Before the establishment of county courts in South Carolina in 1785, all deeds were recorded in Charleston. These original deed books remain in the Office of the Register of Mesne Conveyances in the Charleston County Courthouse. Mr. Holcomb's abstracts are taken from microfilm of those original books. The second volume by Mr. Holcomb is entitled Record of Deaths in Columbia, South Carolina, and elsewhere as recorded by John Glass, 1859-1877 . On the campus of the University of South Carolina are eight volumes of death notices.
Most entries record only the name of the deceased, the occupation, and the date and cause of death.
Some record other detailed information about the persons including the circumstances of the death, as well as occasional personal observations and recollections about various individuals. These additional notes are of people known personally by John Glass, the clerk who did the original recording of the death notices. Come by and see these new additions and many others at the Local History and Genealogy Division of the Mobile Public Library.