Rhode Island Archives: 97 Newspapers for Genealogy Research

If you are researching your ancestry from Rhode Island, you will want to use GenealogyBank’s online RI newspaper archives: 97 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!

Photo: Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, a lagoon in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Credit: Greg Thompson, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Wikimedia Commons.
Photo: Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, a lagoon in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Credit: Greg Thompson, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Wikimedia Commons.

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 – 1960)

Search Rhode Island Obituaries (1981 – Today)

Illustration: Rhode Island state flag. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Illustration: Rhode Island state flag. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

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.

CityTitleYears of CoverageIssues AvailableCollection
Block IslandBlock Island Times10/08/2007 – CurrentObituaries
BristolMount Hope Eagle01/10/1807 – 10/08/180842Newspaper Archives
CharlestownCharlestown Press08/03/2006 – 12/05/2013Obituaries
CountyRhode Island Lawyers Weekly03/18/2002 – CurrentObituaries
CoventryCoventry Courier01/23/2009 – CurrentObituaries
CumberlandValley Breeze07/19/2001 – CurrentObituaries
East GreenwichEast Greenwich Pendulum01/08/2009 – CurrentObituaries
HopkintonWood River Press08/03/2006 – 02/04/2016Obituaries
HopkintonSouth County Press09/29/2016 – 09/29/2016Obituaries
Narragansett, South Kingstown, North KingstownIndependent07/16/2003 – CurrentObituaries
NewportGazette Francoise11/17/1780 – 01/02/17818Newspaper Archives
NewportGuardian of Liberty10/03/1800 – 09/26/180152Newspaper Archives
NewportNewport Gazette01/16/1777 – 12/26/177741Newspaper Archives
NewportNewport Herald03/01/1787 – 09/17/1791236Newspaper Archives
NewportNewport Mercury06/19/1758 – 12/30/18765542Newspaper Archives
NewportRhode-Island Gazette10/04/1732 – 03/01/173315Newspaper Archives
NewportRhode-Island Museum07/07/1794 – 12/29/179422Newspaper Archives
NewportRhode-Island Republican10/03/1801 – 12/29/1803117Newspaper Archives
NewportRhode-Island Republican03/22/1809 – 04/21/18411663Newspaper Archives
NewportWeekly Companion; and the Commercial Centinel05/02/1798 – 07/20/179962Newspaper Archives
NewportWorkingman’s Journal03/08/1853 – 06/07/18532Newspaper Archives
NewportNewport Daily News05/14/2001 – CurrentObituaries
NewportMercury02/26/2014 – 03/06/2018Obituaries
NewportHerald of the times04/07/1830 – 03/19/1846808Newspaper Archives
NewportNewport Gazette01/16/1777 – 10/06/177981Newspaper Archives
North KingstownStandard-Times01/01/2009 – CurrentObituaries
North ProvidenceNorth Providence Breeze02/02/2006 – CurrentObituaries
PawtucketTimes10/07/2009 – CurrentObituaries
PawtucketValley Breeze, The: Pawtucket Edition08/19/2009 – CurrentObituaries
PawtucketBusiness Directory04/30/1853 – 04/30/18531Newspaper Archives
PawtucketNew England Artisan, and Laboring Man’s Repository01/05/1832 – 05/17/183217Newspaper Archives
PawtucketPawtucket Chronicle and Manufacturers’ and Artizans’ Advocate11/12/1825 – 04/19/1839620Newspaper Archives
PawtucketPawtucket Times01/01/1898 – 02/28/19216804Newspaper Archives
PawtucketPawtucket tribune09/15/1891 – 10/29/1892341Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Journal12/23/1981 – CurrentObituaries
ProvidenceAmerican10/21/1808 – 10/17/1809104Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceAmerican Journal and General Advertiser03/18/1779 – 08/29/1781160Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceCampaign Journal04/01/1861 – 04/01/18611Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceChristian Soldier03/16/1842 – 04/13/18422Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceChristian Telescope08/07/1824 – 10/02/1828206Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceChurch Union06/19/1874 – 03/11/18752Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceClark’s Counterfeit Expositor, and Weekly Miscellany07/09/1831 – 07/09/18311Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceColumbian Phenix02/28/1807 – 01/08/1814360Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceExtinguisher08/25/1840 – 08/25/18401Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceGaspee Torch Light08/14/1840 – 10/29/184011Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceGeneral Advertiser12/18/1847 – 11/14/186822Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceGospel Messenger11/28/1840 – 11/20/184152Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceImpartial Observer08/11/1800 – 03/06/180271Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceLiterary Cadet and Rhode Island Statesman04/22/1826 – 07/18/1829288Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceManufacturers’ and Farmers’ Journal01/03/1820 – 09/18/18762395Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceMicrocosm, American and Gazette04/17/1830 – 03/30/1833119Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceNew Age and Constitutional Advocate11/20/1840 – 03/08/184252Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceNew England Artisan, and Laboring Man’s Repository05/24/1832 – 10/18/183221Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Evening Press03/14/1859 – 11/13/18785509Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Gazette10/20/1762 – 10/08/18253525Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Journal and Town and Country Advertiser01/02/1799 – 12/30/1801157Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Patriot01/15/1814 – 12/27/18341695Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Phoenix04/28/1802 – 02/21/1807249Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceReligious Intelligencer and Christian Monitor05/13/1820 – 11/04/182026Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceRepublican Herald12/15/1832 – 12/04/18521117Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceRhode Island Free Democrat11/25/1852 – 11/11/18536Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceRhode Island Press06/29/1861 – 12/29/1877365Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceRhode-Island American10/20/1809 – 02/01/18332424Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceRhode-Island Farmer08/09/1804 – 01/31/180512Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceRhode-Island Religious Intelligencer05/26/1821 – 11/13/1824182Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceState Gazette and Town and Country Advertiser01/04/1796 – 07/02/179652Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceUnited States Chronicle01/01/1784 – 05/17/18041062Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Journal: Web Edition Articles12/17/2016 – CurrentObituaries
ProvidenceProvidence Journal01/01/1940 – 12/31/19607670Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceEvening Bulletin01/26/1863 – 12/31/195924601Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceIndependent Inquirer08/28/1823 – 08/20/1830185Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceDaily Transcript and Chronicle02/14/1844 – 04/13/1847803Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence Phoenix07/26/2007 – 06/19/2014Obituaries
ProvidenceProvidence Morning Star01/01/1873 – 06/05/18771376Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceLiterary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman04/18/1827 – 01/07/1829181Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceLiterary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin04/22/1826 – 04/14/182752Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceProvidence news09/26/1898 – 05/10/19062339Newspaper Archives
ProvidenceNBC – 10 WJAR01/03/2008 – 06/04/2016Obituaries
ProvidenceNews-democrat05/11/1906 – 01/18/1908425Newspaper Archives
SmithfieldValley Breeze & Observer02/02/2006 – CurrentObituaries
WakefieldNarragansett Times01/21/2009 – CurrentObituaries
WarrenBristol County Register03/11/1809 – 03/31/181044Newspaper Archives
WarrenHerald of the United States01/14/1792 – 12/12/1812556Newspaper Archives
WarrenNorthern Star, and Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Advocate06/25/1831 – 06/16/1849180Newspaper Archives
WarrenTelescope11/06/1813 – 06/28/181780Newspaper Archives
WarrenNorthern star, and Warren and Bristol gazette02/25/1826 – 02/13/183058Newspaper Archives
West WarwickKent County Daily Times06/07/2008 – CurrentObituaries
WesterlyWesterly Pawcatuck Press07/01/2009 – 03/31/2016Obituaries
WesterlyWesterly Sun04/27/2000 – CurrentObituaries
WesterlyWesterly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser09/14/1854 – 03/18/1858103Newspaper Archives
WoonsocketCall10/08/2009 – CurrentObituaries
WoonsocketCourrier du Rhode-Island : Organe des Populations de Langue Francaise03/18/1874 – 03/18/18741Newspaper Archives
WoonsocketCourrier Canadien05/13/1876 – 11/23/18762Newspaper Archives
WoonsocketEvening Reporter05/02/1876 – 05/02/18761Newspaper Archives
WoonsocketWoonsocket Daily Patriot09/27/1876 – 10/28/18763Newspaper Archives
WoonsocketWoonsocket Patriot and Rhode Island State Register03/17/1876 – 12/28/187794Newspaper Archives
WyomingChariho Times01/29/2009 – CurrentObituaries

*Date Ranges may have selected coverage unavailable.

Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial

Note on the header image: the Rhode Island State House, Providence, Rhode Island. Credit: Kumar Appaiah; Wikimedia Commons.

Related Resource:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.