From: Elizabeth Roderick <eroderic@vsla.edu> Death Records Indexing Project (DRIP) The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce the availability of the Death Records Indexing Project (DRIP) database. The database is a collaborative project of the Virginia Genealogical Society and the Library. More than 60 volunteers, working in 15 states, are in the process of indexing the microfilmed versions of the local death registers as part of a long-term goal to provide better access to death records. After a volunteer completes indexing a city or county, database records are created from information and made available online via the Library of Virginia's Digital Library Program (http://www.lva.lib.va.us/). The online database is fully keyword searchable and currently contains nearly 32,000 entries. Each index entry in the database provides the name of the deceased, the date of death, information about slaves and slave owners if present, and the year and page number of the register where the death is recorded. The following counties and cities are represented in the database More localities will be added during the next year as they are completed by the volunteers and processed by the Library: Alleghany County (1853-1896) Bristol (1889-1896) Charlottesville (1871-1896) Danville (1854-1882, 1883-1896) Fauquier County (1853-1896) King George County (1853-1896) Loudoun County (1854-1896) Prince Edward County (1853-1861, 1862-1896) Princess Anne County (1853-1896) Stafford County (1853-1875, 1876-1896) Warren County (1853-1876, 1877-1896) Washington County (1853-1897) About Death Records in Virginia, 1853-1896 The Virginia General Assembly on April 11, 1853, passed a law requiring the systematic statewide recording of births and deaths. The law required every commissioner of revenue to make an annual registration of births and deaths in his district at the same time personal property subject to taxation was ascertained. The commissioner was to record births and deaths that occurred prior to December 31 of the preceding year and return the record to the clerk of court by June 1. Information was obtained from heads of family, physicians, surgeons or coroners, and the law imposed penalties for failing to furnish or collect the information. The clerk of court in each locality was directed to enter the information supplied by the commissioner into registers. A copy of each register was forwarded to the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts. The law went into effect on July 1,1853, and continued until 1896, when an economy-conscious legislature repealed the recording provisions. NOTE: not all deaths were recorded during the period 1853-1896. NOTE: the Library of Virginia does not have death records for the period 1896-1912. Information found on death registers changed little between 1853 and 1896. Death registers contain the name of the deceased; the race and sex; the date and place of death; notations regarding slaves and the names of slave owners; name of the disease or cause of death; age at death (years, months and days); place of birth; occupation; marital status; name of parents of the deceased; name of person giving the information; and description of the informant (whether a physician, consort, head of the family or friend). It is not unusual to find information missing from the records. If an infant had not yet been named at the time of death, the entry would record only the surname or note "Smith, Infant." The terms "Unnamed," "No name," and "Not named" are also used. Only the given name of a slave is recorded. Only the month appears for the date of death in some instances. The names of parents of the deceased are frequently omitted or unreliable since the person giving the information may not have known the names. Causes of death frequently are not known. Some information may not be available and some may vary from locality to locality. Format of the Original Documents Microfilmed copies are available at the Library of Virginia on more than 200 reels. The originals registers are not served to the public. The film is arranged by county, by year within each county, and then usually chronologically (some are arranged alphabetically). There are usually less than 25 frames per any one year. The pages on the microfilmed copies are not numbered. The indexers, however, have supplied page numbers for each index entry in order to facilitate locating the original reference. The microfilm was made in the 1940s, and many pages are difficult to read. Also, many of the registers are duplicated in the Library's collection of county court records on microfilm, many of which are available through Interlibrary Loan. The page images on these reels are sometimes easier to read. Obtaining Copies of Original Documents Certified copies of death records for the period 1853 through 1896 and 1912-1939 are available *ONLY* from the Division of Vital Records, James Madison Building, 109 Governor Street, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23208. The Library of Virginia does *not* make photocopies from the microfilm or original registers. Researchers who visit the Library can make copies from the birth and death registers on microfilm in the collection. Microfilm copies of vital statistics, including death registers, may be borrowed from the Library of Virginia through the Interlibrary Loan department of your local library. -- Elizabeth Roderick email (eroderic@vsla.edu) Manager, Digital Library Program voice (804) 692-3761 Collection Management Services Division fax (804) 692-3771 The Library of Virginia 800 E. Broad Street Richmond, VA 23219 ***************************************************** http://www.lva.lib.va.us The LVA Digital Library Program *****************************************************