Virginia, Danville City Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
These records are of various types for several cemeteries in Danville, Virginia for the years 1833 to 2006. They contain burial records, deed books, and plot books.

The cemeteries included are:
 * Danville Cemetery
 * Green Hill Cemetery
 * Grove Street Cemetery
 * Highland Burial Park
 * Leemont Cemetery
 * Mountain View Cemetery
 * Oak Hill Cemetery
 * Old Green Hill Cemetery
 * Schoolfield Cemetery

Cemeteries begin keeping records as soon as they are opened. The purchase of a burial plot is a land transaction and is recorded with a deed. Church records and civil registration were official records and are some of the most reliable sources of information available for those who were born, married, or died in Virginia. Cemetery records are kept as a permanent record of who was buried and usually who purchased the burial plot. The information in these records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:
 * Name of cemetery
 * Name of deceased
 * Number and location of grave
 * Birth and death dates (usually year only)
 * Sometimes, a brief biography of deceased
 * Names of close family members such as spouse, parents, or children
 * Undertaker or mortuary

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the deceased
 * Other identifying information such as the birth and death date

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the birth date or year to search for birth records
 * Use the birth date along with your relative’s names to find the family in census records
 * Use the locality and relative's name to locate church and land records
 * The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records, which often include the names and residences of other family members
 * Compile the entries for every person with the same surname. This is especially helpful for rural areas or unusual surnames
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the deceased who may have been buried in the same cemetery or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby cemeteries

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Virginia.
 * Virginia Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.