Members

We hope to use this page to keep members updated on each other and on the latest happenings within the organization.

Member Information

Chairman Evelyn Wheeler Lives in Narragansett, started looking into Historic Cemeteries to find out who takes care of them. She found out no one is responsible. So that started her on a mission. Four years later she had the new bill passed to start this Commission.

29 South Pier Rd
Apt B 107
Narragansett, RI 02882
401-789-3503
eviewhee@verizon.net

Co Chair Pegee Malcolm Lives in Warwick, is chairman of the Warwick Historical Cemetery Commission.

37 Irving Rd
Warwick, RI 02888-1315
401-467-8142
pmalcolm@cox.net

Edna M Kent proud native of Glocester, Rhode Island, enjoys a well-deserved reputation as the town's foremost authority on local history. In addition to her duties as Honorary Town Historian for the Town of Glocester, Edna Kent serves her hometown in numerous other capacities. She has authored/edited three books on the town and served as Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Commissioner for Northwest Rhode Island back in the late 80's. She is also a Chepachet River Historic Sites Survey Advisor and a Member of the Historical Records Advisory Board for the State of Rhode Island.

PO Box 308
Chepachet, RI 02814
401-568-8967

Roger Beaudry lives in Woonsocket. He has been involved in the RI Cemetery Transcription Project since 1990. He has transcribed the towns of Smithfield, North Smithfield, Lincoln, about 50% of Cumberland, and has helped transcribe the cities of Woonsocket and Central Falls. When John Sterling the founder of the project, moved out of state a few years ago, he asked Roger if he would coordinate the project throughout the state. He is a charter member of the American French Genealogical Society located in Woonsocket. He has served 6 years as its President and is currently its Treasurer.

730 Manville Rd
Woonsocket, RI 02895
401-762-5059
rdbeaudry@cox.net

Carolyn Crist-Schwab lives in Wakefield. Has been a member of NSDAR for 40 years, President of The League of RI Histroical Societies, Pres. of Charlestown Historical Society, Trustee and Board Member of So. County Museum, Financial Board Member of the Oak Dell Cemetery, Member of Pettaquamscutt, Little Compton, Portsmouth, and Newport Historical Societies. She is a descendant of Browning, Rodman, Hazard gp..second migration RI landers.

141 Pine Hill Rd
Wakefield, RI 02879
401-789-5874
piermonarchs@verizon.net

Robert Butler lives in West Greenwich. He is a fourth term Town council member in West Greenwich. He is retired and finds West Greenwich cemetery research very rewarding. He and his wife Charlene have started visiting each of the 155 cemeteries to verify the names & dates on the gravestones, and adding the GPS locations of the cemeteries as many are in deep woods at this time making them difficult to find. He has also found one additional cemetery that seems never to have been recorded, and has added it to the list.

410 Plain Meeting House Rd
West Greenwich, RI 02817
401-397-6517
RSB.inc@cox.net

Paul Robinson is the Principal State Archaeologist at the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and an adjunct professor in the Anthropology Department at Rhode Island College.

RI Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission
150 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903
401-222-4139
probinson@preservation.ri.gov

Rosemarie Mello lives in Newport, is a retired Clinical Social Worker for the State of RI. Following graduation from the former RICE, now RIC, She taught for three years in the Providence Public Schools. She graduated from Boston College School of Social work with a Masters in Social Work. For seven years she remained at home, raising two children, then joined the State Service. She became interested in genealogy in the 1960's, and researched all her family background while not working outside the home. From this search, she discovered many people who had not previously been known as ancestors . Through these searches she has become interested in the preservation of burial sites. She is a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, The RI Society of Mayflower decendants and the Alden Kindred of America.

4 Sylvan St
Newport, RI 02840-3512
401-846-9336
rmello1234@aiconnect.com

Judy Fardig lives in Warren and is proud that she was born in, and has lived all her life in the smallest town, in the smallest county, in the smallest state in the United States. She has long been active in commmunity affairs, heading programs that provide more than 200 meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas to the homebound. She heads the Secret Santa effort to provide toys to children who might not otherwise receive any on Christmas. She is president of Warren Unit#11 of the American Legion Auxiliary for 20 years. She has long been interested in the town's historic cemeteries, founding the Warren Historic Cemetery Committee, and started an Adopt a Cemetery program under which two burial sites of early Rhode Island governors are cared for. In 2004 Governor Carcieri cited her as the Unsung Hero of Warren

PO Box 293
Warren, RI 02885
401-556-5951
jaf1939@aol.com

Bruce Campbell MacGunnigle, of East Greenwich, recorded all 7,400 East Greenwich cemetery inscriptions in 1977. His research was published in 1991, with maps of each cemetery showing the location of each grave, directions to each cemetery, and a full index. A 1970 graduate of URI, he was a Charter Member of the RI Genealogical Society in 1975, and served as its president 1978-82. Bruce has been a member of the RI Historical Society since 1972, and served on its Genealogy Committee 1978-1982, Library Committee 1978-1988, Nominating Committee 1994 and is a Tour Guide at the John Brown House. He is a member of the RI Society of Mayflower Descendants (Governor 1986-89), the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and the Society of Colonial Wars, as well as other hereditary, historic and genealogical organizations. He was a member of the East Greenwich Historic District Commission 1982-2003, Col. MacGunnigle is commanding officer of the Varnum Continentals, on of RI's Historic Colonial Militia units, and Director of the historic 1773 Varnum House Museum. He is author of the hard cover genealogy Mayflower Families through Five Generations: Edward Fuller. a dozen other historical monographs, and numerous articles on history and genealogy. He is a retired manufacturing company executive, now working as part time Main Street Coordinator in East Greenwich.

17 Marion Street
East Greenwich, RI 02818-3306
401-884-7074
k8bcm@cox.net

Sarah (Sally) Small is on the Barrington Historical Cemetery Commission She was on the original RI Commission on Historical Cemeteries and also Secretary of RI Genealogical Society at one time.

Sarah (Sally) Small
5 Ida Court, Barrington, RI 02806
401-245-1679
sallyeps@aol.com

David Kirchner

RI Veterans Memorial Cemetery
301 South County Trail
Exeter, RI 02822
401-268-3088
DKirchner@dhs.ri.gov

Lee Teverow is the Reference Librarian at RI Historical Society. She is an accomplished poet with many published to her credit.

Lee Teverow
RIHS Librarian
121 Hope Street, Providence RI 02906
401-273-8107 Ext 10
reference@rihs.org