Island Index, Providence Public Library — A card index to the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin, 1900–2004, used in person at the library. PPL card holders can also search Providence Journal obituaries from 1980 to now.

Archives and libraries

• 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 local links.

Also search the nationwide archives: Chronicling America, FamilySearch, Find a Grave, Newspapers.com. See all nationwide obituary resources.

Rhode Island death records

Rhode Island death certificates are restricted to family and others with an interest for 50 years. Order from the city or town clerk or RIDOH; older records are at the Rhode Island State Archives and town halls.

• Rhode Island Department of Health, Vital Records — the office that issues Rhode Island death certificates, with ordering instructions and fees.
• Where to Write for Vital Records: Rhode Island — the CDC’s summary of where to order, current fees and which years the office holds.
• Rhode Island Vital Records, FamilySearch Research Wiki — free death indexes and certificate collections, with the years each covers.

Tips for finding an obituary in Rhode Island

• Use the Rhode Island Index in person. It covers Providence papers from 1900 to 2004 and is at Providence Public Library.
• Search the Providence Journal database. PPL card holders can search Journal obituaries from 1980 to the present.
• Go to the town clerk. Rhode Island towns keep their own vital records.
• 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, and often listed married women under the husband’s name (“Mrs. John Smith”). See death notices vs. obituaries.

Common questions