One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information, and sometimes more importantly – information about the relatives of the deceased’s family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to Rhode island obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated February 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
- U.S., Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
Rhode Island
- Bristol County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Brown University Alumni and Faculty Obituaries 1933
- Coventry, Gordon Menard Funeral Home Obituaries 2008- (transcriptions)
- Newport County Obituaries and Death Notices
- Newport, O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home Obituaries 2007- (transcriptions)
- Providence County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Providence, Mount Pleasant Funeral Home Obituaries 2014- (transcriptions)
- Providence Journal Obituary Archive
- Rhode Island American and General Advertiser Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Rhode Island GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- Rhode Island Historical Society Necrology in the Proceedings , 1872-1914
- Rhode Island Necrology 1913-14
- Rhode Island Obituaries – Obit City
- Rhode Island Obituaries 1982- (index only)
- Rhode Island Obituary and Death Notice Collection
- Rhode Island USGenWeb Obituary Project
- Washington County Obituaries and Death Notices
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on Rhode Island Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free Rhode Island Links, click on the category of interest:
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Stella Parkinson