F5 Row F, place 5
Benjamin F. Williams
Private, Co. I, 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery
Identified in the records; his life not yet written. Revised November 1, 2026.
The stone reads
BENJAMIN F. WILLIAMS
Co. I 14th R.I.H.Art.
Died Nov. 2, 190[?]
Transcription as recorded in the plot register from the photograph; square brackets mark letters not legible or below ground. Photograph by B. Brennan, April 7, 2025. [1]
Life
Benjamin F. Williams lies in grave F5 of the Prescott Post lot. His stone names his unit as Company I of the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery, and gives his death as November 2 of a year the survey could not read; the PV001 list gives 1904. [1]
The National Park Service's index of Civil War soldiers, which files the 14th Rhode Island under its later name, the 11th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, lists Williams, Benjamin (no middle initial), 11th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery, Company I, private in and out, microfilm M589 roll 94. [2]
He appears in the roster of the regiment's 1898 history, page 236. [3]
A 2022 list of Civil War veterans buried at North Burial Ground gives his death as 1904. [4]
His service record, any pension file, and his life before and after the war have not yet been researched. This page will grow as the records are read.
The records
Headstone photograph (shown above) — Headstone of Benjamin F. Williams, grid F5, Prescott Post lot, photographed April 7, 2025. [1]
What we don't know
- When and where did he enlist, and what did his company do? His compiled military service record (National Archives, RG 94) will say.
- Did he or his widow apply for a pension? The General Index to Pension Files (NARA T288/T289) has not yet been searched for him.
- Where was he born, and how did he come to Providence?
- Where did he live and work in Providence? The city directories and the censuses of 1870–1920 have not yet been read for him.
- Did he marry, and did he leave children?
- When was he buried here, and what does the City's interment record say? The City lot record has not yet been matched.
Sources
- Gravestone of Benjamin F. Williams, grave F5, Prescott Post plot, North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island. Photograph by Bernard Brennan, April 7, 2025; transcription as recorded in the plot register.
- National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database, search for "Benjamin F. Williams" (14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery); accessed October 31, 2026, https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm.
- William H. Chenery, The Fourteenth Regiment Rhode Island Heavy Artillery (Colored) in the War to Preserve the Union, 1861–1865 (Providence: Snow & Farnham, 1898), 236.
- James Bessel, list of Civil War veterans buried at North Burial Ground (PV001), 2022, entry for Benjamin F. Williams.
Help research this man
Do you have a record of Benjamin F. Williams — a census page, a pension card, a city-directory entry, a newspaper item, a family story? You can upload it to the project without an account. Please say what the record is, where you found it, and why you believe it is this man. Every contributor is credited on this page.
Credits
Researched by Bernard Brennan. Records courtesy City of Providence, Department of Parks, North Burial Ground. Revised 2026-11-01.