Cumberland County, Virginia Genealogy

Guide to Cumberland County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Cumberland County Virginia Courthouse
'''Cumberland County Courthouse P.O. Box 8 1 Courthouse Circle Cumberland, VA 23040-0008 Phone: 804-492-4442

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1749, birth and death records 1853-1870

Parent County
1748--Cumberland County was created in 1748 from Goochland County. County seat: Cumberland

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Virginia County Boundary Maps" (1617-1995) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.


 * Lost census: 1790, 1800, 1890

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Cumberland County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1964):122-124. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American

 * Freedmen's Bureau
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Cumberland County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1816," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Census
1782 Enumeration


 * Cumberland County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 15.

1784 Enumeration


 * Cumberland County Heads of Families - 1784 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 67.

1890 Union Veterans


 * "Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890." Prince William County Virginia, by Ronald Ray Turner.

Church of England
See also King William Parish See also Littleton Parish  See also St. James Southam Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Cumberland County is available online.

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Fine Creek Monthly Meeting (1756-1775)

Court
Indexed images of Cumberland County, Virginia Chancery Records 1750-1912 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

DNA
DNA has been collected for purported descendants of the following Cumberland County, Virginia residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Harrison] Descendant of Benjamin Harrison, b. c1715, d. 1761 Cumberland County, Virginia. Y-DNA 26 Marker Test, FTDNA (labelled H-106, Lineage 2). Genetic signature available online, courtesy: The Harrison DNA Project, World Families Network.

Genealogy
More than 150 genealogies have been published about Cumberland County families. To view a list, visit Cumberland County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

Immigration

 * Ljungstedt, Milnor. "Items from Southern Records" [Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries], The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Available at American Ancestors ($). [Cumberland Co., VA surname: Thompson.]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 3 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Cartersville and Cumberland County.

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Bannister. 405 patents dated 1714-1835 in what is now Cumberland County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2004. [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.]

Migration

 * Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1976):199-208; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Cumberland County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 20:34; 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:168.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at . [Identifies some Cumberland County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
 * Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. Available at ; digital version at Google Books. [Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch [French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War] with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Cumblernad County, see p. 70.]
 * Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at ; digital book at Ancestry ($); Google Books; and Archive.org. [Identifies some Cumberland County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War
Regiments. Service men in Cumberland County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Cumberland County supplied soldiers for the:


 * - 7th Virginia Regiment
 * - 10th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

Cumberland residents recommended for military commissions during the Revolutionary War.


 * McIlwaine, H.R. Proceedings of the Committees of Safety of Cumberland and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, 1775-1776. Richmond: D. Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1919. Available at ; digital versions at Ancestry ($),, and Google Books.
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Cumberland County on page 130.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions, With an Added Index to States.  973 M24ur; Collection with index and images at Ancestry ($).  [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Cumberland County men served in the 17th Regiment.


 * Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. 975.5 M2djL. [Includes Cumberland County.]
 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Cumberland County, p. 69.]

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company G (Cumberland Light Dragoons).
 * - 18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Black Eagle Rifles) and Company F (Farmville Guard).
 * - 21st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Cumberland Greys).
 * - 44th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Randolph Guard).

Records and histories are available, including:


 * 1861-1865 -
 * 1861-1865 -
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Cumberland County.


 * April 7, 1865 = Cumberland Church, also known as Farmville
 * April 6-7, 1865 = High Bridge


 * Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861 and 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Miscellaneous Records

 * 1607-2007 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * Virginia

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. 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.

Probate Records
Online Probate Records

"
 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $
 * 1759 – 1769; 1769 – 1792 – Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories etc. Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * 1749 – 1769; 1769 – 1792 – Images of Wills. Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1759] McCrary, Patti Sue. Cumberland County, Virginia Tithable Lists for 1759. Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2007. Available at.
 * 1764-1792 - Crouse, Randy F. McNew "Personal Property Tax Lists of Buckingham County Virginia, Vol. 1, 1764-1792, Randy F. McNew Crouse 2017. 428 pages. Available at Lulu ($) and FHL. Family History Library Call Number: 975.5623 R4c. In 1778, a small triangular area of Buckingham county bordering the James River was given to Cumberland county. Buckingham residents living there then, and following the division of the county, became residents of Cumberland county. In addition, owing to the proximity of the two counties, many families that lived in Buckingham also owned property and/or had relatives in Cumberland and vice-versa, or they were former residents of the other. This book is a comprehensive transcription of all extant tithe and personal property tax lists (over 12,000 records) for Buckingham County, Virginia from its formation in 1761 through 1792. Includes 1764, 1773-4, 1782-1792.
 * [1782-1815] Tax Digests available at Virginia Pioneers ($)
 * [1782-1816] Heinegg, Paul. "Cumberland County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1816," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [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. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Cumberland County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1788-1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1976):199-208; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Cumberland County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 20:34; 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:168.]
 * [1791, 1800] Indexed images of the 1791 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Cumberland County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Cumberland County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1973):197-200; Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1973):249-252. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors($).
 * [1804] Morton, W.S. Cumberland County Poll List [1804], excerpted from "Cumberland County Records," William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 22 (1942):61-64. Available at ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Cumberland County is included in Vol. 1.]

Birth

 * 1912-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1660-1959 - Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1749-1791 - Cumberland Marriages (VAGenWeb)
 * 1749-1840 - Elliott, Katherine B.. Marriage Records, 1749-1840, Cumberland County, Virginia. South Hill, Va., 1969.
 * 1936-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Divorce

 * 1918-1988 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1912-1987 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Cumberland County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

 * The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia

Cumberland County Virginia Genealogy Websites

 * Cumberland Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
 * Cumberland County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Cyndi's List
 * Cyndi's List