Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Dinwiddie County (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1871. Local government records collection, Dinwiddie County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Dinwiddie County.

Historical Information

Dinwiddie County was named for Robert Dinwiddie, lieutenant governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758 and 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.

Prior to 1906, naturalizations could be recorded in any court — federal, state, county, or city. Declarations of intent were the record by which an applicant for U.S. citizenship declared their intent to become a citizen and renounced their allegiance to a foreign government. A declaration of intention normally preceded proof of residence or a petition to become a citizen by two or more years. Beginning in 1795, a person could declare their intent to become a citizen at any time and in any place after they arrived in the United States.

Scope and Content

Dinwiddie County (Va.) Naturalization Records, 1871, include declarations of intent and reports to become United States citizens and notices of application for admission of citizenship. The declarations of intent record the person's name, place of birth, age, country of previous citizenship, renunciation of allegiance and fidelity to the nation of which the person is currently a citizen, and the date the intention was sworn.

Arrangement

Arranged chronological.

Related Material

Dinwiddie County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Dinwiddie County Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the Lost Records Localities Digital Collection .

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:

• Immigrants -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.
• Naturalization -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.

Geographical Names:

• Dinwiddie County (Va.) -- History.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records -- Virginia -- Dinwiddie County.
• Naturalization records -- Virginia. -- Dinwiddie County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data