Rhode Island Cemeteries

The Rhode Island Historical Society has the largest collection of cemetery records for the state. The Society has the Bates, Briggs, and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) collections that contain inscriptions from Rhode Island cemeteries. These collections are also at the Family History Library. They are described in Rhode Island Genealogy.

Other important collections and indexes available at the Rhode Island Historical Society and on microfilm at the Family History Library include:


 * Charles P. Benns and Martha A. Benns, Rhode Island Cemetery Records, 1931-1941, Six Volumes (FHL film 022424) and index (FHL film 022392).
 * Henry E. Turner, Cemetery Records of Rhode Island (FHL film 022421).
 * Clarence I. Brown, Rhode Island Cemetery and Genealogical Records(FHL films 022473-74).
 * Nellie Brownell Potter, Rhode Island Burial Grounds (FHL film 022392 items 2-4).
 * Frank T. Calef, [Cemetery Records] (FHL films 022366 item 15; 022368; 022388-89; 022396 item 2).
 * James Newell Arnold, Transcripts of Cemetery Records from Coventry, Cranston, Johnston, Lincoln, Scituate, and Warwick, 25 Volumes (FHL films 022370-82).

About 50 additional volumes of transcripts by James Newell Arnold are at the Knight Memorial Library, 275 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02907. The towns are listed in Rhode Island Roots, 3 (June 1982): 22 (see Rhode Island Periodicals). The Family History Library does not have copies of these volumes.

Additional cemetery records have also been published in the Rhode Island Genealogical Register and in early issues of Rhode Island History (see Rhode Island Periodicals).

A guide to cemetery records is David W. Dumas, Rhode Island Grave Records: A Bibliography, Rhode Island Roots, 3 (Winter 1977): 2-7 (see Rhode Island Periodicals).