Cumberland County, VirginiaEdit This Page

Parent County

1748--Cumberland County was created in 1748 from Goochland County.
County seat: Cumberland ^[2]

Boundary Changes

Record Loss

• Lost census: 1790, 1800, 1890

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Neighboring Counties

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

• Freedmen's Bureau Letters or Correspondence, 1865-1872
• Heinegg, Paul. "Cumberland County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1816," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]

Bible Records

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

• Virginia Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 - browse collection at FamilySearch; free.

Additional Bible records include:

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcription Project Cumberland County - cemetery transcriptions - USGenWeb

Census

For tips on accessing Cumberland County, Virginia census records online, see: Virginia Census.

1782 Enumeration

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

1784 Enumeration

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

1890 Union Veterans

• Turner, Ronald Ray. Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. Available online, courtesy: Prince William County Virginia website. [Includes residents of this county.]

Church Records

Baptist

The 10,000 name petition (dated 16 October 1776) has been digitized at the Library of Congress website. It was signed by people from all over Virginia who wanted an end to persecution of Baptists by the Established Church. Baptists and Baptist sympathizers alike signed the petition. To find your ancestor in this record, first check Hall's transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy (Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39), which is available online at Ancestry ($). It is also available in book form at the Family History Library: FHL Book 975.5 B2vs v. 35-39. Then proceed to the Library of Congress website to see the original images.

Church of England

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

Quaker

Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Fine Creek Monthly Meeting (1756-1775)^[3]

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.^[4]

DNA

DNA has been collected for purported descendants of the following Cumberland County, Virginia residents. Attempts have not been made to verify the lineages of those tested.

• [Harrison] Descendant of Benjamin Harrison, b. c1715, d. 1761 Cumberland County, Virginia. Y-DNA 26 Marker Test, FTDNA (labelled H-106, Lineage 2). Genetic signature available online, courtesy: The Harrison DNA Project, World Families Network.

Genealogy

More than 125 genealogies have been published about Cumberland County families. To view a list, visit Cumberland County, Virginia Genealogy.

Immigration

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

• List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Cumberland County, Virginia (work in progress), courtesy: 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.^[5]

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

Maps

Migration

• Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," 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 New England 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

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FHL. [Identifies some Cumberland County militia officers, soldier enlistments, and veterans; see place name index.]
• Boogher, William F. Gleanings of Virginia History: An Historical and Genealogical Collection, Largely from Original Sources. Washington: n.p., 1903. Available at FHL; digital version at Google Books. [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 Cumblernad County, see p. 70.]
• Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Cumberland County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

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:

Cumberland residents recommended for military commissions during the Revolutionary War.^[6]

• McIlwaine, H.R. Proceedings of the Committees of Safety of Cumberland and Isle of Wight Counties, Virginia, 1775-1776. Richmond: D. Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing, 1919. Available at FHL; digital versions at Ancestry ($), FamilySearch Books Online, and Google Books.
• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital versions at U.S. Census Bureau and Google Books et. al. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Eastern District, Cumberland County on page 130.]
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FHL Collection 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). [Includes veterans from this county; Virginia section begins on page 238.]

War of 1812

Cumberland County men served in the 17th Regiment.^[7]

• Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Free online surname index and purchase details at Mountain Press website. FHL Collection 975.5 M2djL. [Includes Cumberland County.]
• 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... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Cumberland County, p. 69.]

Civil War

Civil War Battle

The following Civil War battles were fought in Cumberland County.

• April 7, 1865 = Cumberland Church, also known as Farmville^[8]
• April 6-7, 1865 = High Bridge^[9]

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

Regiments. Service men in Cumberland County, Virginia 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:

- 3rd Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate). Company G (Cumberland Light Dragoons).^[10]

- 18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company E (Black Eagle Rifles) and Company F (Farmville Guard).^[11]

- 21st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company D (Cumberland Greys).^[12]

- 44th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company G (Randolph Guard).^[13]

Records and histories are available, including:

• Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865
• Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers 1861-1865

Naturalization

• Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929

Newspapers

The Virginia Newspapers Project identifies local Cumberland County, Virginia 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 wills and administrations (1749-1810) is available at the <a href="http://lva1.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/F/?func=file&file_name=find-b-clas08&local_base=CLAS08">Library of Virginia</a> website.

Taxation

How can Virginia tax lists help me?

• [1759] McCrary, Patti Sue. Cumberland County, Virginia Tithable Lists for 1759. Westminster, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2007. Available at FHL.
• [1782-1816] Heinegg, Paul. "Cumberland County Personal Property Tax List 1782-1816," Free African Americans.com, available online. [Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.]
• [1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. 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. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Cumberland County is included in Vol. 1.]
• [1788-1789] Clay, Robert Y. "Some Delinquent Taxpayers 1787-1790," 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 New England Ancestors ($). [These records often identify migrants who left the county and their intended destinations. Cumberland County's 1788 Delinquent List appears on 20:34; 1789 Delinquent List appears on 21:168.]
• [1791, 1800] Indexed images of the 1791 and 1800 Personal Property Tax Lists of Cumberland County, Virginia are available online, courtesy: Binns Genealogy.
• [1800] "Cumberland County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1973):197-200; Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1973):249-252. Available at FHL; digital version at New England Ancestors ($).
• [1804] Morton, W.S. Cumberland County Poll List [1804], excerpted from "Cumberland County Records," William and Mary College Quarterly, 2nd Series, Vol. 22 (1942):61-64. Available at FHL; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FHL; digital version at JSTOR ($).
• [1815] Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. 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 births, marriages, and deaths are available online. These collections are incomplete, but are easy to search. Courtesy: FamilySearch - free.

Marriage

• 1660-1800 - Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1740-1850 - Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1749-1791 - Cumberland Marriages (VAGenWeb)
• 1749-1840 - Elliott, Katherine B.. Marriage Records, 1749-1840, Cumberland County, Virginia. South Hill, Va., 1969.

Vital Record Substitutes

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

For birth, marriage, and death record substitutes, see Bible Records, Cemeteries, Church Records, Newspapers, and Probate Records.

Societies and Libraries

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

Family History Centers

• Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

• Cumberland Co., VAGenWeb. Part of the USGenWeb Project. Maps, name indexes, history.
• Family History Library Catalog
• Cyndi's List

References

1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Cumberland County, Virginia. Page 712 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
2. ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
3. ↑ Jay Worrall, The Friendly Virginians: America's First Quakers (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Publishing Company, 1994), 537-539. FHL Book 975.5 K2wj.
4. ↑ "Virginia Memory: Chancery Records Index Availability," Library of Virginia (accessed 26 January 2010).
5. ↑ Kenneth Scott, British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1979), 320-333. FHL Book 973 W4s; digital version at Ancestry ($).
6. ↑ J.T. McAllister, Virginia Militia in the Revolutionary War: McAllister's Data (Hot Springs, Va.: McAllister Pub. Co., 1913), 29-30. Digitized by Internet Archive.
7. ↑ Stuart Lee Butler, A Guide to Virginia Militia Units in the War of 1812 (Athens, Ga.: Iberian Pub. Co., 1988), 73. FHL Book 975.5 M2bs.
8. ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 16 August, 2012)
9. ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 17 August, 2012)
10. ↑ Thomas P. Nanzig, 3rd Virginia Cavalry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1989). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 61.
11. ↑ James I. Robertson, 18th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1984). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 12.
12. ↑ Susan A. Riggs, 21st Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, c1991). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 72.
13. ↑ Kevin C. Ruffner, 44th Virginia Infantry (Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1987). FHL Book 975.5 M2vr v. 39.

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