The Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Transcription Project was begun by genealogists in 1990 with the goal of entering all known transcriptions of cemeteries in Rhode Island into a database, then sending volunteers into the field with a printout to see which stones were still there and whether they were correctly transcribed. The cemeteries and the listings are primarily 1647-1900.
You can now search the Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Database Index for an ancestor buried anywhere in the state. The pre-20th century data is over 95% complete. The earliest gravestone in the database is 1647 for John Coggeshall, Sr., president of the colony of Rhode Island. Books have now been published for ten of the 39 towns and more are planned. These books document many gravestones never previously recorded.
The Rhode Island Cemeteries Database project was begun in 1990 as a way to document and computerize the many historical cemeteries around the state. Originally, there were thought to be 200,000 inscriptions in 2500 cemeteries. Since the project was started, volunteers have now found approximately 3,100 cemeteries in the state with an estimated 430,000 inscriptions.
To access the online Rhode Island Cemeteries Master Name Database Index, go to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rigenweb/cemetery.
Only the Master Index is available through the RIGenWeb Project. The whole database (most listings are 1647-1900), including name and maiden name indexes, are not online but can be accessed by computers at the:
Rhode Island Historical Society Library
121 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 331-8575American French Genealogical Society
78 Earle Street
Woonsocket, RI 02895
Mailing Address: PO Box 830
Woonsocket, RI 02895-0870
Phone/fax (401) 765-6141East Greenwich Free Library
82 Peirce Street
East Greenwich, RI 02818
(401) 884-9510Greenville Public Library
573 Putnam Pike
Greenville, RI 02828
Phone 401-949-3630
Fax 401-949-0530Warwick Public Library
600 Sandy Lane
Warwick, RI 02886West Warwick Public Library
1043 Main Street
West Warwick, RI 02893
(401) 828-3750
