Thank you for visiting the Dinwiddie County USGenWeb site this year! Since reviving the site in May 2025, we've given this long-dormant volunteer resource a fresh look, better navigation, and lots of new content—all while keeping it 100% free, just as the USGenWeb Project has been since 1996.
Looking Ahead to 2026: We'd love your help to keep growing! Share a Family Group Sheet, donate a photo, or transcribe a record. Together we can make this free resource even richer for future researchers.
Wishing you happy holidays and breakthrough discoveries in the new year!
—Ed Olsen, Volunteer Coordinator
If you’re researching your family roots here in Dinwiddie County, you’re in the right place — and we’re glad you stopped by.
This site is part of the USGenWeb Project, a volunteer effort that’s been 100 % free since 1996. No subscriptions, no paywalls — just open access to the records and stories that make Dinwiddie families come alive.
What makes this site different from the big national genealogy sites? A lot of what you’ll find here — old tombstone photos, courthouse extracts, Family Group Sheets, and personal stories — was shared by local volunteers and simply doesn’t appear anywhere else. It’s the kind of “local color” that turns names on a page into real people from the past.
Our Family Group Sheets section is growing fast and is one of the most helpful tools for researchers — if you have a Dinwiddie family, we’d love to include yours (see the call-to-action below!).
Please note that some content was contributed by previous volunteers. While we do our best to ensure accuracy, always verify information with original records when possible.
I’m Ed Olsen, your Webmaster and County Coordinator.
I hope you enjoy your visit. If you have suggestions, corrections, or something to contribute, please email me.
Help keep Dinwiddie research free for everyone!
Share a Family Group Sheet • Transcribe a record • Photograph a tombstone
Contact Ed |
Submit a Family Group Sheet
Dinwiddie County, located in the south-central region of Virginia, was officially established in 1752 from Prince George County. It was named in honor of Robert Dinwiddie, the acting colonial governor of Virginia at the time.
Rich in history, the county played a significant role in early American life and was the site of several pivotal Civil War battles—most notably the Battle of Five Forks (April 1, 1865), considered the final turning point that forced the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond just eight days before Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
From its agricultural roots—especially tobacco farming—to its strategic military importance, Dinwiddie County offers a compelling narrative for genealogists and historians alike. Whether your ancestors were planters, soldiers, merchants, or freedmen after the war, you’ll find clues here.
Today the county seat is the town of Dinwiddie, and historic sites such as Pamplin Historical Park and the Five Forks Battlefield are popular destinations for visitors and researchers.
Dinwiddie |
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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.
