Dickenson County, Virginia Genealogy
Guide to Dickenson County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.
Dickenson County, Virginia | |
Map | |
![]() Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy | |
![]() Location of Virginia in the U.S. | |
Facts | |
Founded | 1880 |
---|---|
County Seat | Clintwood |
Courthouse | |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Dickenson County Virginia History
- 3 Dickenson County Virginia Places/Localities
- 4 Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy Resources
- 4.1 African American
- 4.2 Bible Records
- 4.3 Cemeteries
- 4.4 Census
- 4.5 Church Records
- 4.6 Court
- 4.7 Funeral Homes
- 4.8 Genealogy
- 4.9 Land and Property
- 4.10 Local Histories
- 4.11 Maps
- 4.12 Military
- 4.13 Miscellaneous Records
- 4.14 Naturalization
- 4.15 Newspapers
- 4.16 Private Papers
- 4.17 Probate Records
- 4.18 Research Guides
- 4.19 Taxation
- 4.20 Vital Records
- 5 Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- 6 Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy Websites
- 7 Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Dickenson County is located in the Southwest portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and shares a border with Kentucky. The County was named for Delegate William J. Dickenson who sponsored the bill in the House of Delegates to establish this 100th county[1].
Dickenson County Virginia Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Dickenson County Courthouse
Box 190
Main Street
Clintwood, VA 24228-0190
Phone: 540-926-1616
County Health Department has birth, death, and burial records. Clerk Circuit court has marriage, divorce, court and land records from 1880 and military discharge records.[2]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1810 |
General compliance year is unknown. |
Dickenson County Virginia History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1880 Dickenson County was created 3 March 1880 from Buchanan, Russell and Wise Counties.
County seat: Clintwood [2]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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. They rely on AniMap 3.0 software.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Dickenson County Virginia Places/Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[4]
Towns | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]
African American[edit | edit source]
- 1865-1872 Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
VAGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
VAGenWeb Archives | ||
Tombstone Project | ||
Virginia Gravestones | ||
Billion Graves | ||
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information. |
- 1800-1986 - Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — index
Census[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1890 | 5,077 | — |
1900 | 7,747 | 52.6% |
1910 | 9,199 | 18.7% |
1920 | 13,542 | 47.2% |
1930 | 16,163 | 19.4% |
1940 | 21,266 | 31.6% |
1950 | 23,393 | 10.0% |
1960 | 20,211 | −13.6% |
1970 | 16,077 | −20.5% |
1980 | 19,806 | 23.2% |
1990 | 17,620 | −11.0% |
2000 | 16,395 | −7.0% |
2010 | 15,903 | −3.0% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
1890 Union Veterans
- Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. c1994. By Ronald Ray Turner. Online at: Prince William County Virginia, FHL Collection; At various libraries (WorldCat).
1900
- Dickenson County, Virginia, 1900 Federal Census. 1984. By Gregory Lynn Vanover, Joan Short Vanover, and Barbara Kendrick Vanover. Pound, Virginia : G.L. Vanover. Available at FHL.
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Baptist[edit | edit source]
- Sand Lick Primitive Baptist Church, the First Hundred Years, 1837-1937: A History of the Oldest Religious Organization in Dickenson County, Virginia. 1937. Reprint 1985. By Elihu Jasper Sutherland. Clintwood, Virginia : Mullins Printing. Available at FHL.
Court[edit | edit source]
Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index includes digital images for Dickenson County chancery records for the years 1883-1915.
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
- See Dickenson County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 12+ published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.
Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families
- Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. E. J. Sutherland Collection, Dickenson County, Virginia, 1650-1965. MSS., FHL Collection [Includes Dickenson Co. families, 1650-1964 and Dickenson Co. genealogy 1732-1933.]
- Sutherland, Elihu Jasper. Some Sandy Basin Characters. Clintwood, Va.: E.J. Sutherland, 1962. 1985 reprint: FHL Collection
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Coalfields Expressway Final Environmental Impact Statement - Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise Counties, Virginia. 2001. By US Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration and Virginia Department of Transportation. Online at: Google Books.
- Meet Virginia's Baby: A Brief Pictorial History of Dickenson County, Virginia, from Its Formation in 1880 to 1955, with Stress on Pioneer Background. 1955. Reprint 1975. By Elihu Jasper Sutherland. Clintwood, VA : E.J. Sutherland. Available at FHL.
- Pioneer Recollections of Southwest Virginia. 1984. By Elihu Jasper Sutherland and Hetty Swindall Sutherland. Clintwood, VA : H.S. Sutherland, G.L. Vanover, and J.S. Vanover. Available at FHL.
- The Forests of Dickenson County, Virginia. 1917. By W.G. Schwab. Charlottesville, VA : n.p. Online at: Hathitrust, Google Books.
- The Geology and Coal Resources of Dickenson County, Virginia. 1921. By Albert William Giles. University of Virginia. Online at: Google Books.
- Virginia County Names: Two Hundred and Seventy Years of Virginia History. 1908. By Charles M. Long, MA, PhD. New York, NY : The Neale Publishing Company. Online at: Google Books.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Dickenson County, Virginia Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Dickenson County, Virginia Genealogy:
- - 5th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry, Artillery, and Infantry) (Confederate). Companies C and D.[5]
Records and histories are available, including:
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War, Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War, Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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)
- Between Brothers: Civil War Soldiers of Wise and Dickenson County [Virginia]. By Lillian Gobble and Rhonda Robertson. Big Stone Gap, Virginia : L. Gobble and R. Robertson. FHL Collection.
Miscellaneous Records[edit | edit source]
- 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
- Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Dickenson County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.
Private Papers[edit | edit source]
Dickenson County, Virginia, Family Bible Records, 1934-1935. Clintwood, Virginia: Mullins Printing, 1999. Available at FHL.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
- A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Dickenson County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1964):124-126. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Indexes to Dickenson County, Virginia Genealogy births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Most records can also be ordered electronically online as well. Courtesy: FamilySearch. See also How to order Virginia Vital Records
- E. J. Sutherland Collection, Dickenson County, Virginia, 1650-1965. By Elihu Jasper Sutherland. MSS., available at FHL. Includes Dickenson County Vital Statistics, 1830-1938.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1853-1866 - Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1912-1913 - Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — index and images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($) — index $
- 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 Ancestry ($).
- 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — index
- 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images
Vital Record Substitutes[edit | edit source]
For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records. |
Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy Websites[edit | edit source]
- Dickenson Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- Dickenson County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
- FamilySearch Catalog
- RootsWeb Mailing List: SW_VA-L (Topic: Southwest Virginia)
- Cyndi's List
Dickenson County Virginia Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ http://www.dickensonva.org/index.aspx?nid=156
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dickenson County, Virginia. Page 713 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dickenson County, Virginia . Page 710-723 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 715-720.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dickenson_ County,_Virginia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickenson_County,_Virginia#Communities accessed 10 January 2020.
- ↑ The Virginia State Line: Organizational Structure of the Virginia State Line, Ranger95.com,, accessed 11 June 2012.