Need help understanding the "rules" in place at the Providence Journal with Death Notices and Obits during the 1940s & 1950s. Death notices (deceased name, address, date of death, viewing location dates & hours & service info) outnumbered obituaries (genealogy goldmines - mini bios, with survivor info etc). Did the Journal not charge for the death notice but charged for the obits? Were the obits placed throughout the paper as space permitted? During WWII were the death notices appearing as services held & the obits held until the following Sunday paper to conserve paper?

Also, was it common to hold the wake for two nights? Visiting hours until 11PM?

Trying to determine whether another 250 round-trip to RI will produce the obit that breaks thru my brickwall. I found the death notices for both relatives but no obits.

Hi Ellen,
Back in the 40's and 50's the Projo did not charge for either obits or death notices. My mother told me that she would typically run both at the same time in both Projo and the Woonsocket Call. She did say there were occasions when the Projo would run the obits a few day later if there were circumstances that would delay the funeral.

I know with our funeral home that calling hours were over 2 to 3 day and with hours going into late night. My mother said that was an accomodation for family members that would need to travel.

If you are sure that there might be an obit at a later date, an alternative to paying a ticket to R.I. is to contact the Providence public library and see if a research librarian could search the obit for you. I am not sure of the current fees, but I am sure that it is under 20 dollars and that is usually only if they find what you are looking for.

I am also curious what family name you are looking for.

hope this helps

Thank you for the insight. Looking for the obits for my gr-grandfather's sister & brother-in-law (and their now deceased children) in the hopes his sister's birthplace in Ireland mentioned etc. I found the death notices for Annie M (Duffy) Lonergan DOD 2 Nov 1946 (appears Nov 3) & her husband Thomas F Lonergan DOD 9 May 1956 (appears May 10).

The trip to Providence isn't that difficult - it was just working around the library's hours (budget cuts) and the unexpected roadwork in downtown Providence ($ available to tear up streets & repave) that reduced 2-way sts to 1-way & the raised manholes (car in front of me blew a tire & that caused more delays!). By the time I found parking for less than $10.00 I had only 60 minutes to do my research before the library closed. I'm thinking that Julia Roberts could do me justice in the film version of "Hunt for My Relatives."

Well I can do those things for you.If your relative died in
Providence or the surrounding area, it most likely would be
in the Journal.Sometimes people lived in other areas and had
their obits in the Pawtucket Times.Sometimes I can get a death cert copy, depending on the year.Let me know.Tom Doan