Rhode Island City Directories

City directories contain contemporary names, addresses, phone numbers and local business information. Often included are occupations, marital status, property ownership and boarders living at an address. We can also find information on churches, newspapers, courts and other local organizations.

The directories were expensive to produce, so there’s sometimes large gaps in the years. At the bottom of the page we have included a list from the Rhode Island Historical Society, detailing their large city directory collection. This may be useful to determine whether a particular year was ever published.

Below are all the Rhode Island city directories currently digitized and available free and full text.

Once you’ve opened a directory, try using the in-text search box to quickly find what you are looking for.

 

 

Providence City Directories


 

1824

1826

1828

1830

1836

1838 - 1839

1841 - 1842

1844

1847 - 1848

1850

1853 - 1854

1855 - 1856

1857

1880 Almanac

1888 Streets

1889

1892

1895

1896 - 1897

1899

1912

1913

1914

1919

1920

1930

1932

1934

1935

1938

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1959

1960

1961

1962

1964

1966

1968

1970

1972

1976

1978

 

 

Warwick City Directories


 

1914 - 1915

1920 - 1921

1922

1925

1928

1936

1938

1940 - 1941

1942 - 1943

1948 - 1949

1952 - 1953

1959 vol. 1

1960

1963

1964

1965

1967

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974 - 1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

 

 

 

Warwick Tax Books


 

1865

1867

1869

1870

1872

1873

1874

1875

1876

1877

1878

1879

1880

1881

1882

1883

1884

1885

1886

1887

1888

1889

1890

1891

1892

1893

1894

1895

1896

1898

1899

1903

1904

1905

1906

1908

1909

1910

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1932

1933

1934

1935

     

 

 

Other City Directories


There are only twenty-four other Rhode Island city directories digitized at this time.

 

Bristol Warren and Barrington 1877

East Providence 1896 - 1897

Fall River (parts of Tiverton) 1855

Fall River (parts of Tiverton) 1905

Fall River (parts of Tiverton) 1915

Fall River (parts of Tiverton) 1918

Fall River (parts of Tiverton) 1921

Johnston 1891 – 1894

Newport 1871 - 1872

Newport 1905

Newport 1907

Newport 1909

Newport 1910

Newport 1914

Newport 1920

Pawtucket and Central Falls 1877

Pawtucket and Central Falls 1919

Pawtucket and Central Falls 1920

Pawtucket and Central Falls 1922

Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, and Little Compton 1906

 

Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Middletown 1910

Westerly and Pawcatuck 1885 – 1886

Westerly and Pawcatuck 1909 - 1910

Woonsocket 1910

 

 

Find Print Rhode Island City Directories


 

What if the directory you are looking for hasn’t been digitized yet?

The best place to find the original physical copies of the directories is through the various Rhode Island public libraries. The Rhode Island Historical Society also has a large collection of city directories. Their handout, which lists their collection, is below.

 

City Directories Owned by the Rhode Island Historical Society


Attached below.