If you are researching your ancestry from Rhode Island, you will want to use GenealogyBank’s online RI newspaper archives: 102 titles to help you search your family history in the “Ocean State,” providing coverage from 1732 to Today. There are millions of articles and records in our online Rhode Island newspaper archives!
Dig deep into our online archives and search for articles about your ancestors from Rhode Island in these newspapers. Our RI newspapers are divided into two collections, each with their own search page:
- Newspaper Archives (complete paper with all articles, including historical obituaries, with a number of very rare single-issue newspapers – many of them are the only known issues of the paper)
- Obituaries (including both historical and recent obituaries, if obits are specifically what you are searching for)
Search Rhode Island Newspaper Archives (1732 – 2018)
Search Rhode Island Obituaries (1981 – Today)
Here is the complete list of Rhode Island newspapers in the online archives. Each newspaper title in this list is an active link that will take you directly to that paper’s search page, where you can begin searching for your ancestors by surnames, dates, keywords and more. The RI newspaper titles are listed alphabetically by city.
| City | Title | Years of Coverage | Issues Available | Collection |
| Block Island | Block Island Times | 10/08/2007 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Bristol | Mount Hope Eagle | 01/10/1807 – 10/08/1808 | 42 | Newspaper Archives |
| Charlestown | Charlestown Press | 08/03/2006 – 12/05/2013 | – | Obituaries |
| County | Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly | 03/18/2002 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Coventry | Coventry Courier | 01/23/2009 – 08/25/2023 | – | Obituaries |
| Cumberland | Valley Breeze | 07/19/2001 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| East Greenwich | East Greenwich Pendulum | 01/08/2009 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Hopkinton | Wood River Press | 08/03/2006 – 02/04/2016 | – | Obituaries |
| Hopkinton | South County Press | 09/29/2016 – 09/29/2016 | – | Obituaries |
| Narragansett Pier | Narragansett herald | 12/16/1893 – 12/31/1898 | 174 | Newspaper Archives |
| Narragansett, South Kingstown, North Kingstown | Independent | 07/16/2003 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Newport | Gazette Francoise | 11/17/1780 – 01/02/1781 | 8 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Guardian of Liberty | 10/03/1800 – 09/26/1801 | 52 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Newport Gazette | 01/16/1777 – 12/26/1777 | 41 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Newport Herald | 03/01/1787 – 09/17/1791 | 236 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Newport Mercury | 06/19/1758 – 12/30/1876 | 5542 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Rhode-Island Gazette | 10/04/1732 – 03/01/1733 | 15 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Rhode-Island Museum | 07/07/1794 – 12/29/1794 | 22 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Rhode-Island Republican | 10/03/1801 – 12/29/1803 | 117 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Rhode-Island Republican | 03/22/1809 – 04/21/1841 | 1663 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Weekly Companion; and the Commercial Centinel | 05/02/1798 – 07/20/1799 | 62 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Workingman’s Journal | 03/08/1853 – 06/07/1853 | 2 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Newport Daily News | 05/14/2001 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Newport | Mercury | 02/26/2014 – 03/06/2018 | – | Obituaries |
| Newport | Herald of the times | 04/07/1830 – 03/19/1846 | 808 | Newspaper Archives |
| Newport | Newport Gazette | 01/16/1777 – 10/06/1779 | 81 | Newspaper Archives |
| North Kingstown | Standard-Times | 01/01/2009 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| North Providence | North Providence Breeze | 02/02/2006 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Pawtucket | Times | 10/07/2009 – 12/30/2023 | – | Obituaries |
| Pawtucket | Valley Breeze, The: Pawtucket Edition | 08/19/2009 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Pawtucket | Business Directory | 04/30/1853 – 04/30/1853 | 1 | Newspaper Archives |
| Pawtucket | New England Artisan, and Laboring Man’s Repository | 01/05/1832 – 05/17/1832 | 17 | Newspaper Archives |
| Pawtucket | Pawtucket Chronicle and Manufacturers’ and Artizans’ Advocate | 11/12/1825 – 04/19/1839 | 620 | Newspaper Archives |
| Pawtucket | Pawtucket Times | 01/01/1898 – 02/28/1921 | 6804 | Newspaper Archives |
| Pawtucket | Pawtucket tribune | 09/30/1890 – 09/14/1895 | 1518 | Newspaper Archives |
| Pawtucket | Evening tribune | 09/15/1888 – 09/27/1890 | 621 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Journal | 12/23/1981 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Providence | American | 10/21/1808 – 10/17/1809 | 104 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | American Journal and General Advertiser | 03/18/1779 – 08/29/1781 | 160 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Campaign Journal | 04/01/1861 – 04/01/1861 | 1 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Christian Soldier | 03/16/1842 – 04/13/1842 | 2 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Christian Telescope | 08/07/1824 – 10/02/1828 | 206 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Church Union | 06/19/1874 – 03/11/1875 | 2 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Clark’s Counterfeit Expositor, and Weekly Miscellany | 07/09/1831 – 07/09/1831 | 1 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Columbian Phenix | 02/28/1807 – 01/08/1814 | 360 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Extinguisher | 08/25/1840 – 08/25/1840 | 1 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Gaspee Torch Light | 08/14/1840 – 10/29/1840 | 11 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | General Advertiser | 12/18/1847 – 11/14/1868 | 22 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Gospel Messenger | 11/28/1840 – 11/20/1841 | 52 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Impartial Observer | 08/11/1800 – 03/06/1802 | 71 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Literary Cadet and Rhode Island Statesman | 04/22/1826 – 07/18/1829 | 288 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Manufacturers’ and Farmers’ Journal | 01/03/1820 – 09/18/1876 | 2395 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Microcosm, American and Gazette | 04/17/1830 – 03/30/1833 | 119 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | New Age and Constitutional Advocate | 11/20/1840 – 03/08/1842 | 52 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | New England Artisan, and Laboring Man’s Repository | 05/24/1832 – 10/18/1832 | 21 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Evening Press | 03/14/1859 – 11/13/1878 | 5509 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Gazette | 10/20/1762 – 10/08/1825 | 3525 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Journal and Town and Country Advertiser | 01/02/1799 – 12/30/1801 | 157 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Patriot | 01/15/1814 – 12/27/1834 | 1695 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Phoenix | 04/28/1802 – 02/21/1807 | 249 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Religious Intelligencer and Christian Monitor | 05/13/1820 – 11/04/1820 | 26 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Republican Herald | 12/15/1832 – 12/04/1852 | 1117 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Rhode Island Free Democrat | 11/25/1852 – 11/11/1853 | 6 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Rhode Island Press | 06/29/1861 – 12/29/1877 | 365 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Rhode-Island American | 10/20/1809 – 02/01/1833 | 2424 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Rhode-Island Farmer | 08/09/1804 – 01/31/1805 | 12 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Rhode-Island Religious Intelligencer | 05/26/1821 – 11/13/1824 | 182 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | State Gazette and Town and Country Advertiser | 01/04/1796 – 07/02/1796 | 52 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | United States Chronicle | 01/01/1784 – 05/17/1804 | 1062 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Journal: Web Edition Articles | 12/17/2016 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Providence | Providence Journal | 12/01/1829 – 12/31/2018 | 65422 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Evening Bulletin | 01/26/1863 – 03/31/1982 | 36005 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Independent Inquirer | 08/28/1823 – 08/20/1830 | 185 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Daily Transcript and Chronicle | 02/14/1844 – 04/13/1847 | 803 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence Phoenix | 07/26/2007 – 06/19/2014 | – | Obituaries |
| Providence | Providence Morning Star | 01/01/1873 – 06/05/1877 | 1376 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman | 04/18/1827 – 01/07/1829 | 181 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin | 04/22/1826 – 04/14/1827 | 52 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Providence news | 09/21/1891 – 05/10/1906 | 3282 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | NBC – 10 WJAR | 01/03/2008 – 06/04/2016 | – | Obituaries |
| Providence | News-democrat | 05/11/1906 – 12/31/1908 | 715 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Olneyville tribune | 09/02/1893 – 08/25/1894 | 52 | Newspaper Archives |
| Providence | Republican Herald | 02/08/1832 – 12/25/1852 | 1044 | Newspaper Archives |
| Smithfield | Valley Breeze & Observer | 02/02/2006 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Wakefield | Narragansett Times | 01/21/2009 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Warren | Bristol County Register | 03/11/1809 – 03/31/1810 | 44 | Newspaper Archives |
| Warren | Herald of the United States | 01/14/1792 – 12/12/1812 | 556 | Newspaper Archives |
| Warren | Northern Star, and Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Advocate | 06/25/1831 – 06/16/1849 | 180 | Newspaper Archives |
| Warren | Telescope | 11/06/1813 – 06/28/1817 | 80 | Newspaper Archives |
| Warren | Northern star, and Warren and Bristol gazette | 02/25/1826 – 02/13/1830 | 58 | Newspaper Archives |
| West Warwick | Kent County Daily Times | 06/07/2008 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Westerly | Westerly Pawcatuck Press | 07/01/2009 – 03/31/2016 | – | Obituaries |
| Westerly | Westerly Sun | 04/27/2000 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Westerly | Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser | 09/14/1854 – 03/18/1858 | 103 | Newspaper Archives |
| Woonsocket | Call | 10/08/2009 – 12/30/2023 | – | Obituaries |
| Woonsocket | Courrier du Rhode-Island : Organe des Populations de Langue Francaise | 03/18/1874 – 03/18/1874 | 1 | Newspaper Archives |
| Woonsocket | Courrier Canadien | 05/13/1876 – 11/23/1876 | 2 | Newspaper Archives |
| Woonsocket | Evening Reporter | 05/02/1876 – 05/02/1876 | 1 | Newspaper Archives |
| Woonsocket | Woonsocket Daily Patriot | 09/27/1876 – 10/28/1876 | 3 | Newspaper Archives |
| Woonsocket | Woonsocket Patriot and Rhode Island State Register | 03/17/1876 – 12/28/1877 | 94 | Newspaper Archives |
| Woonsocket, Pawtucket | Blackstone Valley’s Call & Times | 01/20/2024 – Current | – | Obituaries |
| Wyoming | Chariho Times | 01/29/2009 – 05/04/2023 | – | Obituaries |
*Date Ranges may have selected coverage unavailable.
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Note on the header image: the Rhode Island State House in Providence, Rhode Island, boasts the world’s fourth largest self-supported marble dome. Credit: Kumar Appaiah; Wikimedia Commons.
Related Resource:
- U.S. State History (GenealogyBank Pinterest Board)