The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
______________________________________
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists (as well as the largest of them all – FamilySearch), a great number of indexes to death collections have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes provide specific death information and sometimes scanned images of the actual death certificates themselves. These free online collections have hundreds of millions of records in them in total.
There are a great number of online and offline collections that may include death information that is not included in the lists below. For example, newspapers and obituaries have death info, but most times obituary indexes include the date of the obituary but not the date of death. To find out which types of other records may include death information, please see:
The lists below are specific death indexes and record collections that are available for free online for the state of Rhode Island.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Note: I have included links to Free Ancestry records and indexes. You do not need a subscription, but do need an Ancestry account. Without a subscription, you can view indexes. If there is an image associated with a record, in most cases you will need a subscription, but the index does include very usable information.
Rhode Island Death Records
- Barrington Town Records (incl Probate), 1718-1886
- Bristol, Vital Records, 1680-1850
- Burrillville Birth, Marriage, and Death Records 1747-1900
- Burrillville, Vital Record Indexes (1766-1921) and Vital Records (1901-1915) –, 1766-1921
- Central Falls, Vital Records, 1850-1915
- Charlestown Births, Marriages, and Deaths
- City of Providence, R.I. Death Records
- Coventry Births, Marriages, Deaths 1702-1870
- Coventry Births, Marriages, Deaths 1830-1915
- Cranston Birth, Marriage, and Death Records: 1850-1915
- Cranston Town and Vital Records, 1722-1868
- Cranston, Vital Records, 1722-1890
- Cumberland, Vital Records, 1902-1915
- Cumberland, Vital Records, 1734-1858
- Cumberland, Vital Records, 1852-1901
- East Greenwich Vital Records, 1666-1950
- East Providence Vital Records Registry Book, 1877-1888
- East Providence, Return of Deaths (1872-1921) and Return of Births (1864-1899), 1864-1921
- Exeter Births and Deaths
- Exeter Death Records and Index: 1903-1915
- Glocester Births, Marriages, Deaths (1726-1815) and Deaths (1902-1915)
- Hopkinton Births and Deaths
- Hopkinton, Marriages 1881-1915, Births 1902-1915, and Deaths 1903-1915
- James N. Arnold Collection of Rhode Island Vital Records Online 1636-1850
- Johnston Deaths and Index, 1850-1898
- Johnston Return of Deaths 1855-1898
- Johnston, Births, Marriages, Deaths Prior to June 1, 1898
- Kent County, Deaths
- Lincoln Vital Records and Indexes 1894-1915
- Little Compton Death Records, 1901-1915
- Middletown Births, Marriages, Deaths 1700-1870
- Miscellaneous BMD Records by County
- New Shoreham, Vital Records 1850-1915 (New Shoreham)
- Newport and Portsmouth, Births and Deaths
- Newport and Portsmouth, Births and Deaths
- Newport The United Brethren Deaths
- Newport Births, Marriages, Deaths 1880-1915
- North Kingstown Births and Deaths
- North Kingstown Births, Marriages, Deaths 1700-1950
- North Kingstown Births, Marriages, Deaths, Volumes 3-4, 1814-1910
- North Kingstown Death Records 1910-1915
- North Smithfield Vital Record Indexes (1871-1970) and Vital Records (1871-1915), 1870-1970
- Online Searchable Death Indexes
- Pawtucket Death Indexes, 1728-1934
- Pawtucket Death Records (1872-1945),and Returns of Death (1900-1921)
- Pawtucket Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths of North Providence and Pawtucket, 1748-1885; Indexes to Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1728-1914
- Providence Alphabetical Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths
- Providence Death Records
- Providence First Congregational Church Deaths
- Providence Westminister Congregational Church Deaths
- Providence Births (1876-1890), Marriages (1870-1891), and Deaths (1880-1892)
- Providence Deaths 1893-1894
- Providence Index of the Births, Marriages and Deaths; Births, from 1636 to 1850
- Providence Out of Town Deaths for Rhode Island Towns and out of State, 1913-1932
- Providence Returns of Deaths, 1844-1849, 1851-1855
- Providence Returns of Deaths, 1856-1921
- Providence Vital Records, 1894-1899
- Providence, Alphabetical Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths
- Providence, Marriages and Deaths from the Christian Telescope, 1824-1826
- Rhode Island Burial and Cause of Death
- Rhode Island Death Records (1949-1950) and Delayed Births (1899-1900)
- Rhode Island Deaths and Burials, 1802-1950
- Rhode Island Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880
- Rhode Island Records
- Rhode Island Town Clerk Vital and Town Records 1630-1945
- Rhode Island Death Notice Collection
- Rhode Island Genealogical Collections
- Rhode Island, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1636-1850
- Rhode Island, Death Records and Returns, 1944-1945
- Rhode Island, Military Deaths and Index 1924-1962
- Rhode Island, Out of Town Deaths, 1905-1943
- Rhode Island, Returns of Birth (1893-1898), Certificates of Death (1946-1948), Out of State Deaths (1946-1947, 1954-1955), Out of State Death Index (1900-1948, 1951-1954), and Miscellaneous 1954-1955
- Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630-1945
- Rhode Island, Town Deaths Index, 1639-1932
- Rhode Island, Vital Records (1800-1919), (1951-1955) and Indexes (1846-1950)
- Rhode Island, Vital Records, 1846-1898, 1901-1953
- Rhode Island, Vital Records, 1853-1920
- Rhode Island, World War I American Expeditionary Forces, Deaths, 1917-1919
- Rhode Island, Deaths (1901-1943) and Index of Deaths (1901-1920)
- Richmond Births and Deaths
- Richmond, Births, Marriages and Deaths 1850-1910
- Scituate Death Records, 1904-1915
- Scituate Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1800-1903
- Smithfield Vital Records Index
- Smithfield Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Central Falls 1725-1948
- South Kingston Death Records
- South Kingstown Births and Deaths
- United States Deaths and Burials, 1867-1961
- United States Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957
- United States Social Security Death Index
- United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919
- Vital Records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850
- Wakefield Church Of The Ascension Baptisms 1842-1883
- Warren Death Records
- Warren Births, Marriages, Deaths 1730-1856
- Warren Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1850-1915
- Warwick Early Records
- West Greenwich Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1906-1915
- West Warwick Death Records 1913-1915
- Westerly Births and Deaths
- Westerly Death Register and Index (1908-1921)
- Westerly, Births and Deaths
- Woonsocket Vital Records (1880-1915) and Indexes (1867-1965), 1867-1965
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!