Dinwiddie County, Virginia Genealogy

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

Dinwiddie County Virginia Courthouse
Dinwiddie County Courthouse P.O. Box 63 Dinwiddie, VA 23841-0063 Phone: 804-649-4540 Clerk Circuit Court has birth and death records 1865-1896 Marriage, probate and land records from 1833 and divorce records from 1870

Dinwiddie County Virginia History


The county is named after Virginia Lieutenant-Governor Robert Dinwiddie (1693-1770).

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

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 was substantial record loss from the courthouse in Dinwiddie County, Virginia the last few months of the American Civil War, 1861-1865.

Surviving records: Pre-Civil War marriages, deeds, wills, chancery order books.


 * Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1890

B. Darrell Jackson, CG, exploits virtually every surviving source from Dinwiddie County, Virginia in the following publication:


 * Jackson, B. Darrell. Jackson Family History: Descendants of Robert Jackson of Dinwiddie County, Virginia, to Nine Generations, ca. 1760-2008: with Ancestry of Allied Families -- Johnson, Blakely, Shields, Cooper, Stiles, Kitchell, Pierson, Bruen, Ogden, Swaine, and Owsley. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2009.

Genealogists with Dinwiddie County roots would benefit from exploring the list of sources he found and used in this book and applying them to their own families.

Research Guides
The Library of Virginia's website includes the following guide:


 * "Dinwiddie County,"A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.

John Frederick Dorman has written an excellent guide:


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

The Works Progress Administration's Historical Inventory is online at the Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

African American
From 1790 to 1860, Dinwiddie County had one of the largest slave populations in the state (7334 in 1790; 12,774 in 1860). It also had one of the largest free colored populations (561 in 1790; 3746 in 1860). Ten years later in 1870, Dinwiddie County had one of the largest African American populations in Virginia (17,664) - the town of Petersburg in particular.


 * Freedmen's Bureau
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Dinwiddie County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1799," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

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 ($).
 * Short, Sallie E.H. "Branch Family Cemetery, 'Laurel Brook,' Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):153-154. ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Cutbanks (1789)
 * 2) Harper's (1773)
 * 3) Rowanty (1775)

Dinwiddie County fell within the bounds of the Meherrin Association and the Portsmouth Association.

Church of England
See also Bath Parish See also Bristol Parish

Bristol Parish was established in 1643, including all the Appomattox River valley. When Didwiddie Couny was partitioned from Prince George county 1752, Bristol Parish became the parish for Dinwiddie County. The original Register 1685-1798 and the Vestry Book 1720-1789 are available at the Library of Virginia and the FHL:.

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

Blandford Church has served Petersburg's residents.


 * 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 and ; digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($).
 * Chamberlayne, Churchill Gibson. The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, 1720 - 1789. Richmond, VA: [s.n.] 1898. Available at . Digital versions at Google Books; and World Vital Records ($).
 * Jarratt, Devereux and John Coleman. The Life of the Reverend Devereux Jarratt: Rector of Bath Parish, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Printed by Warner &amp; Hanna, 1806. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Mason, George Carrington. "The Colonial Churches of Prince George and Dinwiddie Counties, Virginia," The William and Mary Quarterly, Second Series, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul. 1943):249-271. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Mason, George Carrington. Colonial Churches of Tidewater Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1945. Available at ; digital version at.



The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 * Petersburg LDS Ward and Branch Records

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):


 * Butler's Monthly Meeting (1698-1800)
 * Gravelly Run Monthly Meeting (1767-1830)
 * Langley's Monthly Meeting (1755-1767) aka Whippanock

Friends from Dinwiddie County, Virginia also attended the Chuckatuck Monthly Meeting in Nansemond County, Virginia and the Blackwater Monthly Meeting in Surry County, Virginia.


 * 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 . [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."]

Court
Chancery Court


 * 1844-1954 - 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.
 * 1950-1984 - Dinwiddie County Chancery Index 1950-1984. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

County Court


 * 1789-1791, 1842-1846, 1855-1909 - Order Books of Dinwiddie County. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * 1789-1790 - "Records of Dinwiddie County," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jan. 1915):214-218. Available at JSTOR ($).

Crime


 * 1920-2004 - Dinwiddie County Criminal Index 1920 to 2004. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

Board of Supervisors


 * 1870-1960 - Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisor Books. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

Genealogy
More than 125 genealogies have been published about Dinwiddie County families. To view a list, visit Dinwiddie County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies.

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.]

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.]

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 51 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Petersburg (50) and Dinwiddie County (1).

Land and Property
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins. 884 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.]


 * Short, Sallie E. Hargrave and Priscilla M. Godfrey, Dinwiddie County Surveyors Platt Record Book 1752-1865. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.


 * Dinwiddie County Plat Index 1910-2010. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

Local Histories

 * Dinwiddie County: The Countrey of Apamatica. Richmond, Virginia: Whittet &amp; Shepperson, 1942. Available at ; 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 ; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at ; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at . [Includes individuals who migrated out of Dinwiddie County to other parts of the country.]

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 ; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).

French and Indian War

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

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


 * - 6th Virginia Regiment
 * - 14th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

Dinwiddie residents recommended for military commissions during the Revolutionary War.


 * 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, Dinwiddie County on page 130.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." ; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812
Dinwiddie County men served in the 83rd Regiment and Petersburg men served in the 39th 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 Dinwiddie 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, Dinwiddie County, pp. 69-70.]

Civil War

 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company I (2nd) (Dinwiddie Cavalry).
 * - 3rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company C (Dinwiddie Greys) and Company E (Cockade Rifles).
 * - 5th Battalion, Virginia Infantry (Wilson's)(Archer's)(Confederate).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).
 * - 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate). Company D (Petersburg Rangers or Letcher Mounted Guards), Company K (Captain Charles Pannill's Company).
 * - 12th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Petersburg City Guard), Company B (Petersburg Old Grays), Company C (Petersburg New Grays), Company D (Lafayette Guards), Company E (Petersburg Riflemen), and Company K (Archer Rifles).
 * - 13th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12th Months, 1861-62) (Confederate). Company B (The Petersburg Light Dragoons) and Company E (The Cockade Cavalry).

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 Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Dinwiddie County.


 * June 21-24, 1864 = Jerusalem Plank Road, also known as First Battle of Weldon Railroad
 * June 29, 1864 = Ream's Station I
 * August 18-21, 1864 = Globe Tavern, also known as Second Battle of Weldon Railroad, Yellow Tavern, Yellow House, or Blick’s Station
 * August 25, 1864 = Ream's Station II
 * September 30-October 2, 1864 = Peebles' Farm, also known as Poplar Springs Church, Wyatt’s Farm, Chappell’s House, Pegram’s Farm, Vaughan Road, or Harmon Road
 * October 27-28, 1864 = Boydton Plank Road, also known as Hatcher’s Run or Burgess’ Mill
 * February 5-7, 1865 = Hatcher’s Run, also known as Dabney’s Mill, Rowanty Creek, Armstrong’s Mill, or Vaughan Road
 * March 29, 1865 = Lewis’s Farm, also known as Quaker Road, Military Road, or Gravelly Road
 * March 31, 1865 = Dinwiddie Court House
 * March 31, 1865 = White Oak Road, also known as Hatcher’s Run, Gravelly Run, Boydton Plank Road or White Oak Ridge
 * March 31, 1865 = Five Forks
 * April 2, 1865 = Sutherland's Station


 * 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

 * 1797-1877 - Petersburg Newspaper Index (1797-1877) index only - Free.
 * 1814-1815 - Petersburg Daily Courier (Petersburg, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1817 - American Star (Petersburg, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1885-1904 - Daily Index-Appeal (Petersburg,Virginia) Digital version at World Vital Records ($) click here for years 1885-1886, 1887 and click here for years 1900, 1903-1904. See also Newspaper Archive ($)
 * 1900 - National Pilot (Petersburg, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).
 * 1904-1910 - Daily Progress, The (Petersburg,Virginia). Digital version at World Vital Records ($) for years 1904-1905, 1906, 1909-1910. See also Newspaper Archive ($).
 * 1920 - Evening Progress, The (Petersburg,Virginia). Digital version at World Vital Records ($) for 1920 only. See also Newspaper Archive ($).
 * 2001-present - Progress-Index (Petersburg, Va.) at Genealogy Bank ($).

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.

Occupations

 * Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at . [Includes a section on Petersburg silversmiths.]

Private Papers
Virginia,


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

Probate Records
Local Court


 * 1758-1869 - Digital Images of Dinwiddie County (surviving) Wills 1758-1799; 1801-1869. See names of testators. Virginia Pioneers
 * 1830-2007 - Dinwiddie County Wills and Fiduciaries Index 1830 to 2007. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * 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 . [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 ; digital version at New England Ancestors($).
 * Short, Sallie E.H. "Unrecorded Wills of Dinwiddie County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1972):163-172; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):255-260. Available at ; digital version at New England Ancestors($).
 * 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 ; digital version at New England Ancestors($).
 * 1929-2003 - Dinwiddie County Devisees and Heir Index 1929 to 2003. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

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.]

North Carolina Courts


 * Livingston, Virginia Pope. "Some Virginia Wills Recorded in North Carolina," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1967):30-34. Available at ; digital version at New England Ancestors($). [Includes the abstract of the will of John Southerland, Mariner, of Donwoody County [sic], dated 1771.]

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 ($).

Online Probate Records


 * 1639 – 1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry.com — index to transcribed records, incomplete, $

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1752-1820] Hughes, Thomas P. and Jewel B. Standefer, Dinwiddie County Land Records Compiled 1752-1820. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * [1782-1875] Dinwiddie County, Virginia Land Tax Books. Images at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * [1782-1820] Hughes, Thomas P. Dinwiddie County Data from Records 1752-1865.' Includes Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1820. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * [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 ; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at ; digital version at JSTOR($).
 * [1782] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Online at FamilySearch - free; . [1782 personal property tax list of Dinwiddie County.]
 * [1782-1799] Heinegg, Paul. "Dinwiddie County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1799,"Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at . [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Dinwiddie County and the portion of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County are included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1790, 1800] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Dinwiddie County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1790, 1799] Indexed images of the 1790 and 1799 Land Tax Lists of Dinwiddie County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1800] "Dinwiddie County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1974):30-34; Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1974):92-96; Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1974):183-186; Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):251-256. Available at ; digital version at New England Ancestors($).
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at . [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Dinwiddie County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1886-1931] Chappell, J. Barrett. Real Estate Tax Sales 1886 to 1931. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.

Birth

 * 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 and ; digital book at Ancestry($); and World Vital Records($).

Marriage

 * 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
 * 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
 * Hughes, Thomas P. Dinwiddie County Data from Records 1752-1865. Includes Marriages in Deed Books 1-6 and Marriages miscellaneous. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * 1832-1836 - Ministers' Returns of Marriages Performed in Dinwiddie County 1832-1836 - Recorded in Deed Book I (VAGenWeb)
 * 1848-1849 - Haw, R.W. "Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Marriages," [1848-1849] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1962):173. Available at ; digital version at American Ancestors($). [These marriages were found in Dinwiddie County, Virginia Deed Book 6, page 191.]
 * 1850-1880 - Dinwiddie County Marriage Index 1850-1880. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 1863-2000 - Dinwiddie County Marriage Indexes 1863-2000. Online at Dinwiddie County Government Site - free.
 * 1878-1916 - Dinwiddie County Marriage Index 1878-1916. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Dinwiddie County Virginia Genealogy Websites

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