To visit the museum, advanced timed tickets are required for all visitors. Popular dates and times may be sold out.
14 Wharfside StreetCharleston, SC 29401
Museum open 10am to 5pm (last entry 4:00 PM) Tuesday-Sunday. Closed Monday.
14 Wharfside Street — Charleston, SC 29401
Jan 10, 2020
Today’s featured FamilySearch collection is Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987. This searchable collection contains an index and images of death certificates from the Virginia State Department of Health. Certificate images are provided courtesy of Ancestry.com. To learn more about this record set, please view the collection’s Learn More page.
If you find an ancestor in this collection, first search for more records that document your ancestor’s death. Then, use the information from the death certificate to search for records made during your ancestor’s life.
Let’s look at an example for Columbus Jackson who died in Caroline County, Virginia in 1929:
Name: Columbus JacksonEvent Type: DeathEvent Date: 23 May 1929Event Place: , Caroline, Virginia, United StatesRegistration Date: 24 May 1929Gender: MaleAge: 63Race: BlackBirth Year (Estimated): 1866Father’s Name: Frank JacksonMother’s Name: Susan DobsonSpouse’s Name: Annie JacksonSpouse’s Gender: FemaleCertificate Number: 12638Registration Number: 163
Digital Folder Number: 100786511Image Number: 00375
“Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVRW-J1TM : 16 August 2019), Annie Jackson in entry for Columbus Jackson, 23 May 1929; from “Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850,” database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); citing , Caroline, Virginia, United States, entry #, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond.
Let’s use the information from Columbus Jackson’s death certificate to find records made during his lifetime.
We located Columbus Jackson in the 1920 U.S. Census:
Name: Columbus JacksonEvent Type: CensusEvent Date: 1920Event Place: Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United StatesGender: MaleAge: 54Marital Status: MarriedRace: MulattoRace (Original): Mulatto BlackCan Read: YesCan Write: YesRelationship to Head of Household: HeadRelationship to Head of Household (Original): HeadOwn or Rent: OwnBirth Year (Estimated): 1866Birthplace: VirginiaFather’s Birthplace: VirginiaMother’s Birthplace: VirginiaSheet Letter: ASheet Number: 9
District: ED 26Sheet Number and Letter: 9AHousehold ID: 156Line Number: 11Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)Affiliate Publication Number: T625Affiliate Film Number: 1884GS Film Number: 1821884Digital Folder Number: 004968939Image Number: 00860
“United States Census, 1920,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJF3-KW5 : accessed 14 February 2020), Susan Jackson in household of Columbus Jackson, Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United States; citing ED 26, sheet 9A, line 16, family 156, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1884; FHL microfilm 1,821,884.
In the record above, Columbus Jackson’s household includes his mother Susan Jackson, listed as age 81 and widowed. We can use this information to search for records for Columbus’ mother Susan Jackson.
We also located Columbus Jackson in the 1910 U.S. Census. In this record, Columbus Jackson’s mother Susan is also in his household. We also learn the name of another of Columbus Jackson’s daughters, Annie B. Jackson:
Name: Columbus JacksonEvent Type: CensusEvent Date: 1910Event Place: Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United StatesGender: MaleAge: 43Marital Status: MarriedRace: BlackRace (Original): BlackRelationship to Head of Household: HeadRelationship to Head of Household (Original): HeadBirth Year (Estimated): 1867Birthplace: VirginiaFather’s Birthplace: VirginiaMother’s Birthplace: VirginiaSheet Letter: ASheet Number: 11
District: ED 23Sheet Number and Letter: 11AHousehold ID: 192Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)Affiliate Publication Number: T624Affiliate Film Number: 1624GS Film Number: 1375637Digital Folder Number: 005157510Image Number: 00874
“United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPPX-4VY : accessed 14 February 2020), Susan Jackson in household of Columbus Jackson, Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 23, sheet 11A, family 192, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1624; FHL microfilm 1,375,637.
Let’s search for more records for Columbus Jackson’s mother Susan Jackson.
We were able to locate Susan Jackson in the 1880 U.S. Census. From this record, we learn the name of Columbus Jackson’s father Frank Jackson:
Name: Columbus JacksonEvent Type: CensusEvent Date: 1880Event Place: Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United StatesGender: MaleAge: 14Race: BlackRace (Original): BOccupation: At SchoolRelationship to Head of Household: SonRelationship to Head of Household (Original): SonBirth Year (Estimated): 1866Birthplace: Virginia, United StatesFather’s Birthplace: Virginia, United StatesMother’s Birthplace: Virginia, United StatesSheet Letter: ASheet Number: 433Person Number: 2Volume: 1
District: ED 25Sheet Number and Letter: 433AHousehold ID: 13995255Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)Affiliate Publication Number: T9Affiliate Film Number: 1359GS Film Number: 1255359Digital Folder Number: 005162774Image Number: 00351
“United States Census, 1880,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCPP-LJF : 16 July 2017), Diana Fells in household of Frank Jackson, Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district ED 25, sheet 433A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,255,359.
We located Frank and Susan Jackson in the 1870 U.S. Census. Within their household is Frank Jackson’s mother Diana Jackson, age 60:
Name: Columbus JacksonEvent Type: CensusEvent Date: 1870Event Place: Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United StatesEvent Place (Original): Reedy Church, Caroline, Virginia, United StatesGender: MaleAge: 3Race: BlackBirth Year (Estimated): 1867Birthplace: VirginiaPage Number: 15
Household ID: 115Line Number: 30Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)Affiliate Publication Number: M593GS Film Number: 000553138Digital Folder Number: 004268492Image Number: 00327
“United States Census, 1870”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFLL-CYK : 11 June 2019), Henry Thornton in entry for Frank Jackson, 1870.
We searched the cohabitation registers created by the Circuit Court in Virginia, digitized online at the Library of Virginia, and found a cohabitation record for Frank Jackson and Virginia Dobson:
Caroline County (Va.) Circuit Court, Caroline County (Va.) Register of Colored Persons cohabiting together as Husband and Wife, 1866 Feb. 27., “Cohabitation Registers,” database with images, Library of Virginia ( http://digitool1.lva.lib.va.us:8881/R/XMJ3PES9FLHV6X6478PIBH9C56N16N49P4D3P99PT3AK8YDI71-05241?func=results-jump-full&set_entry=000005&set_number=163895&base=GEN01-LVA01), accessed 14 Dec 2019, record for Frank Jackson and Susan Dobson.
From this register, we learn that the final slaveholder for Frank Jackson was Thomas Chandler. We also learn that Susan Dobson’s final slaveholder was John B. Chandler. We have just broken through the 1870 Brick Wall by identifying final slaveholders for Columbus Jackson’s parents. This is precisely the information we will need to search for more records that document Frank Jackson and Susan Dobson during slavery.
Working from the death certificate for Columbus Jackson of Caroline, Virginia, we were able to locate census records that revealed the names of Columbus Jackson’s parents Thomas and Susan Jackson. We then searched cohabitation records at the Library of Virginia and found a record that revealed more information. We learned from this record that Columbus Jackson’s mother Susan’s maiden name was Dobson. From the cohabitation register we also learned the names of the final slaveholders for both of Columbus Jackson’s parents, breaking through the 1870 Brick Wall.
If this is your family, you can search for records for the final slaveholders for Columbus Jackson’s parents. You will want to locate probate records for the families of Thomas Chandler and John B. Chandler. You can also search ArchiveGrid to see if any Chandler family records are preserved in archives.
Also check the book A Genealogical Index to the Guides of the Microfilm Edition of Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution Through the Civil War by Jean Cooper, to see if any Chandler family papers are preserved in the microfilm collection Records of Ante-Bellum Southern Plantations from the Revolution Through the Civil War. This microfilm collection is available at many university libraries across the country. To learn more about this valuable research collection, see this article on the Reclaiming Kin website.
We found a number of census records in our example case study. To glean the most information from U.S. census records, you can download blank forms for each census and abstract the information in the census records. The FamilySearch Wiki article United States Census Forms contains links to blank census forms you can download for free.
The FamilySearch Wiki page African American Resources for Virginia provides a detailed overview of resources for African American genealogy research in Virginia.
To learn more about researching African American genealogy in Virginia, you can view BlackProGen LIVE Ep21: District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia Genealogy Research.
Researching African American Genealogy provides step-by-step guidance for beginning your ancestor search, as well as links to online resources.
Quick Guide to African American Records contains information on beginning research tips, links to suggested guides for beginning your search for African American ancestors, overviews of major record sets, tips for finding the slaveholder, links to tutorials for African American genealogy in the FamilySearch Learning Center, and links to other online and offline resources.
Southern States Slavery and Bondage Collections will help you locate digitized searchable collections as well as digitized microfilms in the FamilySearch catalog related to slavery and bondage. The page is arranged by state.
African American Genealogy provides links to Wiki pages for researching African Americans in each U.S. state.
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