Rockingham County, Virginia, U.S., Death Index, 1853-1861

Located in northwestern Virginia, along the border with West Virginia, Rockingham County was home to some 23,600 residents in 1870. This database is a collection of death records for nearly 5,400 individuals who died in the county between 1853 and 1861. Taken from microfilm copies of the original documents, this database offers researchers information regarding the decedent's name, sex, race, and date of death. The page numbers refer to the original documents from which these entries were taken. To those seeking ancestors from Virginia, this collection can be a valuable source of information.

Two copies of a county's death register may exist, one kept by the county and one kept by the state. The county assessor or county commissioner of revenue would make a list of all deaths in that year, create a second copy, and send it to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Richmond. The records of this database were transcribed from the register sent to Richmond and now located in the Library of Virginia. This index may not contain all persons who died in the county. Illegible or difficult to read entries were not included to avoid the dissemination of incorrect or incomplete information.