Dickenson County, Virginia Genealogy
Guide to Dickenson County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Dickenson County is located in the southwestern area 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.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Dickenson County Courthouse
119 Court House Lane
Clintwood, VA 24228-0190
Phone: 276-926-1616
Dickenson County Website
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.[3]
Dickenson County, Virginia Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1880 | 1810 |
General compliance year is unknown. |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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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:[6]
Towns | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.
- 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- 1800-1986 Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.
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. By Ronald Ray Turner. FHL book 975.5 X2t 1890; FHL film #1425065, item 14(*); images.
- 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($).
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]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Baptist
- 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 Records[edit | edit source]
Online Court Indexes and Records
Library of Virginia's Chancery Records Index includes digital images for Dickenson County chancery records for the years 1883-1915.
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African American
- 1865-1872 Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Compiled Genealogies by Surname
- See Dickenson County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 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
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.
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 and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 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.
Regiments. Civil War service men in Dickenson County 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 here:
- - 2nd Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry) (Confederate). Company B.
- - 5th Regiment, Virginia State Line (Cavalry, Artillery, and Infantry) (Confederate). Companies C and D.[7]
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1906-1929 Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Private Papers
Dickenson County, Virginia, Family Bible Records, 1934-1935. Clintwood, Virginia: Mullins Printing, 1999. Available at FHL.
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
For probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
For additional indexes, databases, and details, see 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 — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1584-1917 Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at Findmypast ($) — index $
- 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
- 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index ; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
- 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1853-1912 Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Dickenson County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- 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 Affiliate Libraries
- Bristol Virginia Family History Center
- Washington County Public Library - Main Library - an affiliate library
- Washington County Public Library - Hayters Gap Branch - an affiliate library.
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Dickenson County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Dickenson County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Dickenson Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
- Cyndi's List
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
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; online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Newberry
- ↑ http://www.dickensonva.org/index.aspx?nid=156
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Iowa.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Newberry
- ↑ 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.