Place Information
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Dinwiddie County is a county located in the U.S. state — officially, "Commonwealth" — of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 24,533. Its county seat is Dinwiddie.6 Be forewarned, Dinwiddie County is a major area for speed traps along Interstate Highway 85 (I85).
History
Dinwiddie County was formed May 1, 1752 from Prince George County. The county is named for Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 1751-58. However the first inhabitants of the area were in fact Paleo Indians, prior to 8000BC. They are believed to have been nomadic hunter-gatherers following animal migrations. Early stone tools have been discovered in various fields within the county. The county raised several militia units that would fight in the American Revolution. Dinwiddie County was the birthplace of Elizbeth(Burwell)Hobbs Keckly who worked for Mrs. Jefferson Davis and later Mrs. Lincoln as a free black dressmaker; Thomas Day, later at Milton, NC well noted there as a free black cabinetmaker and within the state of NC and southern VA; and Dr. Thomas Stewart, perhaps America's first free black 18th century rural physican. During the Civil War the Battle of Lewis's Farm, fought along Quaker Road [Rt. 660] occurred on 29 March 1865, this was the first in a series of attempts by Grant's army to cut Lee's final supply line -- the South Side Railroad -- in spring 1865. Here the Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain engaged Confederates under Maj. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson. After sharp fighting, the Union troops entrenched nearby along the Boydton Plank Road and Johnson withdrew to his lines at White Oak Road. The Union army cut the rail line four days later, after capturing Five Forks on 1 April, 1865, at the Battle of Five Forks. Several other engagements were fought in Dinwiddie County including the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House, Battle of Sutherland's Station, Battle of White Oak Road The Dinwiddie County Historical Society currently occupies the old historic Dinwiddie County Court House. Timeline
Population History
Note: Petersburg city, formed mainly from Dinwiddie County (1880 population 19,151); also included territory from Chesterfield County (1,312) and Prince George County (1,193). Annexations after 1970 from Prince George (1970 population 4,721) and Dinwiddie (3,378). Research Tips
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