Cumberland County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Cumberland County

Guide to Cumberland County, Virginia ancestry, family history and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, immigration records, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

Cumberland County, Virginia
Map
Location in the state of Virginia, United States Genealogy
Location of Virginia in the U.S.
Facts
Founded	1748
County Seat	Cumberland
Courthouse

County Information

Description

Cumberland County is located in the Central portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was named for William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, second son of King George II of Great Britain.

Cumberland County Virginia Courthouse

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1853	1749	1853	1749	1749	1749	1810
Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Cumberland County Courthouse
P.O. Box 8
1 Courthouse Circle
Cumberland, VA 23040-0008
Phone: 804-492-4442

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate and court records from 1749, birth and death records 1853-1870.

Cumberland County Virginia History

Parent County

1748 Cumberland County was created in 1748 from Goochland County.
County seat: Cumberland

Boundary Changes

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.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

• Lost census: 1790, 1800, 1890

Cumberland County Virginia Places/Localities

Populated Places

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:

Towns
Farmville
Unincorporated communities
Cartersville, Cumberland	Tamworth

Cumberland County Virginia Genealogy Resources

Research Guides

• A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Cumberland County. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1964):122-124. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).

African American

• 1865-1872 Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete
• Cumberland County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1816.By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized images of African Americans of Cumberland County.

Bible Records

Images of the Virginia Historical Society's family Bible collection have been digitized:

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007.

Cemeteries

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

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	8,153	—
1800	9,839	20.7%
1810	9,992	1.6%
1820	11,023	10.3%
1830	11,690	6.1%
1840	10,399	−11.0%
1850	9,751	−6.2%
1860	9,961	2.2%
1870	8,142	−18.3%
1880	10,540	29.5%
1890	9,482	−10.0%
1900	8,996	−5.1%
1910	9,195	2.2%
1920	9,111	−0.9%
1930	7,535	−17.3%
1940	7,505	−0.4%
1950	7,252	−3.4%
1960	6,360	−12.3%
1970	6,179	−2.8%
1980	7,881	27.5%
1990	7,825	−0.7%
2000	9,017	15.2%
2010	10,052	11.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1782 Enumeration

• Cumberland County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau. County begins on page 15.

1784 Enumeration

• Cumberland County Heads of Families - 1784 at U.S. Census Bureau. County begins on page 67.

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).

Church Records

Baptist

• 1776 Petition of Baptists (10,000 names!) and sympathizers from all over Virginia, dated 16 October 1776, asking for an end to persecution of Baptists by the established church. After locating your ancestor, view the digital copies.
  – Digital copies at Library of Congress; also at Library of Virginia using the code word "000606093"
  – Hall, Jean Pickett. "Legislative Petitions: the 10,000 name petition" transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39, (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983-) online at Ancestry ($) and in book form at various libraries.
  

Church of England

See also King William Parish
See also Littleton Parish
See also St. James Southam Parish

Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Cumberland County is available online.

Quaker

Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Fine Creek Monthly Meeting (1756-1775)

Presbyterian

• Virginia, Cumberland County, Guinea Presbyterian Church record, 1831-1842. By Virginia Historical Society. Available at: Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007

Court

Indexed images of Cumberland County, Virginia Chancery Records 1750-1912 are available online through Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index. These records, often concerned with inheritance disputes, contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Funeral Homes

• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009, index and images, incomplete

Genealogy

Compiled Genealogies by Surname
More than 150 genealogies have been published about Cumberland County families. *See Cumberland County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of 150+ Published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Compiled Genealogies for multiple Families

• Cumberland County Historical Society. Cumberland County, Virginia, and Its People. Multi-vol. Cumberland, Va.: Cumberland County Historical Society, 1983-1999. FHL Book 975.5615 H2c and supplements.
  
• Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. [Includes a great deal of information about residents of Cumberland County, see discussion of cited sources.] FHL Collection CD-ROM no. 3887; purchase at Virginians.com.

Immigration

• Items from Southern Records. By Milnor Ljungstedt. The American Genealogist, Vol. 15 (1938):95-104. Available at American Ancestors ($). Showing Family and Trade Connections with Northern Colonies and the Home Countries. Cumberland Co., VA surname: Thompson

• List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Virginia are online at: Immigrant Servants Database.
  

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 3 British aliens, some of whom had families, living in Cartersville and Cumberland County.

Land and Property

Grants and Patents

Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.*Bannister. 405 patents dated 1714-1835 in what is now Cumberland 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.]

Local Histories

• The Story of Cumberland County, Virginia. 1942. By Garland Evans Hopkins. Winchester, VA : Garland Evans Hopkins. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Maps

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration

• Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist. Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1976):199-208; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Online at: FHL, American Ancestors ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Cumberland County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 20:34; 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:168.

Military

French and Indian War

• Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. By William F. Boogher. 2007. Baltimore : Genealogical Pub. Co. Online at: Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat). Includes a chapter titled "Legislative Enactments connecting the preceding historic sketch (French and Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War) with the adjudication of the resulting accounts that follow; with the list of officers, soldiers and civilians entitled to compensation for military and other services rendered." For Cumberland County, see p. 70.
• Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. By William Armstrong Crozier. 1954. Baltimore : Southern Book Co. Online at: Internet Archive, Hathitrust, Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).
• Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. By Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck. 1988. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. FHL US/CAN Book 975.5 M2bL.

Revolutionary War

Regiments. Service men in Cumberland County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Cumberland County supplied soldiers for the:

- 7th Virginia Regiment

- 10th Virginia Regiment

Additional resources:

• 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. Online at: U.S. Census Bureau, Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection. See Virginia, Eastern District, Cumberland County on page 130.
• Proceedings of the Committees of Safety of Cumberland and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, 1775-1776. 1919. By H.R. McIlwaine. Richmond, VA : D. Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books, Ancestry ($)
• 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. Online at: Ancestry. FHL Collection. Virginia section begins on page 238.
• Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data. c1913. By J. T. McAllister. Hot Springs, Virginia : McAllister Pub. Co. Online at: Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).

War of 1812

Cumberland County men served in the 17th Regiment.

• List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... 1883. Washington, D.C : Government Printing Office. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books. See Vol. 5, Virginia, Cumberland County, p. 69.
• Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. By James L. Douthat. 2007. Signal Mountain, Tenn : Mountain Press. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press ($); At various libraries (WorldCat).

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, Virginia Genealogy:

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company G (Cumberland Light Dragoons).

- 18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Black Eagle Rifles) and Company F (Farmville Guard).

- 21st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Cumberland Greys).

- 44th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Randolph Guard).

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
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battles were fought in Cumberland County.

• April 7, 1865 Cumberland Church, also known as Farmville
• April 6-7, 1865 High Bridge

Maps of Civil War battles in Virginia: 1861 and 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Miscellaneous Records

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

• Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Cumberland County, Virginia Genealogy newspapers.
Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. 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.

Probate Records

A free index to Cumberland County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1749-1810) is available at the Library of Virginia.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry ($)
• 1759-1769; 1769-1792 Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories etc. Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1749-1769; 1769-1792 Images of Wills. Virginia Pioneers ($)
• Cumberland Co., Virginia, Marriages and Wills Abstracted, 1749-1799. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
• Online Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories, etc. 1792-1810; 1810-1814; 1814-1817 Virginia Pioneers ($)

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

• 1759 Cumberland County, Virginia Tithable Lists for 1759. 2007. By Patti Sue McCrary. Westminster, Maryland : Heritage Books. Available at FHL.
• 1764-1792 Personal Property Tax Lists of Buckingham County Virginia, Vol. 1, 1764-1792. 2017. By Randy F. McNew Crouse. Available at: Lulu ($), FHL. Family History Library Call Number: 975.5623 R4c. In 1778, a small triangular area of Buckingham county bordering the James River was given to Cumberland county. Buckingham residents living there then, and following the division of the county, became residents of Cumberland county. In addition, owing to the proximity of the two counties, many families that lived in Buckingham also owned property and/or had relatives in Cumberland and vice-versa, or they were former residents of the other. This book is a comprehensive transcription of all extant tithe and personal property tax lists (over 12,000 records) for Buckingham County, Virginia from its formation in 1761 through 1792. Includes 1764, 1773-4, 1782-1792.
• 1782-1816 Cumberland County Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1816 (images). Online at: Binns Genealogy ($).
• 1782-1815 Tax Digests available at Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1782-1816 Cumberland County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1816. By Paul Heinegg. Online at: Free African Americans
• 1783 Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783. Online at: Revolutionary War Service.
• 1787 The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. c1987. By Netti Schreiner-Yantis and Florene Speakman Love. Springfield, Virginia : Genealogical Books in Print. At various libraries (WorldCat). FHL. The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Cumberland County is included in Vol. 1.
• 1788-1789 Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790. By Robert Y. Clay. The Virginia Genealogist. Vol. 20, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1976):199-208; Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1977):167-171. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($). These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Cumberland County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 20:34; 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:168.
• 1791, 1800 Indexed images of the 1791 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Cumberland County, Virginia Binns Genealogy ($).
• 1800 Cumberland County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List. The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1973):197-200; Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1973):249-252. Available at FHL; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
• 1804 Cumberland County Poll List 1804, excerpted from Cumberland County Records. 1983. By W.S. Morton. William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 22 (1942):61-64. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• 1815 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 1997-2000. By Roger D. Ward. Athens, Georgia : Iberian Pub. Co. 6 vols. Available at FHL. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Cumberland County is included in Vol. 1.

Vital Records

Indexes to Cumberland 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

Birth

• 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

• 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 Ancestry ($).
• 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at FindMyPast ($)
• 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 Ancestry ($)
• 1749-1791 Cumberland Marriages (VAGenWeb)
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry.com ($) — 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
• Cumberland Co., Virginia, Marriages and Wills Abstracted, 1749-1799. n.p. : n.p. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
• Marriage Records, 1749-1840, Cumberland County, Virginia. 1969. By Katherine B. Elliott. South Hill, VA : n.p.

Divorce

• 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

• 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — index and images

Vital Record Substitutes

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available at FamilySearch. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.

Cumberland County Virginia Genealogy Societies and Libraries

• The Huguenot Society of the Founders of Manakin in the Colony of Virginia

Family History Centers

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

To locate the closest family history center or affiliate library, use the link listed above.

Cumberland County Virginia Genealogy Websites

• Cumberland Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
• Cumberland County, VA History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
• FamilySearch Catalog
• Cyndi's List

Cumberland County Virginia Genealogy References

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