diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index daabefee1..cb09ba558 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1602,7 +1602,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "librocksdb-sys"
-version = "6.1.3"
+version = "6.2.4"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 dependencies = [
  "bindgen 0.49.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
@@ -2672,11 +2672,11 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rocksdb"
-version = "0.12.4"
+version = "0.13.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 dependencies = [
  "libc 0.2.65 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
- "librocksdb-sys 6.1.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "librocksdb-sys 6.2.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3569,7 +3569,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "rand 0.6.5 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "rand_chacha 0.1.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "rayon 1.2.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
- "rocksdb 0.12.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "rocksdb 0.13.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "serde 1.0.102 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "serde_derive 1.0.102 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "sha2 0.8.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
@@ -5585,7 +5585,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "checksum lazycell 1.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "b294d6fa9ee409a054354afc4352b0b9ef7ca222c69b8812cbea9e7d2bf3783f"
 "checksum libc 0.2.65 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "1a31a0627fdf1f6a39ec0dd577e101440b7db22672c0901fe00a9a6fbb5c24e8"
 "checksum libloading 0.5.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "f2b111a074963af1d37a139918ac6d49ad1d0d5e47f72fd55388619691a7d753"
-"checksum librocksdb-sys 6.1.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "c4eb0cf7e0b5030e5db893882f1f77d8d7d10f815283aa7e800a3cfbfd4b20c5"
+"checksum librocksdb-sys 6.2.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "0a0785e816e1e11e7599388a492c61ef80ddc2afc91e313e61662cce537809be"
 "checksum linked-hash-map 0.5.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "ae91b68aebc4ddb91978b11a1b02ddd8602a05ec19002801c5666000e05e0f83"
 "checksum lock_api 0.1.5 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "62ebf1391f6acad60e5c8b43706dde4582df75c06698ab44511d15016bc2442c"
 "checksum lock_api 0.3.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "f8912e782533a93a167888781b836336a6ca5da6175c05944c86cf28c31104dc"
@@ -5702,7 +5702,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "checksum reqwest 0.9.22 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "2c2064233e442ce85c77231ebd67d9eca395207dec2127fe0bbedde4bd29a650"
 "checksum rgb 0.8.13 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "4f089652ca87f5a82a62935ec6172a534066c7b97be003cc8f702ee9a7a59c92"
 "checksum ring 0.16.7 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "796ae8317a07b04dffb1983bdc7045ccd02f741f0b411704f07fd35dbf99f757"
-"checksum rocksdb 0.12.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "d65bee9fe606c76fd90d6cc33b86bdafde0981b8a6b2d190ec1267e0d065baf8"
+"checksum rocksdb 0.13.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "12069b106981c6103d3eab7dd1c86751482d0779a520b7c14954c8b586c1e643"
 "checksum rpassword 4.0.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "f072d931f11a96546efd97642e1e75e807345aced86b947f9239102f262d0fcd"
 "checksum rustc-demangle 0.1.15 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "a7f4dccf6f4891ebcc0c39f9b6eb1a83b9bf5d747cb439ec6fba4f3b977038af"
 "checksum rustc_version 0.2.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "138e3e0acb6c9fb258b19b67cb8abd63c00679d2851805ea151465464fe9030a"
diff --git a/ledger/Cargo.toml b/ledger/Cargo.toml
index 1bb5c9e9f..820f8c63a 100644
--- a/ledger/Cargo.toml
+++ b/ledger/Cargo.toml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ tempfile = "3.1.0"
 [dependencies.rocksdb]
 # Avoid the vendored bzip2 within rocksdb-sys that can cause linker conflicts
 # when also using the bzip2 crate
-version = "0.12.4"
+version = "0.13.0"
 default-features = false
 features = ["lz4"]
 
diff --git a/ledger/src/blocktree_db.rs b/ledger/src/blocktree_db.rs
index 730934e40..ada3b530e 100644
--- a/ledger/src/blocktree_db.rs
+++ b/ledger/src/blocktree_db.rs
@@ -181,25 +181,25 @@ impl Rocks {
         Ok(())
     }
 
-    fn cf_handle(&self, cf: &str) -> ColumnFamily {
+    fn cf_handle(&self, cf: &str) -> &ColumnFamily {
         self.0
             .cf_handle(cf)
             .expect("should never get an unknown column")
     }
 
-    fn get_cf(&self, cf: ColumnFamily, key: &[u8]) -> Result<Option<Vec<u8>>> {
+    fn get_cf(&self, cf: &ColumnFamily, key: &[u8]) -> Result<Option<Vec<u8>>> {
         let opt = self.0.get_cf(cf, key)?.map(|db_vec| db_vec.to_vec());
         Ok(opt)
     }
 
-    fn put_cf(&self, cf: ColumnFamily, key: &[u8], value: &[u8]) -> Result<()> {
+    fn put_cf(&self, cf: &ColumnFamily, key: &[u8], value: &[u8]) -> Result<()> {
         self.0.put_cf(cf, key, value)?;
         Ok(())
     }
 
     fn iterator_cf<C>(
         &self,
-        cf: ColumnFamily,
+        cf: &ColumnFamily,
         iterator_mode: IteratorMode<C::Index>,
     ) -> Result<DBIterator>
     where
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ impl Rocks {
         Ok(iter)
     }
 
-    fn raw_iterator_cf(&self, cf: ColumnFamily) -> Result<DBRawIterator> {
+    fn raw_iterator_cf(&self, cf: &ColumnFamily) -> Result<DBRawIterator> {
         let raw_iter = self.0.raw_iterator_cf(cf)?;
 
         Ok(raw_iter)
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ where
 
 pub struct WriteBatch<'a> {
     write_batch: RWriteBatch,
-    map: HashMap<&'static str, ColumnFamily<'a>>,
+    map: HashMap<&'static str, &'a ColumnFamily>,
 }
 
 impl Database {
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@ impl Database {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    pub fn cf_handle<C>(&self) -> ColumnFamily
+    pub fn cf_handle<C>(&self) -> &ColumnFamily
     where
         C: Column,
     {
@@ -537,7 +537,7 @@ impl Database {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    pub fn raw_iterator_cf(&self, cf: ColumnFamily) -> Result<DBRawIterator> {
+    pub fn raw_iterator_cf(&self, cf: &ColumnFamily) -> Result<DBRawIterator> {
         self.backend.raw_iterator_cf(cf)
     }
 
@@ -610,7 +610,7 @@ where
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    pub fn handle(&self) -> ColumnFamily {
+    pub fn handle(&self) -> &ColumnFamily {
         self.backend.cf_handle(C::NAME)
     }
 
@@ -669,7 +669,7 @@ impl<'a> WriteBatch<'a> {
     }
 
     #[inline]
-    fn get_cf<C: Column>(&self) -> ColumnFamily<'a> {
+    fn get_cf<C: Column>(&self) -> &'a ColumnFamily {
         self.map[C::NAME]
     }
 }