Record loss
Most of this locality's early records are gone. Union troops ransacked the courthouse late in the Civil War, and most records before 1865 were lost. Deed books, will books, chancery orders and marriage registers survive from about 1830.
Before you give up, try these:
- The Library of Virginia's Lost Records Localities Digital Collection: copies of deeds, wills and other records from this place that turned up as evidence in other courts' files.
- Land tax and personal property tax books, which begin in 1782. Copies went to the state, so they often survived when the courthouse records didn't.
- The records of the parent county and neighboring counties, where families often bought land, went to court or married.
- Chancery suits, church records, newspapers, Bible records and military pension files. See Burned Counties.
Records that survive
These are the record series the Library of Virginia has on microfilm for Dinwiddie 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
- Surveyors' Plat Book1755–1865
- Deed Book1833–1901
- General Index to Deeds1833–1976
- Release Deeds1886–1954
- Plat Book1894–1957
Wills
- Wills1758–1869
- General Index to Wills1830–1949
- General Index to Wills and Fiduciaries1830–1976
- Will Book1830–1975
- General Index to Devisees and Heirs1930–1975
Estates and guardianships
- Guardians' Accounts1844–1906
- Fiduciary Bonds1850–1897
- Fiduciary Book1850–1970
- Fiduciary Bond Book1873–1929
- Fiduciary Account Book1892–1975
Marriages, births and deaths
- Marriage Register1850–1969
- General Index to Marriages1863–1976
- Marriage Licenses1863–1913
- Register of Births1865–1896
- Register of Deaths1865–1896
Tax lists
- Land Tax Book1883–1931
Court orders and minutes
- Order Book1789–1904
- Record Book1819–1841
- Chancery Order Book1832–1975
- Sheriff's Execution Book1841–1856
- Chancery Rule Docket1846–1887
- Common Law Order Book1855–1909
- Minute Book1855–1873
- Index to Ended Chancery Causes1870–1958
- General Index to Law Cases and Chancery Causes1950–1975
Records of free Black and enslaved people
- Free Negro Register1850–1864
Military and pensions
- World War I Service Records1917–1919
Bonds and oaths
- Special Commissioners' Bond Book1873–1948
- Officials' Bond Book1899–1948
County government and the poor
- Minute Book1850–1870
- Road Book1878–1905
- School Board Minute Book1970–1976
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
- Dinwiddie 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: Dinwiddie 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, Dinwiddie" 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: Prince George County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Prince George County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1752, 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.