Dinwiddie County Death Index

Dinwiddie County death records are held at the state level through the Virginia Department of Health and locally at the Circuit Court Clerk's office in Dinwiddie Court House. The death index covers registered deaths in the county from 1853 through the present, with a gap from 1897 to 1911. If you are searching for a death that occurred in Dinwiddie County, this guide walks you through the main sources: certified certificates, historical registers, and probate records.

Dinwiddie County Circuit Court

The Dinwiddie County Circuit Court is located in Dinwiddie Court House and is part of the 11th Judicial Circuit. The Clerk of Circuit Court holds land records, wills, probate filings, and court case records dating to the county's formation in 1752. Death certificates are not issued here. Those come from the Virginia Department of Health. For estate and probate records tied to a Dinwiddie County death, the Clerk's office is your local source.

The Dinwiddie County government website lists contact information for county departments, including the Circuit Court Clerk. The county borders Petersburg to the north, and the Civil War saw significant military activity in this area, which may have affected some historical records. Court case information for modern filings is searchable through the Virginia Online Case Information System at no charge.

Dinwiddie County Death Certificates from VDH

The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Vital Records is the official source for certified death certificates covering Dinwiddie County deaths from June 1912 to the present. The state office is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227. Walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000. Online applications are available through the VDH website.

Each certified copy costs $12. Under Virginia Code Title 32.1, Chapter 7, death records are restricted for 25 years after the date of death. During that period, only immediate family can request a copy: spouse, parent, child, sibling, or grandparent of the deceased. A legible photo ID must accompany every request. Accepted payment includes check, money order, credit card, mobile pay, or cash. Make checks payable to State Health Department.

For online ordering, VitalChek processes requests with an extra service fee beyond the $12 state charge. The main VDH phone is 804-662-6200.

Historical Dinwiddie County Death Index

Dinwiddie County death registers from 1853 to 1896 are on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. The 1853 Virginia law required each county's Commissioner of Revenue to record deaths annually. The Clerk of Court maintained the registers and alphabetical indexes. These registers recorded name, race, sex, date and place of death, cause of death, age, birthplace, occupation, marital status, parents' names, and who provided the information. The law ended in 1896, and no official deaths were recorded in Dinwiddie County between 1897 and 1911.

Dinwiddie County was formed in 1752 from Prince George County. Researchers looking for deaths in the area before 1752 should check Prince George County records at the Library of Virginia. Some Dinwiddie County courthouse records were disrupted during the Civil War, particularly from 1864 to 1865 when major battles took place in and around the county. The LVA microfilm collection can help fill gaps where original records were damaged.

From June 1912, the Library of Virginia holds Dinwiddie County death certificates on microfilm through 1939. A death index covering 1912-1954 helps researchers locate certificate numbers before ordering full copies. Virginia residents can access this index free through Ancestry for Virginians using a public library card. In-person research is available at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Archives reference: 804-692-3888.

The Virginia Genealogical Society indexed the 1853-1896 death registers, making name searches faster. That index covers Dinwiddie County and is available through the Library of Virginia. FamilySearch also offers free access to Virginia Deaths and Burials 1853-1912. The FamilySearch guide for Virginia death records outlines each database and time period.

Search Dinwiddie County Death Records Online

The OCIS portal gives free access to Dinwiddie County Circuit Court records. Searching by name can surface probate and estate filings tied to deaths in the county. Probate cases often include the death date, surviving heirs, and estate details. The system covers cases filed after the courts adopted electronic records.

Virginia Memory at virginiamemory.com hosts digitized chancery records and other historical documents from Dinwiddie County. Chancery cases often contained death dates and estate information for parties in the litigation. Confederate pension applications on Virginia Memory may include death information for veterans and widows. These records are free to search online and can help fill gaps in the official death index for the 19th century.

Note: Death records less than 25 years old appear as indexed data only on public genealogy platforms. Full certificates require a formal request to VDH under Code § 32.1-271.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Dinwiddie County. Each has its own Circuit Court and vital records resources.