Access Dinwiddie County Genealogy Records

Dinwiddie County, Virginia offers an unusually rich set of online genealogy resources for researchers, with land records, chancery suits, marriage licenses, and birth and death registers all accessible through the county's dedicated genealogical research portal. The county's records were heavily damaged when Union troops destroyed most court documents in 1865, but significant collections survive and have been digitized. Understanding what exists and where to find it is the key to successful Dinwiddie County research.

Dinwiddie County Genealogical Research Portal

The Dinwiddie County Circuit Court maintains a dedicated page for genealogical research at dinwiddieva.us/687/Genealogical-Research. This is the starting point for any online research into Dinwiddie County family history. The portal lists the types of records available, their date ranges, and the procedures for accessing them.

Online records available through the county include land records from 1833 to the present, plats from 1910 to the present, wills and fiduciary records from 1833 to the present, marriage licenses from 1900 to the present, and judgments from October 2000 to the present. Land tax records from 1782 to 1885 have been converted from microfilm into PDF format and are available through the county as well. These online resources mean that much of Dinwiddie County's post-Civil War genealogy can be researched without a courthouse visit.

The electronic copy fees for the county's online records are $5.00 per document for email delivery, $2.00 per document for certified copies, and $0.50 per page for plain copies. Contact the clerk's office for current procedures and payment methods before submitting requests.

Note: Deeds and land records prior to 1833 were destroyed at the end of the Civil War in 1865 when Union troops stole, mutilated, and destroyed the bulk of court records prior to that year.

The 1865 Record Loss: What Survived

The most important thing to know about Dinwiddie County genealogy is the 1865 record loss. When Union troops moved through the area at the close of the Civil War, the bulk of court records prior to 1865 were stolen, mutilated, and destroyed. Land records prior to 1833 were lost. Most court documents from before 1865 did not survive. This loss is comparable in impact to the courthouse fires that affected many other Virginia counties, but it was deliberate rather than accidental.

Despite this destruction, several important collections survived or were reconstructed. Land tax records from 1782 to 1885 were preserved on microfilm and have now been converted to PDF format. These tax records can serve as substitutes for lost deed books in the early period, letting you trace property ownership year by year even when the original deeds are gone. Marriage records from 1863 to the present survived the war intact.

Chancery Suit Papers from 1844 through 1954 represent one of the most valuable surviving collections. These equity court case files have been scanned and are hosted on the Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index. You can search by party name and access digital images of the case documents at no cost. Chancery cases often contain detailed testimony about family relationships, property disputes, and estate matters that can reconstruct family histories even when other records are missing.

Birth Registers from 1865 to 1896 and Death Registers from 1865 to 1896 are held at the clerk's office. These registers provide vital data for the post-war generation and are essential for tracing Dinwiddie County families through the Reconstruction era and into the late 19th century.

Special Collections in Dinwiddie County

The Register of Free Negroes 1850 to 1865 is one of the most significant genealogy resources in Dinwiddie County for researchers tracing African American families. Before the Civil War, free African Americans in Virginia were required by law to register with county authorities annually. The register recorded each individual's name, age, physical description, free status, and sometimes parents' names. This document is critical for tracing free Black families in Dinwiddie County during the antebellum period.

Work Progress Administration Historical Inventory documents from 1935 are another special resource held at the Dinwiddie County clerk's office. These WPA documents contain information about graveyards, home sites, cemeteries, and churches in the county. The WPA workers who compiled these inventories visited sites across the county and recorded information that would otherwise have been lost. For researchers looking for burial locations or trying to identify old family properties, the WPA inventory is a valuable supplement to the courthouse records.

The online genealogical research page at the county is one of the more developed such resources in Virginia, with organized listings of record types, date ranges, and access instructions. Researchers new to Dinwiddie County genealogy should spend time reading through the portal before contacting the office.

How to Search Dinwiddie County Records

Start with the online portal at dinwiddieva.us. Many records from 1833 forward are accessible online. Land records, plats, wills, and marriage licenses can all be searched and requested electronically. The chancery suit papers from 1844 to 1954 are available through the Virginia Memory portal at the Library of Virginia.

For records not available online, visit the Circuit Court Clerk's office in Dinwiddie during business hours. The public records room holds documents that have not been digitized, including older bound volumes and some specialized record types. In-person visits are also useful for verifying or clarifying information found in online indexes.

The Library of Virginia holds additional Dinwiddie County materials on microfilm, including some records from before the 1865 destruction and reconstructed documents from the post-war period. The LVA is also the best place to search Virginia's colonial and antebellum records for the broader region around Dinwiddie County.

For vital records after 1912, contact the Virginia Department of Health Office of Vital Records. Virginia's vital records statutes govern access to birth and death certificates from 1912 forward. Older birth and death registers from 1865 to 1896 are held at the clerk's office and are generally accessible to the public.

Libraries and Regional Resources

The Virginia Genealogical Society maintains statewide resources and may have published materials relevant to Dinwiddie County families. Their Richmond library holds published genealogies, surname files, and church record transcriptions. The society's publications cover southern Virginia families who often moved between Dinwiddie and adjacent counties.

For cemetery research, Find A Grave has documented Dinwiddie County burials. Given the record losses from 1865, cemetery inscriptions can be especially valuable as independent documentation of birth and death dates. Local churches in the area also kept registers that may survive and provide baptism, marriage, and burial data not found in the courthouse collection.

The Virginia Courts system maintains online case indexes for more recent circuit court records. This is useful for Dinwiddie County cases from the 20th century onward. For cases from the 1844 to 1954 period, the LVA's Chancery Records Index is the most complete resource available.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Dinwiddie County and each keeps its own genealogy records at the local Circuit Court Clerk's office.