Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genealogy

United States

Virginia

Pittsylvania County

Guide to Pittsylvania County, Virginia ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Virginia Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Chatham Organized: 01 Jun 1767 Parent County(s): Halifax Neighboring Counties Bedford • Campbell • Caswell (NC) • Franklin • Halifax • Henry • Rockingham (NC) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map

County Information

Description

Pittsylvania is the largest county (per square miles) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is situated in the south-central Piedmont plateau region. The county was named for William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham, a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768.

County Courthouse

Pittsylvania County Courthouse
11 Bank Street
PO Box 695
Chatham, VA 24531-0695
Phone: 434-432-7879
Pittsylvania County Website

Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, probate, court and land records from 1767

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1853	1767	1853	1767	1767	1767	1810
* Statewide registration for births and deaths began in 1912. General compliance year is unknown.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. Lost censuses: 1790, 1800, 1810 For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Parent County: Created from Halifax County, 01 Jun 1767 County seat: Chatham Virginia Individual County Chronologies - Newberry Library list of all boundary changes by county Virginia Historical Borders - Map at Newberry Library Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; Also at: mapofus.org - animated maps illustrating Virginia county boundary changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Towns
Chatham Gretna	Hurt
Unincorporated communities
Bachelors Hall Brosville Callands Cascade Chalk Level Climax Dry Fork	Grit Java Keeling Markham Mount Airy Mountain Hill	Museville Renan Ringgold Sycamore Tightsqueeze Whitmell
Census-designated places
Blairs Motley	Mount Hermon

History Timeline

The county was named after the 1st Earl of Chatham, William Pitt (1708-1778). Pitt was serving as Great Britain's Prime Minister at the time Pittsylvania County was organized.

Resources

Bible Records

For databases and indexes, see Virginia Bible Records.

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

• Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FS Library. Includes a section on Danville silversmiths.
• Melton, Herman. Picks, Tracks and Bateaux: Industry in Pittsylvania County 1750-1950. Chatham, Virginia: H. Melton, 1993. Available at FS Library.
• Melton, Herman. Pittsylvania's Eighteenth Century Grist Mills. [Chatham, Virginia?: H. Melton?], 1989. Available at FS Library. 1991 edition is also available at FS Library.
• Pittsylvania Historical Society. Visitor's Guide to Early Industry in Pittsylvania County, 1998.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Pittsylvania County, Virginia online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Find a Grave VAGenWeb USGenWeb Archives VA Tombstone Transcription Project Virginia Gravestones BillionGraves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	FamilySearch Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Find a Grave FamilySearch Places
See Virginia Cemeteries for more information.

 

• 1800-1986 Virginia, Jewish Cemetery Records Index, ca. 1800-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Bennett, Harold B. "Siloam Methodist Church Cemetery, Pittsylvania County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1981):83-87. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• Bennett, Harold B. "Walker Cemetery, Climax, Pittsylvania Co., Va.," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1981):248. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• Sutherlin, Elijah T. "Beck Family Cemetery, Pittsylvania County, Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1964):148. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

Census Records

For databases, indexes, and information online, see Virginia Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	11,579	—
1800	12,697	9.7%
1810	17,172	35.2%
1820	21,323	24.2%
1830	26,034	22.1%
1840	26,398	1.4%
1850	28,796	9.1%
1860	32,104	11.5%
1870	31,343	−2.4%
1880	52,589	67.8%
1890	59,941	14.0%
1900	46,894	−21.8%
1910	50,709	8.1%
1920	56,493	11.4%
1930	61,424	8.7%
1940	61,697	0.4%
1950	66,096	7.1%
1960	58,296	−11.8%
1970	58,789	0.8%
1980	66,147	12.5%
1990	55,655	−15.9%
2000	61,745	10.9%
2010	63,506	2.9%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

1782 Enumeration

• Pittsylvania County Heads of Families - 1782 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 40.

1785 Enumeration

• Pittsylvania County Heads of Families - 1785 at U.S. Census Bureau - free. County begins on page 98.

1790 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation. 1800 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation. 1810 - Lost, but a subsitute is available, see Taxation. 1820 - Exists, but the National Archives microfilm copy of Pittsylvania County, Virginia omits page 63. The missing names have been published in The Virginia Genealogist:

• Petty, Gerald M. "Virginia 1820 Federal Census: Names Not on the Microfilm Copy," The Virginia Genealogist 18, no 2 (April-June 1974):136-139.

The list is also available online at the Shenandoah County GenWeb Project.

1890 Union Veterans

• Virginia's Union Veterans: Eleventh Census of the United States 1890. By Ronald Ray Turner. FS Catalog book 975.5 X2t 1890; film 1425065, item 14. Includes residents of this county.
• 1890 Veterans Schedules of the U.S. Federal Census. Online at: Ancestry ($). Includes residents of this county.

Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

General

• Clement, Mrs. N.E. "Ministers Bonds of Pittsylvania Co.," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Apr. 1912):292-294. Available at JSTOR ($). Identifies the names and religions of Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian ministers from bonds dated 1785 to 1843.
• Wood, Candace Mattox. The Restoration Movement in Pittsylvania, Henry, and Franklin Counties, Virginia. Dissertation. (Incomplete citation from Google Books.)

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

1. Bennett's (1790)
2. Birch Creek (by 1769). Edwards published a membership list dated 1769 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 24. Edwards states many of these families had moved to Pittsylvania County from Fauquier County.
3. Black Water (by 1768).
4. County Line (1771)
5. Dan River (by 1767). Edwards published a list of early members in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 52.
6. Double Creek (1803)
7. Fall Creek (1771). Edwards published a membership list dated 1770 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 56-57.
8. Lower Banister (1798)
9. Mill Church (1770)
10. Shockhoe (1803)
11. Stanton (1761).
12. Stewart's Creek
13. Stinking River (1800). Records of Stinking Creek Baptist Church (beginning in 1816) were published in VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 2 (May 1982) and Vol. 4, No. 3 (Aug. 1982): FS Library Film 1697410 Items 1-12.
14. Union (1789)
15. Upper Banister (1773)
16. White Thorn (1791)
17. Winns Creek (by 1771) Edwards published a membership list dated 1769 in [http://repository.
18. Zion's Hill (1807)

• 1776 Petition of Baptists (10,000 names!) and sympathizers from all over Virginia, dated 16 October 1776, asking for an end to persecution of Baptists by the established church. After locating your ancestor, view the digital copies.
  – Digital copies at Library of Congress; also at Library of Virginia
  – Hall, Jean Pickett. "Legislative Petitions: the 10,000 name petition" transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39, (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia Genealogical Society, 1983-) online at Ancestry ($) and in book form at various libraries.
  Pittsylvania County fell within the bounds of the Roanoke Association.
• Leek, Charles F. and Pittsylvania Baptist Association. The History of Pittsylvania Baptist Association, 1788-1963. Danville, Va.: Pittsylvania Baptist Association, 1963. FS Library Book 975.5665 K2L.
• Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society. Abstracts of Mt. Ararat Primitive Baptist Church near Whitmell, Pittsylvania County, Virginia: Includes Biographies of Area Primitive Baptist Ministers. Danville, Virginia Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society, 1981. Available at FS Library.

An article on Primitive Baptist Churches in Pittsylvania County was published in:

• Piedmont Lineages, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Nov. 1999). FS Library Book 975 D25b v. 21 (1999).

Church of England

• See also Camden Parish
• Meade's 1861 history of parishes in Pittsylvania County is available online.
• Clement, Mrs. N.E. "Colonial Churches in Pittsylvania County," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Apr. 1914):173-176. Available at JSTOR - free.

Quaker
Early monthly meetings (with years of existence):

• Reedy Island Monthly Meeting (1792-1812)

Court Records

Online Court Indexes and Records

General

• Melton, Herman. Pittsylvania County's Historic Courthouse: The Story Behind ExParte Virginia and the Making of a National Landmark. Central Virginia Printing, Inc., 1999.

Chancery

• Azariah Bailey (complainant.), George W. Hall (vegetarian.), William H. Shields (respondent.), Nathaniel E. Witcher (respondent.), Virginia. Circuit Court. Record of a Suit in Chancery, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Azariah Bailey vs. George W. Hall, Wm. H. Shields & Nathaniel N. Witcher. 1858. (Citation from Google Books.)

Directories

• 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary

Emigration and Immigration

For databases and immigrant groups, see Virginia Emigration and Immigration

• List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Virginia are online at: Immigrant Servants Database.
  

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

African American
In 1860, Pittsylvania County had one of the largest enslaved populations in the state (14,340 slaves). Ten years later in 1870, it had one of the largest African American populations in Virginia (16,084) - the town of Danville in particular.

• 1865-1872 Virginia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Griffith, Alva H. Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Register of Free Negroes and Related Documentation. Maryland: Heritage Books, 2001.
• Heinegg, Paul. "Pittsylvania County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1823," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
• Randolph, John. "Letter to Walter Coles, Pittsylvania," 1821. Discusses one of Randolph's slaves.
• Search the Library of Virginia's Virginia Untold collection for digitized records related to African Americans of Pittsylvania County.

Funeral Homes

• 1935-2009 Virginia, African-American Funeral Programs, 1935-2009 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Colbert-Moran Funeral Home, Inc. in Gretna Fisher and Watkins Funeral Home in Danville Howerton Funeral Home in Chatham J.L.Dodson and Sons Funeral Establishment in Danville Miller Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Gretna Norris Funeral Services, Inc. & Crematory in Chatham Norris Funeral Services, Inc. & Crematory in Danville Swicegood-Barker Funeral Home in Danville Townes Funeral Home in Danville Wilson Funeral Service and Cremation Inc. in Danville Wrenn-Yeatts Funeral Home Westover Chapel in Danville

Genealogies

Compiled Genealogies by Surname

• See Pittsylvania County, Virginia Compiled Genealogies for a list of published books and articles, or jump to the surname using the alphabet bar.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Compiled Genealogies for Multiple Families

• Fitzgerald, Madelene Vaden. Pittsylvania: Homes and People of the Past. Danville, Va.: Womack Press, 1974. FS Library Book 975.5665 H2f
  
• Pittsylvania County Virginia Heritage 1767-2004. Pittsylvania County Heritage Book Committee and County Heritage, Inc., 2004.
• Pritchett, John W. Southside Virginia Genealogies. CD-ROM. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2007. Free online index, courtesy: Virginians - The Family History of John W. Pritchett. Includes a great deal of information about residents of Pittsylvania County, see discussion of cited sources. FS Catalog Collection CD-ROM no. 3887.

Land and Property Records

For land indexes, records, and databases, see Virginia Land and Property, including Colonial and State Land Grants.

Online Land Indexes and Records

• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

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.

• Hudgins, 1440 patents dated 1738-1819 in what is now Pittsylvania 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.

Record Book

• Stith, Drury. Entries from an Old Record Book of Drury Stith Concerning Land and Property in Pittsylvania County, 1737-1770. Microfilmed reproduction available at FS Library.

Tracts

• Tucker, George. To the Freeholders of the Counties of Campbell, Pittsylvania and Halifax. Printed at the Virginian Office, 1824.

Local Histories

• Clement, Maud Carter. History of Pittsylvania County Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia: J. P. Bell Co., 1929. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). Reviewed in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 38, No. 3 (Jul. 1930):280-281. Review available at JSTOR ($).

Historic Residences

• Fitzgerald, Madelene Vaden. Pittsylvania: Homes and People of the Past. Danville, Virginia: Womack Press, 1974. Available at FS Library.

Maps and Gazetteers

County and state maps, historical and more current, are valuable research tools. For map collections, online and in libraries, see Virginia Maps.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

• FamilySearch Places: Cities and Towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration

• Bell, Mary McCampbell. "Some Migrations from Virginia to South Carolina," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Summer 1985):127-129. FS Library Book 975.7 B2sc v. 13
• Elliott, Katherine B. Emigration to Other States from Southside Virginia. 2 vols. South Hill, Virginia: K.B. Elliott, 1966. Vol. 1 of original edition available at FS Library; 1983 reprints (both volumes) available at FS Library; 1990-1992 reprints (both volumes) also available at FS Library. Includes individuals who migrated out of Pittsylvania County to other parts of the country.

Military Records

French and Indian War

• Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Virginia's Colonial Soldiers. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988. Available at FS Library. Online at: Ancestry ($). Identifies some Pittsylvania County veterans; see place name index.

Revolutionary War

• Daughters of the American Colonists. Texas Society. The Rose Window of San Jose Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. San Antonio De Bexar Chapter (San Antonio, Tex.), Lucy Alice Posey. Patriots Who Took the Oath of Allegiance, 1777, Pittsylvania County, Virginia: Notarized by Pittsylvania County Clerk. The Chapter, 1977.
• Hurt, Frances Hallam. An Intimate History of the American Revolution in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Danville, Virginia: Womack Press, 1976. Available at FS Library.
• "Revolutionary Pension Declarations from Pittsylvania County, Va.," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Oct. 1908):174-183; Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan. 1909):73-80; Vol. 20, No. 3 (Jul. 1912):259-266; Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr. 1917):149-160. Available at JSTOR ($).
• Watts, Dorothy Chambers. "Some Pittsylvania County, Virginia, Militia Officers," [1775] The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1979):225-226. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• White, Elizabeth Tunstall and VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society. Military Records of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1767-1783: Taken from Judgment Books, 1-2-and 4 and Deed, Book 4. VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society, 1983.
• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Virginia, Eastern District, Pittsylvania County on page 132.
• Rejected or Suspended Applications for Revolutionary War Pensions. Washington, D.C., 1852. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1969, and 1991. Reprints include "an Added Index to States." FS Library Book 973 M24ur; digital version at Ancestry ($). Includes veterans. Virginia section begins on page 238.
• Pittsylvania County residents' participation in the Revolutionary War.

Regiments. Service men in Pittsylvania County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Pittsylvania County supplied soldiers for the:

- 6th Virginia Regiment

- 14th Virginia Regiment

War of 1812

• Pittsylvania county History.com War of 1812 Soldiers Graves
• Douthat, James L. Roster of War of 1812, Southside, Virginia. Signal Mountain, Tenn.: Mountain Press, 2007. Mountain Press provides online surname index. FS Catalog Collection 975.5 M2djL. Includes Pittsylvania 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. FS Catalog Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; online at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Virginia, Pittsylvania County, p. 98. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Regiments. Pittsylvania County men served in the 42nd and 101st Regiment.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 Virginia, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
• Clement, Maud Carter. War Recollections of the Confederate Veterans of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1861-1865. Chatham, Virginia: The Rawley Martin Chapter, Virginia Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1961. Reviewed by Mildred K. Bushong in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 70, No. 2 (Apr. 1962):215-217. Review available at JSTOR ($).
• McClurken, Jeffrey W. After the Battle: Reconstructing the Confederate Veteran Family in Pittsylvania County and Danville, Virginia, 1860-1900. Johns Hopkins University, 2002.
• Williams, Mike K. Confederate Soldiers of Pittsylvania County & Danville. Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 1988. Available at FS Library.

Regiments. Civil War service men in Pittsylvania County 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 here:

- 5th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (12 months, 1861-62) (Mullins') (Confederate). Company C (Danville Cavalry).

- 6th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Confederate).

- 18th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Danville Blues), Company B (Danville Grays), and Company I (Spring Garden Blues).

- 21st Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company H (Chalk Level Grays) and Company I (Turkey Cock Grays).

- 38th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Pittsylvania Regiment) (Confederate). Company A, Company B (Pittsylvania Vindicators), Company C (Laurel Grove Riflemen), Company D (Whitmell Guards), Company E (Cabell Guards), Company H (Secession Guards), and Company K (The Cascade Rifles).

- 46th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company A (Liberty Guards).

- 53rd Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Company B (Chatham Grays).

- 57th Regiment, Virginia Infantry (Confederate). Companies D (The Galveston Tigers), E (Pigg River Greys), F (Henry and Pittsylvania Rifles), G (Ladies Guard), and I (Pittsylvania Life Guards).

World War I

• Williams, Hugh T. and Samuel Gardner Walker. Why Soldiers Do Not Talk About the War: Or, Danville and Pittsylvania County's Part. A History of Company "C", 116th Infantry; Battery "E", 111th Field Artillery; Sixth Company, Coast Artillery; Together with Complete Alphabetical Rosters of Officers and Men. Rosters of Danville and Pittsylvania ... J.T. Townes Print. Co., 1919.

World War II

• 1940-1945 Virginia, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Naturalization and Citizenship

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records

• 1906-1929 Virginia Naturalization Petitions, 1906-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Newspapers

For online newspaper resources, see the Virginia Newspapers page.

• 1800s-Current Virginia, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 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.

Other Records

Private Papers

• 1607-2007 Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• [Shelton] Shelton, William Christopher and R.D. Ricketts. A Diary Kept by William C. Shelton for the Year 1850: The Daily Journal of a School Master and Farmer of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. n.p.: n.p., 199-?. FS Library Collection.

Probate Records

For statewide probate records, indexes, and databases, see Virginia Probate Records.

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• 1639-1850 Virginia Land, Marriage and Probate Records 1639-1850 at Ancestry — index, incomplete ($)
• 1652-1900 Virginia, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1900 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1809-1853 Images of Wills, Estates, Inventories Virginia Pioneers ($)
• 1854-1865 Wills, Estates, Inventories from Circuit Court Virginia Pioneers ($)
• Images of Accounts (Estate Inventories) 1770-1778, No. 1; 1788-1797, No. 2; 1797-1805, No. 3; 1805-1812, No. 4. Virginia Pioneers.net ($)
• Images of Wills , Deeds 1774-1778, No. 4; 1767-1780, No. 5; 1791-1794, No. 9; 1794-1797, No. 10; 1780-1820, No. 11. Virginia Pioneers.net ($)
• Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

For additional online collections and the value and use of Virginia's tax lists in your research, see Virginia Taxation.

Online Tax Indexes and Records

• Tithe lists for 1773, 1774, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1781, and 1782 are kept at the Library of Virginia. Digital version at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• 1767 "First List of Tithables of Pittsylvania County, Year 1767," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Jan. 1915):79-80; Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jul. 1915):303-304; Vol. 23, No. 4 (Oct. 1915):371-380; Vol. 24, No. 2 (Apr. 1916):180-192; Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jun. 1916):271-274. Available at FS Library; reprinted in Virginia Tax Records Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983, which is also available at FS Library; digital version at JSTOR; Ancestry ($).
• 1767 Clement, Maud Carter, The History of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Lynchburg, Virginia: J. P. Bell Co., 1929. Digital version at Ancestry ($); USGenWeb Archives. Includes 1767 tithe list.
• 1770 Tithables, 1770, Southside Virginian. Online at Internet Archive: Vol. 4, No. 3 (Apr. 1986); Vol. 5, No. 2 (Apr. 1987); Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1987); Vol. 6, No. 2 (Apr. 1988); Vol. 7, No. 3 (Jul. 1989); also at: Internet Archive search.
• 1770-1774 Tithables List, 1770-1774, Piedmont Lineages. Danville VA: May 2005. Vol. 27 Iss. 2.
• 1773 Tithables, 1773, Piedmont Lineages, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Feb. 1991); Vol. 13, No. 2 (May 1991); Vol. 13, No. 3 (Aug. 1991); Vol. 13, No. 4 (Nov. 1991); Vol. 14, No. 1 (Feb. 1992).
• 1782 1782 Land Taxes Pittsylvania County, Virginia at VAGenWeb
• 1782-1787 Virginia tax payers, 1782-87, other than those published by the United Stated Census Bureau. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
• 1782-1802 Austin, Gayle. The Land Tax Lists of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1782-1802. Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 2006. Available at FS Library.
• 1782-1823 Heinegg, Paul. "Pittsylvania County Personal Property Tax List, 1782-1823," Free African Americans.com. Heinegg abstracted free blacks listed in these records.
• 1782-1850 Pittsylvania County, Virginia Personal property tax lists, 1782-1850. Original records, Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.; microfilmed reproduction available at FS films - images.
• 1783 Personal Property (or Land) Tax List, 1783; index online at Revolutionary War Service website.
• 1783 1783 Alterations to Pittsylvania County Land Tax at VAGenWeb.
• 1784 1784 Alterations to Pittsylvania County Land Tax at VAGenWeb.
• 1785 1785 Alterations to Pittsylvania County Land Tax at VAGenWeb.
• 1785 Insolvents Tax List, 1785, Virginia Appalachian Notes, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Feb. 1981); online at Roanoke Public Library.
• 1785 Tax List, 1785, Non-residents/Insolvents, VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Aug. 1981).
• 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. FS Library. The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Pittsylvania County is included in Vol. 1.
• 1788-1806 Select abstracts from Personal Property Tax Lists, 1788-1806, Piedmont Lineages. Danville VA: Aug 2004. Vol. 26 Iss. 3.
• 1793 Top Land Owners from Tax List, 1793, Piedmont Lineages. Danville VA: Feb 2007. Vol. 29 Iss. 1.
• 1797 Land Tax List, 1797, Piedmont Lineages, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Aug. 1998); Vol. 20, No. 4 (Nov. 1998); Vol. 21, No. 1 (Feb. 1999); Vol. 21, No. 2 (May 1999); Vol. 21, No. 3 (Aug. 1999); Vol. 21, No. 4 (Nov. 1999);
• 1800 County tax list, 1800, The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 48 Iss. 4 (Oct 2004), pp. 285-299; Vol. 49 Iss. 1 (Jan 2005), pp. 49-62. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• 1810 Schreiner-Yates, Netti. A Supplement to the 1810 Census of Virginia: Tax Lists of the Counties for which the Census is Missing. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1971. Available at FS Library. The source for this publication is the 1810 personal property tax list. Pittsylvania County is included because the 1810 Census for that county has been destroyed.
• 1815 Ward, Roger D. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners (and Gazetteer). 6 vols. Athens, Georgia: Iberian Pub. Co., 1997-2000. Available at FS Library. The source for this publication is the 1815 land tax. Pittsylvania County is included in Vol. 2.

Vital Records

For additional indexes, databases, and details, see Virginia Vital Records.

Birth

• 1584-1917 Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1715-1901 Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1866 Virginia, Slave Birth Index, 1853-1866 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1896 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Birth Records, 1853-1896 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images, coverage may vary
• 1853-1896 Fridley, Beth, comp. Danville, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Births, 1853-96 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: Library of Virginia, Richmond VA. Available at Ancestry ($).
• 1912-1913 Virginia, Birth Certificates, 1912-1913 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Marriage

• 1660-1800 Virginia Marriages 1660-1800 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1660-1959 Virginia, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index($) — index $
• 1700-1799 Pittsylvania County, VA Marriages 1700-1799 - free.
• 1715-1901 Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1740-1850 Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1767-1805 Knorr, Catherine Lindsay. Marriage Bonds and Ministers' Returns of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1767-1805. Pine Bluff, Arkansas, 1956. 1956 edition and 1982 reprintavailable at FS Library.
• 1760s-1780 James, Edward W. et al. "Marriage Bonds, Pittsylvania County," [1760s-1780] The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Oct. 1897):86-87; Vol. 6, No. 4 (Apr. 1898):220-221; Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jul. 1898):55-56; Vol. 20, No. 2, (Labeled issue 1) (Oct., 1911):143-144. Available at JSTOR ($).
• 1771-1989 Virginia, County Marriage Records, 1771-1989 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1785-1940 Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
• 1785-1940 Virginia, Select Marriages, 1785-1940 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1806-1830 Williams, Kathleen Booth. Marriages of Pittsylvania County, 1806-1830. Danville, Virginia, 1965.
• 1853-1935 Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, County Marriage Registers, 1853-1935 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
• 1862-1875 Virginia Marriages 1862-1875 (Ancestry) ($).
• 1936-1988 Virginia, Marriage Certificates, 1936-1988 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Death

• 1715-1901 Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1853-1859 Death Records of Pittsylvania County 1853-1859 at VAGenWeb
• 1853-1911 Virginia, U.S., Death Registers, 1853-1911 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1853-1912 Virginia Deaths and Burials, 1853-1912 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1912-1987 Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Divorce

• 1918-1988 Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988 at FamilySearch — index & images

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Pittsylvania County. For state-wide facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Caswell North Carolina FamilySearch Center
• Danville Virginia FamilySearch Center
• Eden North Carolina FamilySearch Center
• Roanoke Virginia FamilySearch Center

• Blue Ridge Regional Library - Bassett Branch - an affiliate library
• Blue Ridge Regional Library - Collinsville Branch - an affiliate library
• Blue Ridge Regional Library - Martinsville Branch - an affiliate library
• Roanoke Public Libraries - an affiliate library

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Pittsylvania County. For state-wide library facilities, see Virginia Archives and Libraries.

Bassett Historical Center, Bassett, Virginia.
Website includes descriptions of collections. Excellent resource for family history research in Henry, Patrick, Floyd, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties in Virginia, the city of Martinsville, Virginia, and Rockingham, Stokes and Surry counties in North Carolina.

• VA-NC Piedmont Genealogical Society

Societies

Listed below are societies in Pittsylvania County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Virginia Societies.

Websites

• Pittsylvania County, Virginia Genweb, USGENWEB

• FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

• "A Guide to the Counties of Virginia: Pittsylvania County," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1976):119-123. Available at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
• Boisseau, Mary Leigh. "Research Opportunities in Danville and Pittsylvania County," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 18, No. 5 (Sept.-Oct. 1992):1-3. Available at FS Library; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.
• Sweeney, Alice J. "Bassett Historical Center," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Aug. 2002):1-3. Available at FS Library; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.