Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy

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County Courthouse


History


The county was named after the 1st Earl of Chatham, William Pitt (1708-1778). Pitt was serving as Great Britain's Prime Minister at the time Pittsylvania County was organized.

Parent County
1766--Pittsylvania County was created 6 November 1766 from Halifax County. County seat: Chatham

African American

 * Griffith, Alva H. Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Register of Free Negroes and Related Documentation. Maryland: Heritage Books, 2001.
 * Heinegg, Paul. "Pittsylvania County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1823," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * Randolph, John. "Letter to Walter Coles, Pittsylvania," 1821. [Incomplete citation from Google Books; discusses one of Randolph's slaves.]

Cemeteries

 * Bennett, Harold B. "Siloam Methodist Church Cemetery, Pittsylvania County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1981):83-87. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Bennett, Harold B. "Walker Cemetery, Climax, Pittsylvania Co., Va.," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1981):248. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Sutherlin, Elijah T. "Beck Family Cemetery, Pittsylvania County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1964):148. Available at New England Ancestors ($).

Census
For tips on accessing census records online, see Virginia Census.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation.

1890 Union Veterans


 * Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]

Church
General


 * Clement, Mrs. N.E. "Ministers Bonds of Pittsylvania Co.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Apr. 1912):292-294. Available at JSTOR ($). [Identifies the names and religions of Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian ministers from bonds dated 1785 to 1843.]
 * Wood, Candace Mattox. The Restoration Movement in Pittsylvania, Henry, and Franklin Counties, Virginia. Dissertation. [Incomplete citation from Google Books.]

Baptist


 * Leek, Charles F. and Pittsylvania Baptist Association. The History of Pittsylvania Baptist Association, 1788-1963. Danville, Virginia: Pittsylvania Baptist Association, 1963. Available at FHL.
 * Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society. Abstracts of Mt. Ararat Primitive Baptist Church near Whitmell, Pittsylvania County, Virginia: Includes Biographies of Area Primitive Baptist Ministers. Danville, Virginia : Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society, 1981. Available at FHL.

Church of England


 * Clement, Mrs. N.E. "Colonial Churches in Pittsylvania County," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr. 1914):173-176. Available at JSTOR ($).

Court 
General


 * Melton, Herman. Pittsylvania County's Historic Courthouse: The Story Behind ExParte Virginia and the Making of a National Landmark. Central Virginia Printing, Inc., 1999.

Chancery


 * Azariah Bailey (complainant.), George W. Hall (vegetarian.), William H. Shields (respondent.), Nathaniel E. Witcher (respondent.), Virginia. Circuit Court. Record of a Suit in Chancery, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Azariah Bailey vs. George W. Hall, Wm. H. Shields &amp; Nathaniel N. Witcher. 1858. [Citation from Google Books.]

DNA
DNA has been collected from men claiming descent from the following Pittsylvania County, Virginia residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.


 * [Fletcher] Descendant of Thomas Fletcher, b. c1762, resident of Halifax County, Virginia, d. 1838 Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Y-DNA 37 Marker Test, FTDNA. Genetic signature available online (labelled William Fletcher of Accomac County, Virginia/James Fletcher of Brunswick County, Virginia), courtesy: The Fletcher DNA Project.

Genealogy
More than 15 genealogies have been published about Pittsylvania County families. To view a list, visit Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy.

Historic Residences

 * Fitzgerald, Madelene Vaden. Pittsylvania: Homes and People of the Past. Danville, Virginia: Womack Press, 1974. Available at FHL.

Immigration

 * [http://immigrantservants.com/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Pittsylvania&placeOfIndentureColony=Virginia&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Pittsylvania County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database.

Land
Grants and Patents


 * Hudgins, 1440 patents dated 1738-1819 in what is now Pittsylvania County, Virginia placed on a map. DeedMapper, 2004. [Names of those who received land patents, dates, land descriptions, and references may be viewed free of charge (click "Index" next to the county listing); however, in order to view the maps, it is necessary to purchase Direct Line Software's DeedMapper product.]

Record Book


 * Stith, Drury. Entries from an Old Record Book of Drury Stith Concerning Land and Property in Pittsylvania County, 1737-1770. Microfilmed reproduction available at FHL.

Tracts


 * Tucker, George. To the Freeholders of the Counties of Campbell, Pittsylvania and Halifax. Printed at the Virginian Office, 1824.

Local Histories

 * Clement, Maud Carter. History of Pittsylvania County Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia: J. P. Bell Co., 1929. Digital book at Ancestry ($); and World Vital Records ($). Reviewed in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul. 1930):280-281. Review available at JSTOR ($).

Migration

 * Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at FHL; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at FHL; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at FHL. [Includes individuals who migrated out of Pittsylvania County to other parts of the country.]

Colonial Militia

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Pittsylvania County militia officers (1767-1774); see place name index.]

French and Indian War

 * Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Pittsylvania County veterans; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

 * Daughters of the American Colonists. Texas Society. The Rose Window of San Jose Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. San Antonio De Bexar Chapter (San Antonio, Tex.), Lucy Alice Posey. Patriots Who Took the Oath of Allegiance, 1777, Pittsylvania County, Virginia: Notarized by Pittsylvania County Clerk. The Chapter, 1977.
 * Hurt, Frances Hallam. An Intimate History of the American Revolution in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Danville, Virginia: Womack Press, 1976. Available at FHL.
 * "Revolutionary Pension Declarations from Pittsylvania County, Va.," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Oct. 1908):174-183; Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan. 1909):73-80; Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul. 1912):259-266; Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr. 1917):149-160. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Watts, Dorothy Chambers. "Some Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Militia Officers," [1775] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1979):225-226. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * White, Elizabeth Tunstall and VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society. Military Records of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1767-1783: Taken from Judgment Books, 1-2-and 4 and Deed, Book 4. VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society, 1983.
 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Pittsylvania County on page 132.]
 * Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812

 * Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. 975.5 M2djL. [Includes Pittsylvania County.]

Civil War

 * Clement, Maud Carter. War Recollections of the Confederate Veterans of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1861-1865. Chatham, Virginia: The Rawley Martin Chapter, Virginia Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1961. Reviewed by Mildred K. Bushong in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Apr. 1962):215-217. Review available at JSTOR ($).
 * McClurken, Jeffrey W. After the Battle: Reconstructing the Confederate Veteran Family in Pittsylvania County and Danville, Virginia, 1860-1900. Johns Hopkins University, 2002.
 * Williams, Mike K. Confederate Soldiers of Pittsylvania County &amp; Danville. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 1988. Available at FHL.

World War I


 * Williams, Hugh T. and Samuel Gardner Walker. Why Soldiers Do Not Talk About the War: Or, Danville and Pittsylvania County's Part. A History of Company "C", 116th Infantry; Battery "E", 111th Field Artillery; Sixth Company, Coast Artillery; Together with Complete Alphabetical Rosters of Officers and Men. Rosters of Danville and Pittsylvania ... J.T. Townes Print. Co., 1919.

Newspapers
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette(1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburgwebsite. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Occupations

 * Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Danville silversmiths.]
 * Melton, Herman. Picks, Tracks and Bateaux: Industry in Pittsylvania County 1750-1950. Chatham, Virginia: H. Melton, 1993. Available at FHL.
 * Melton, Herman. Pittsylvania's Eighteenth Century Grist Mills. [Chatham, Virginia?: H. Melton?], 1989. Available at FHL. 1991 edition is also available at FHL.
 * Pittsylvania Historical Society. Visitor's Guide to Early Industry in Pittsylvania County, 1998.

Private Papers

 * [Coles] Randolph, John. "Letter to Walter Coles, Pittsylvania," 1821. [Citation from Google Books; discusses one of Randolph's slaves.]
 * [Shelton] Shelton, William Christopher and R.D. Ricketts. A Diary Kept by William C. Shelton for the Year 1850: The Daily Journal of a School Master and Farmer of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. n.p.: n.p., 199-?. Available at FHL.

Research Guides

 * "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Pittsylvania County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1976):119-123. Available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * Boisseau, Mary Leigh. "Research Opportunities in Danville and Pittsylvania County," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 18, No. 5 (Sept.-Oct. 1992):1-3. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.
 * Sweeney, Alice J. "Bassett Historical Center," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Aug. 2002):1-3. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

Taxation
How can Virginia tax lists help me?


 * [1767] "First List of Tithables of Pittsylvania County, Year 1767," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jan. 1915):79-80; Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul. 1915):303-304; Vol. 23, No. 4 (Oct. 1915):371-380; Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr. 1916):180-192; Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jun. 1916):271-274. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
 * [1767] Clement, Maud Carter, The History of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia: J. P. Bell Co., 1929. Digital version at Ancestry [Includes 1767 tithe list.]
 * [1770] Tithables, 1770, Southside Virginian, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Apr. 1986); Vol. 5, No. 2 (Apr. 1987); Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1987); Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr. 1988); Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1989).
 * [1770-1774] Tithables List, 1770-1774, Piedmont Lineages. Danville VA: May 2005. Vol. 27 Iss. 2.
 * [1773] Tithables, 1773, Piedmont Lineages, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Feb. 1991); Vol. 13, No. 2 (May 1991); Vol. 13, No. 3 (Aug. 1991); Vol. 13, No. 4 (Nov. 1991); Vol. 14, No. 1 (Feb. 1992).
 * [1782] 1782 Land Taxes Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Available online, courtesy: VAGenWeb: Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy Project.
 * [1782-1802] Austin, Gayle. The Land Tax Lists of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1782-1802. Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 2006. Available at FHL.
 * [1782-1823] Heinegg, Paul. "Pittsylvania County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1823," Free African Americans.com. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
 * [1783] 1783 Alterations to Pittsylvania County Land Tax. Available online, courtesy: VAGenWeb: Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy Project.
 * [1784] 1784 Alterations to Pittsylvania County Land Tax. Available online, courtesy: VAGenWeb: Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy Project.
 * [1785] 1785 Alterations to Pittsylvania County Land Tax. Available online, courtesy: VAGenWeb: Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy Project.
 * [1785] Insolvents Tax List, 1785, Virginia Appalachian Notes, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Feb. 1981).
 * [1785] Tax List, 1785, Non-residents/Insolvents, VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Aug. 1981).
 * [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 &amp; 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 &amp; Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle &amp; Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Pittsylvania County is included in Vol. 1.]
 * [1788-1806] Select abstracts from Personal Property Tax Lists, 1788-1806, Piedmont Lineages. Danville VA: Aug 2004. Vol. 26 Iss. 3.
 * [1789, 1800] Indexed images of the 1789 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Pittsylvania County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
 * [1793] Top Land Owners from Tax List, 1793, Piedmont Lineages. Danville VA: Feb 2007. Vol. 29 Iss. 1.
 * [1797] Land Tax List, 1797, Piedmont Lineages, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Aug. 1998); Vol. 20, No. 4 (Nov. 1998); Vol. 21, No. 1 (Feb. 1999); Vol. 21, No. 2 (May 1999); Vol. 21, No. 3 (Aug. 1999); Vol. 21, No. 4 (Nov. 1999);
 * [1800] County tax list, 1800, Virginia Genealogist. Falmouth VA: Oct 2004. Vol. 48 Iss. 4; Jan 2005. Vol. 49 Iss. 1.
 * [1810] Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Pittsylvania County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.]
 * [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FHL. [The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Pittsylvania County is included in Vol. 2.]

Vital Records
Birth


 * Fridley, Beth, comp. Danville, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Births, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: Library of Virginia, Richmond VA. Available at Ancestry ($).

Marriage


 * Knorr, Catherine Lindsay. Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1767-1805. Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1956. 1956 edition and 1982 reprintavailable at FHL. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1957):46. Review available at New England Ancestors ($).
 * James, Edward W. et al. "Marriage Bonds, Pittsylvania County," [1760s-1780] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Oct. 1897):86-87; Vol. 6, No. 4 (Apr. 1898):220-221; Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jul. 1898):55-56; Vol. 20, No. 2, (Labeled issue 1) (Oct., 1911):143-144. Available at JSTOR ($).
 * Williams, Kathleen Booth. Marriages of Pittsylvania County, 1806-1830. Danville, Virginia, 1965. Reviewed in The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1966):83. Review available at New England Ancestors ($).

Societies and Libraries

 * Bassett Historical Center, Bassett, Virginia. Website includes descriptions of collections. Excellent resource for family history research in Henry, Patrick, Floyd, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties in Virginia, the city of Martinsville, Virginia, and Rockingham, Stokes and Surry counties in North Carolina.

Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Family History Library Catalog