Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Dickenson County, with the earliest and latest years filmed. A span can include gaps; it doesn't mean every year in between survives.
Land and deeds
- General Index to Deeds1879–1972
- Deed Book1880–1900
- General Index to Deed Book1880–1938
- Release Deed Book1888–1899
- Unacknowledged Deed Book1906–1938
Wills
- General Index to Wills1880–1983
- Will Book1880–1937
Estates and guardianships
- Fiduciary Settlements1898–1921
- Commissioner of Accounts Record Book1904–1930
- Clerk's Fiduciary Order Book1906–1938
Marriages, births and deaths
- Index to Registers of Marriages1880–1968
- Register of Marriages1880–1968
- Register of Deaths1881–1896
- Register of Births1882–1896
- Marriage Licenses1884–1906
Court orders and minutes
- Common Law Order Book1880–1907
- Chancery Order Book1881–1904
- General Index to Chancery Orders1881–1937
- General Index to Common Law Order Book1881–1928
- Minute Book1888–1915
- Index to Ended Law Cases1889–1937
- General Index to Judgment Lien Docket1926–1933
- General Index to Ended Chancery Causes1938–1983
Bonds and oaths
- Bond Book1890–1903
Elections
- Miscellaneous Election Record Book1883–1960
County government and the poor
- Index to Board of Supervisors' Orders1880–1931
- School Board Minutes1906–1922
- Records of the Local Board of Review1915–1918
- County Finance Board Minutes1932–1975
See every volume and reel number at the Library of Virginia
Source: Library of Virginia, County and City Records on Microfilm. Reels marked for interlibrary loan can be borrowed through your local library.
Where to find the records
- Dickenson County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the circuit court clerk's office, and any online record search the county offers.
- The circuit court clerk's office
Virginia's deed, will and marriage books are usually kept by the clerk of the circuit court for the county or city, though many older records have been moved to the Library of Virginia. Call before you visit; hours and access to older volumes vary.
- Library of Virginia: Dickenson County records on microfilmfree
Every filmed volume with its years and reel number. Use the reels in Richmond; many can be borrowed through interlibrary loan.
- Library of Virginia: Chancery Records Indexfree
Search equity court suits by name. They're rich in family detail: estate divisions, heirs and land disputes. Many localities' suits are scanned and free to view.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Virginia, Dickenson" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Buchanan County, Wise County, Russell County, Russell County
Check the parent counties for earlier records: Buchanan County, Wise County, Russell County, Russell County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1880, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
Start with the deed and will books: they name relatives, neighbors and land. Then try the court order books, which mention almost everyone in the county sooner or later, as witnesses, jurors, road workers or parties to a suit.