Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Dinwiddie County (Va.) Lists of Free Negroes, 1859-1860. Local government records collection, Dinwiddie County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virgina in transfers of court papers from Dinwiddie County.

Historical Information

Dinwiddie County was named for Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. The county was formed from Prince George County in 1752.

The bulk of court records prior to 1865 were stolen, mutilated, and/or destroyed by Union troops who ransacked the courthouse during the last months of the Civil War. Post-1830 volumes such as deed books, will books, chancery order books, and marriage registers exist.

Free negroes who were delinquent on their taxes were subject to being indentured by the county court to earn the money to pay the levy.

Scope and Content

Dinwiddie County (Va.) Lists of Free Negroes, 1859-1860, consist of two lists of insolvent free negroes compiled for the commissioner of the revenue. The 1859 list includes the name, whether that individual is a free male, value of any property owned, amount of tax owed, and why this person was included on the list. All reasons given were that the person was not found and the person was not hired out for want of purchaser. The 1860 list includes only the names of insolvents and amount of tax owed.

Related Material

See the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection available at Virginia Memory.

For more information and a listing of lost records localities see Lost Records research note .

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Dinwiddie County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• African Americans -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.
• Free African Americans -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.
• Tax collection -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.

Geographical Names:

• Dinwiddie County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Free negro lists -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.
• Lists -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Dinwiddie County (Va.) County Court.

Adjunct Descriptive Data