Because the state of Virginia did not require the recording of vital records until the Act of April 1853--and because many of the marriages and deaths so recorded between 1853 and 1865 were destroyed during the Civil War--this work partially fills in for the absence of official Virginia vital records during the first half of the 19th century. It contains 19,000 references to persons who were either members of or connected to Baptist churches in Virginia. The notices are arranged alphabetically by surname and thereunder by given name. In all cases the notices refer to the deceased's date of death, and in some the name of a spouse, whether married, or possessing a military or other professional ranking.