When people think about Latino history in Rhode Island, many assume it began in the 1960s and 1970s, when large numbers of Puerto Rican and other Latino families made the state their home. While that period marks a major chapter in our story, Latinos were living in and passing through Rhode Island much earlier.
Historical records show a Hispanic presence in Rhode Island as far back as 1834. Customs passenger lists from that year document the arrival of a family of six—headed by a man with the last name García—ranging in age from one to 35, who arrived at the Port of Providence after traveling from Matanzas, Cuba. While the records do not tell us why the García family came, how long they stayed, or what their lives were like once they arrived, their presence points to early Caribbean and Latino connections to Rhode Island. These fragments remind us that Latino histories in the state began much earlier—and are more complex—than traditional narratives often suggest.
What we don’t know: The passenger records do not indicate whether the García family was traveling as free individuals, what their legal status was, or whether Providence was their final destination or a temporary stop. Like many early records, the archive offers names and dates, but leaves the fuller story—work, community, and daily life—unwritten.
More clues appear later in the 19th century. In 1892, José Martí, leader of the Cuban independence movement, wrote in the Cuban newspaper Patria about visiting Club Cuba-Borrinquen in Boston during his second exile from Cuba. In the same account, he mentioned making a brief trip south to meet with a similar group in a “neighboring state.” Martí did not name that state, and there is no direct evidence linking the visit to Rhode Island. Still, his words point to a broader network of Cuban and Puerto Rican organizing across New England, suggesting that these communities were active and connected in the region more than a century ago.
After these early references, Latino presence in Rhode Island largely disappears from mainstream records. Still, small details offer glimpses into the lives of Spanish-speaking residents. One striking example comes from a 1938 Providence Journal headline that reads: “There are about 15 Mexicans in Rhode Island.” The article goes on to explain that “brisk business with that country” led to the appointment of Edgar L. Burchell as Mexican Consul in Rhode Island.
Burchell, who was of Scottish ancestry, was appointed in 1924 and opened an office at 42 Westminster Street in Providence. According to the newspaper, he served not only as consul, but also as an “immigration officer, diplomat, tourist agent and tax collector.” This was the first—and so far, only—Mexican consulate ever established in Rhode Island. By the mid-1930s, the office had quietly closed, likely because there were too few Mexican residents to sustain it.
Historical records show a Hispanic presence in Rhode Island as far back as 1834. Customs passenger lists from that year document the arrival of a family of six—headed by a man with the last name García—ranging in age from one to 35, who arrived at the Port of Providence after traveling from Matanzas, Cuba. While the records do not tell us why the García family came, how long they stayed, or what their lives were like once they arrived, their presence points to early Caribbean and Latino connections to Rhode Island. These fragments remind us that Latino histories in the state began much earlier—and are more complex—than traditional narratives often suggest.
What we don’t know: The passenger records do not indicate whether the García family was traveling as free individuals, what their legal status was, or whether Providence was their final destination or a temporary stop. Like many early records, the archive offers names and dates, but leaves the fuller story—work, community, and daily life—unwritten.
More clues appear later in the 19th century. In 1892, José Martí, leader of the Cuban independence movement, wrote in the Cuban newspaper Patria about visiting Club Cuba-Borrinquen in Boston during his second exile from Cuba. In the same account, he mentioned making a brief trip south to meet with a similar group in a “neighboring state.” Martí did not name that state, and there is no direct evidence linking the visit to Rhode Island. Still, his words point to a broader network of Cuban and Puerto Rican organizing across New England, suggesting that these communities were active and connected in the region more than a century ago.
After these early references, Latino presence in Rhode Island largely disappears from mainstream records. Still, small details offer glimpses into the lives of Spanish-speaking residents. One striking example comes from a 1938 Providence Journal headline that reads: “There are about 15 Mexicans in Rhode Island.” The article goes on to explain that “brisk business with that country” led to the appointment of Edgar L. Burchell as Mexican Consul in Rhode Island.
Burchell, who was of Scottish ancestry, was appointed in 1924 and opened an office at 42 Westminster Street in Providence. According to the newspaper, he served not only as consul, but also as an “immigration officer, diplomat, tourist agent and tax collector.” This was the first—and so far, only—Mexican consulate ever established in Rhode Island. By the mid-1930s, the office had quietly closed, likely because there were too few Mexican residents to sustain it.
Members of El Club Panamericano are presented a Governor's Citation by Gov. John Chaffee. Photo courtesy International Institute of Rhode Island archives. c1965
Churches also played an important role. Records from the Providence Catholic Diocese show that Hispanic residents formed church-based social groups and received services such as English-language classes and settlement assistance. In the 1970s, the Diocese took a major step by opening Providence’s first Hispanic community center and social service agency. The center was led by a Latina director and located on Harvard Street, just off Broad Street in South Providence—an area that would later become a heart of Latino life in the city.
Together, these fragments—passenger lists, newspaper headlines, social clubs, church records, and personal memories—help piece together a longer, richer history of Latinos in Rhode Island. Nuestras Raíces exists to gather, preserve, and share these stories, ensuring they are no longer hidden in archives, but recognized as part of the state’s shared past.
Next ➤
