Dinwiddie County, Virginia Genealogy

United States &gt; Virginia &gt; Dinwiddie County



Parent County
1752--Dinwiddie County was created 27 February 1752 from Prince George County. County seat: Dinwiddie

Neighboring Counties

 * Amelia
 * Brunswick
 * Chesterfield
 * Greensville
 * Nottoway
 * Prince George
 * Sussex

Cemeteries

 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. "Inscriptions from Various Tombstones in Dinwiddie, Chesterfield, Henrico and New Kent Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jan. 1900):178-183. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Short, Sallie E.H. "Branch Family Cemetery, 'Laurel Brook,' Dinwiddie County, Virginia," *The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):153-154. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Church
Church of England


 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Richmond, Virginia: C.G. Chamberlayne, 1898. Two published transcripts available at FHL here and here; digital book at Ancestry ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul. 1943):249-271. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at FHL; digital version at BYU Family History Archives. [Includes Dinwiddie County.]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Petersburg LDS Ward and Branch Records

Quaker


 * Brown, Jane Douglas Summers and Jones Memorial Library. Jane Douglas Summers Brown (1903-) Quaker Records: Jones Memorial Library (Lynchburg, Virginia); MS 1515. MSS, Jones Memorial Library, Lynchburg, Va. Available on 26 microfilms at FHL. [Includes records of Dinwiddie County Quakers; Brown assisted "William Wade Hinshaw in the writing of the Virginia volume of the Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy."]
 * Putnam, Martha A. Quaker Records of Southeast Virginia. Westminster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1996. Available at FHL. [Includes records about Quakers in Dinwiddie, Isle of Wight, Nansemond, Norfolk, Prince George, Southampton counties and Suffolk City from 1600s and 1700s (Blackwater Montly Meeting, Chuckatuck Monthly Meeting, Pagan Creek Meeting, Western Branch Monthly Meeting, and Somerton Monthly Meeting.)]

Court
Chancery Court


 * Indexes (1844-1954) and images (1844-1932) to Dinwiddie County, Virginia Chancery Records are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Remnants of County Court


 * "Records of Dinwiddie County," [1789, 1790] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jan. 1915):214-218. Available at JSTOR ($).

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. In addition to finding a direct ancestor’s surname listed, and watching to see if more recent publications make additions and corrections to earlier works, this list is also useful for determining if genealogists have published accounts, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, for any members of an ancestor’s “FAN Club” [Family, Associates, and Neighbors]. Checking publications about those individuals can lead you to new information about your own ancestry. Be mindful that compiled genealogies may contain errors.

Bibliography


 * [Briggs] Lancaster, Robert A. "Wales, Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Jul. 1936):232-237. Available at JSTOR ($). [Residence of the Briggs family.]
 * [Goodwin] Goodwin, John S. The Goodwin Families in America. Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1897. 1969 reprint available at FHL. 1990s supplement also available at FHL.
 * [Goodwin] "Appendix K: The Goodwyns of Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2, Supplement (Oct. 1897):104-114. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Goodwin] "Appendix K: The Goodwyns of Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 2, Supplement (Oct. 1899):19-22. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Goodwin] "Additional Notes on the Goodwyns and Goodwins of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 2, Supplement (Oct. 1899):140-142. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Goodwin] "Dinwiddie Co., Va., Richland Orangeburg Districts, S. C., Goodwyns," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 2, Supplement (Oct. 1899):26-37. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Goodwin] "The Goodwins of Dinwiddie Co., Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 2, Supplement (Oct. 1899):135-138. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * [Rives] Rives, Jno. R. T. Green Rives of Dinwiddie County, Virginia and Lincoln County, Tennessee and His Descendants. Birmingham, Ala.: Printed by A.H. Cather Pub. Co., 1958. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Immigration

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Bristol Parish proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]
 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Dinwiddie&placeOfIndentureColony=&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Dinwiddie County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Historic Residences

 * [Pride's Tavern] "Inventory of Halcott Pride's Estate in Dinwiddie County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr. 1938):219-226. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Lancaster, Robert A. "Wales, Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Jul. 1936):232-237. Available at JSTOR ($). [Residence of the Briggs family.]

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 818 patents dated 1653-1785 in what is now Dinwiddie County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2003. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]

Local Histories

 * Dinwiddie County: The Countrey of Apamatica. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1942. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). Reviewed by Chas. Edgar Gilliam in The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Apr. 1943):228-230. Review available at JSTOR ($).

Migration

 * Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at FHL; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at FHL; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at FHL. [Includes individuals who migrated out of Dinwiddie County to other parts of the country.]

Military
Colonial Militia


 * King, George H.S. "Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Militia Officers, 1752," *The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1963):173. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

French and Indian War


 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Dinwiddie County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]

War of 1812


 * Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 2007. Available at FHL. [Includes Dinwiddie County.]

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Private Papers

 * [Dabney] "Some Dabney Family Papers, Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1965):111-114. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Probate
Wills


 * Hopkins, William Lindsay. Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia and Other Wills Not Listed in Virginia Wills and Administrations 1632-1800. Richmond, Virginia: W.L. Hopkins, 1987. Available at FHL. [Includes Dinwiddie County.]
 * Johnson, William Perry. "Wills of Philip and John Burrow, Dinwiddie County, Virginia, 1778." *The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):150-153. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Short, Sallie E.H. "Unrecorded Wills of Dinwiddie County, Virginia," *The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1972):163-172; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):255-260. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Steffens, Mary W. "Wills of Rawleigh Porteus Downman and his Wife Anne (Downman) Downman Muir, Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1975):83-92. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Sussex County, Virginia Court


 * "Inventory of Halcott Pride's Estate in Dinwiddie County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr. 1938):219-226. Available at JSTOR ($).

London Courts


 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. North American Wills Registered in London 1611-1857. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. [Includes will of a resident of Bristol Parish proved in London. These records often help establish an immigrant's place of origin.]

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Dinwiddie County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1964):170-173. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

Taxation
At first glance, researchers might conclude that Virginia tax lists contain very little family history data, though one soon learns that valuable genealogical conclusions can be drawn from these records, nicknamed "annual censuses," such as: relationships, approximate years of birth, socio-economic status, identification of neighbors, the ability to distinguish between persons of the same name, evidence of land inheritance, years of migration, and years of death.

Virginia began enumerating residents' payments of personal property and land taxes in 1782. These two types of taxation were recorded in separate registers. Personal property tax lists include more names than land tax lists, because they caught more of the population. The Family History Library has an excellent microfilm collection of personal property tax lists from 1782 (or the year the county was organized) well into the late nineteenth century for most counties, but only scattered land tax lists. Microfilm collections at The Library of Virginia include land tax lists for all counties and independent cities for the years 1782 through 1978, as well as personal property tax lists for the years 1782 through 1930 (and every fifth year thereafter). Taxes were not collected in 1808.

Some tax records are available online or in print, though published abstracts often omit useful details found only in the original sources. Statewide indexes can help genealogists identify specific counties where surnames occurred in the past, providing starting points for research.


 * [1782] "Personal Property List Dinwiddie County, 1782," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Oct. 1917):96-106; Vol. 26, No. 3 (Jan. 1918):196-201; Vol. 26, No. 4 (Apr. 1918):250-258. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available at FHL. [1782 personal property tax list of Dinwiddie County.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Dinwiddie County and the portion of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County are included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Dinwiddie County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Land Tax Lists of Dinwiddie County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Dinwiddie County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1974):30-34; Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1974):92-96; Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1974):183-186; Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):251-256. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Dinwiddie County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Records
Birth


 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. Births from the Bristol Parish Register of Henrico, Prince George, and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia, 1720-1798. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Marriage


 * Haw, R.W. "Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Marriages," [1848-1849] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1962):173. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($). [These marriages were found in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Deed Book 6, page 191.]

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog