African Americans have played a central role in shaping Dinwiddie County’s culture and history from its earliest days. Many were brought here enslaved, and over time built vibrant communities that contributed to the region’s religious, agricultural, and civic life. This page serves as a centralized hub for genealogical researchers, providing links to historical records and resources documenting the lives of African Americans both before and after emancipation. Explore the sections below to access biographies, military service, manumission and census records, education and community organizations, cemetery transcriptions, and digital archives.
Robert Clark (c. 1825–1875) | From Enslavement to Prosperity in Petersburg, Virginia
Alfred W. Harris (1853–1920): Attorney, Legislator, and Advocate for Education
African Americans in Petersburg: Historic Contexts and Resources for Preservation Planning (1994). Prepared by VCUARC for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, this report explores African American life in Petersburg from the colonial era through the mid-20th century. Download Full PDF Report (DW-017)
Documents the registration of free people of color in Dinwiddie County. Transcriptions are searchable via site search.
Transcription courtesy of the Virginia Genealogical Society. Original images courtesy of the Dinwiddie County Clerk of Court.
Transcriptions of local wills, estate inventories, and deeds that explicitly name enslaved individuals, providing vital clues for tracing family lineages prior to 1865.
Historical newspaper transcriptions and advertisements concerning enslaved individuals, runaway notices, and local estate sales in Dinwiddie County.
Records from the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands documenting labor contracts, rations, healthcare, and legal matters post-Civil War. Searchable indexes and digital images are provided via FamilySearch.2
Coroner inquisitions preserved and digitized by the Library of Virginia as part of the Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative project.
| Date | Deceased | Enslaver / Status | Notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1805 | Unnamed (Infant Girl) | Rebecca Cassells (Dinwiddie Co.) | Mother identified as Milley; inquisition held in Lunenburg Co. at the house of John Prichett. | View Doc |
| 30 October 1815 | Scott, David | Free man of color | Died of a gunshot wound at his house on Old Street in Petersburg, Dinwiddie Co. | View Doc |
1850 Slave Schedules for Dinwiddie County
1860 Slave Schedules for Dinwiddie County
1870 Federal Census (first to list African Americans by name post-emancipation)
1853-1866 Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-18661 2
These transcriptions were created from the index compiled by Mrs. Sallie E. H. Short using ministers' returns found in Deed Books I–VI (reels 1–4) and the Dinwiddie County Marriage Register, 1850–1867. Access the Library of Virginia database or visit our Dinwiddie Marriage Records page.
| County | Groom | Bride | Date | Free Black | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinwiddie County | Robert Bonner | Tabby Bonner | 8 November 1848 | Yes | Dinwiddie County Deed Book Vol. 6 Page 75 | |
| Dinwiddie County | Robert Hill | Joanna Bonner | 29 December 1851 | Yes | Dinwiddie County Marriage Register, 1850-1867 Page 106 | |
| Dinwiddie County | Nathan Hill | Mary Miles | 22 April 1851 | Yes | Dinwiddie County Marriage Register, 1850-1867 Page 105 | |
| Dinwiddie County | Charles Hill | Lucy Wilson | 6 April 1835 | Yes | Dinwiddie County Deed Book Vol. 1 Page 244 | |
| Dinwiddie County | Edward R. Stewart | Tany R. Grant | 19 October 1835 | Yes | Date given is recorded date. | Dinwiddie County Deed Book Vol. 1 Page 299 |
The African American Cemeteries of Petersburg, Virginia: Continuity and Change (1999). Prepared by the Chicora Foundation for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Download Full PDF Report (DW-034).
No records identified yet. Please contact us if you have data on African American schools, churches, or community organizations in Dinwiddie.
Disclaimer: Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement by the USGenWeb Project or the VA USGenWeb Project.
1Content adapted from FamilySearch Wiki, “Dinwiddie County, Virginia Genealogy” , licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
2 a FamilySearch Record– Free account required to view full records.
📬 Contribute: Do you have photos, documents, or memories of a Dinwiddie church, farm, school, or hometown? We’d love to include them. Please contact the County Coordinator to help us preserve Dinwiddie’s community heritage for future generations.
If you have questions, contributions, or problems with this site, email:
Coordinator - Ed Olsen
State Coordinator - Jeff Kemp
If you have questions or problems with this site, email the County Coordinator.
Please do not ask for specific research on your family. I am unable to do personal research.
