colony, Hanover County in the middle section was divided. The Act
ordered "all that tract of land now deemed to be a part of the said
county of Hanover lying above a straight course to be run from the
mouth of Little Rockey Creek on the River Northanna south, twenty
degrees west until it intersects the line of Goochland County" should
become a distinct county and known by the name of Louisa County. The
name honored a daughter of George II, as Amelia had done a few years
earlier.
Two years later the first of the eight counties eventually cut from
Goochland was created and given the name Albemarle. This was in honor of
William Anne Keppel, second Earl of Albemarle, Governor-General of the
Colony, 1737-1754. Like most of the Governors-General, he did not come
to Virginia, but the Lieutenant Governor as his deputy, performed the
duties of his office.
The bounds of Albemarle were to be divided from Goochland on the west
"by a line run from the point of fork of James River north, thirty
degrees east to the Louisa County line, and from the said point of fork
a direct course to Brooks mill and from thence the same course continued
to Appomattox River." "The point of fork" is the junction of the Rivanna
with the James. It will be noted by the reference to the Appomattox
River that Albemarle extended across James River just as Goochland did.
"Monticello" the beloved home of Thomas Jefferson, is in Albemarle
County, and in architecture and planning is another example of the
amazing versatility of his genius.
In 1746, the settlements in Brunswick County had grown to such an extent
that a new division was required. The line was ordered "to be run from
the county line where it crosses Roanoke River below the place called
the Horse Ford to strike Nottoway River at the south." The territory
above this line was to be called Lunenburg County. This title,
anglicized from the German form, Luneburg, was chosen since the Duchy of
Luneburg, like that of Brunswick, belonged to the Electorate of Hanover.
Lunenburg embraced a vast acreage stretching from the rolling country
where bright tobacco came to perfection as far west as the mountains and
on the south to the North Carolina boundary.
CUMBERLAND, CULPEPER, SOUTHAMPTON AND CHESTERFIELD CREATED, 1749
The western portion of Goochland lying on both sides of the James had,
in 1744, been taken to form the new county of Albemarle; now, five years
later, the southeast portion of Goochland was made into the new county
of Cumberland. The name was further honor for the Duke of Cumberland,
"The Butcher of Culloden." The growth in this locality had been hastened
by the arrival of numerous Huguenot families seeking asylum from
persecution in France. Manakintown was the name of their settlement. The
name is perpetuated in a newly erected Episcopal church not far from the
site of the settlement where the Agee, Fourqurean, Legrand, Michaux,
Guerrant, Flournoy and other families worship now, as they have done for
some 250 years.
In the same year that Cumberland was formed, a new county was taken from
Orange and named Culpeper, presumably in honor of Lord Culpeper,
Governor of Virginia 1680-1683, a compliment to Lord Fairfax "who had
inherited from him the ownership of the Northern Neck." Culpeper lay on
the south side of the Rappahannock and north of the Conway River
commonly called the fork of the Rappahannock River. The fork of the
Rappahannock was the area between the Rappahannock River and its
tributary, the Conway, now called the Rapidan. "Horseshoe Farm" is in
Culpeper County and takes its name from the bend or horseshoe made by
the Rapidan within which it is situated. While the residence is modern,
the farm is of colonial times and was once owned by Governor Spotswood.
It was from this house that, in 1741, he went to Annapolis, Maryland
expecting to sail with an expedition to join Admiral Vernon and attack
Cartagena in the Spanish Main. He died unexpectedly in Annapolis but,
strangely enough, considering his prominence, his burial place is
unknown.
Besides Culpeper and Cumberland, a third county, Southampton, was
formed in 1749. This was taken from that portion of Isle of Wight's
territory that lay west of Blackwater River. The name is said to honor,
tho belatedly, Henry Wriothesley, second Earl of Southampton, friend of
Shakespeare and a leading member of the Virginia Company of London. The
City of Hampton and Hampton River honor the same person. Southampton is
one of the cotton-raising counties of Virginia, and in the fall the
fields of cotton are a beautiful sight.
Still a fourth county was formed in 1749 and that was Chesterfield.
This, as was the case with the other three, represented no great
expansion, but was in line with the thesis long before laid down--"to
make justice accessible to all." Chesterfield is that part of Henrico
that lay on the south side of James River. Again we go to England for
the reason for this name and learn that it honors Philip Dormer
Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield, the celebrated Lord Chesterfield.
Though we think of him primarily as the epitome of good manners,
courtesy and tact, his political career was important too. His services
in Parliament, his lord lieutenancy of Ireland, his achievements on
different embassies, and as Secretary of State were of value to his
country. In Chesterfield County are the sites of the earliest iron works
in the colony and of the projected college just beginning to operate
when the 1622 Massacre destroyed everything.
In 1752, two new divisions were made. One of these was Halifax, the
first of the nine counties that were destined to be carved out of the
vast expanse of Lunenburg County. The bounds of Halifax were "all that
part thereof lying on the south side of Black-Water Creek and Staunton
river, from the said Black-Water creek to the confluence of the said
river with the river Dan and from thence to Aaron's creek to the county
line." The parish of Antrim coterminous with the county was established
when the county was created. The name Halifax honors George Montagu
Dunk, the second Earl of Halifax "who was First Lord of the Board of
Trade about that time and as such greatly interested himself in the
trade of the colonies." Halifax, Nova Scotia is a further memorial to
Lord Halifax.
The other county created in 1752 was Dinwiddie, taken from the southern
portion of Prince George. Its bounds began at the lower side "of the run
which falls into Appomattox river between the town of Blanford and
Bollings point warehouses to the outermost line of the glebe land and by
a south course and by the said outermost line of the glebe land to Surry
County." The name honored Robert Dinwiddie, Lieutenant Governor of
Virginia 1751-58. He held office during the troubled period of the
French and Indian Wars, in which George Washington, as a Colonel in the
Virginia Militia, participated.
In 1754 that part of Amelia County divided "by a line to run from Ward's
ford on Appomattox River to the mouth of Sail's creek on Nottoway river
and all that part of the said county which lies on the upper side of the
said line shall be one distinct county and called and known by the name
of Prince Edward." The name was in honor of a younger brother of King
George III, Prince Edward, Duke of Gloucester. This Prince was one of
the two brothers of George III, whose marriages to commoners led to the
passage of the famous Royal Marriage Act in 1772. Its well-known
provisions are that no descendant of King George III may marry when
under 25 years of age without consent of the reigning monarch or, if
over that age, without a consenting Act of Parliament. Prince Edward
Street in Fredericksburg is also named for this Prince as the city
itself is for his father.
Also in 1754, a second county was created from Lunenburg and called
Bedford. It comprised the area lying on the upper side of Falling-river
from its mouth "up the said river to the fork, thence up that fork
running by John Beard's to the head, thence by a line to be run from the
head thereof north, twenty degrees east to the line dividing the said
county from the county of Albemarle." It should be remembered that at
this time both the present Buckingham and Appomattox were a part of
Albemarle County. The new county honored "John Russell the fourth Duke
of Bedford who was Secretary of State of Great Britain February 13th
1748 to June 26th 1757." The parish, coterminous with the county and
created at the same time, also honored the Duke, being called Russell.
Another expansion at this time also on the south side of James River was
the formation of Sussex from Surry County. Sussex lies to the south of
Seacock Swamp on the line dividing Surry "from the county of
Southampton, thence a straight course to Blackwater at the mouth of
Coppohawk and up Blackwater to the line dividing" Surry from the county
of Prince George. Sussex took its name from the English shire. Albemarle
Parish formed in 1739 had included the area now made into Sussex, and,
in addition, a small portion of Surry. It was enacted that the portion
in Surry be added to Southwark Parish, and Albemarle Parish be made
coterminous with Sussex.
The fourth county formed in 1754 was Hampshire named for the English
shire. It is now in West Virginia. Since, however, its creation affected
the bounds of two already established Virginia Counties, the Act of
Assembly for its bounds is cited: "Whereas part of the county and parish
of Augusta lies within the bounds of the territory or tract of land
called the Northern Neck belong to the right honorable Thomas, Lord
Fairfax, Baron of Cameron and it will be more convenient if the dividing
line between the said territory and the other part of this colony be
established as the line of the said county and that part of the said
county be added to the county and parish of Frederick," it was enacted
therefore that the part of Augusta above mentioned be added to Frederick
which should then be divided into two counties and "all that part
thereof lying to the westward of the ridge of mountains commonly called
and known by the name of the Great North or Cape Capon mountains and
Warin spring mountain extending to Potomac river be one distinct county
and called and known by the name of Hampshire." When Augusta and
Frederick were authorized in 1738, the western bounds of the Northern
Neck Grant had not been surveyed. This was done in 1747, and the above
Act changed the previous limits of Augusta so that the entire county
would not be a part of the proprietary.
The name of the next new county reflected current happenings. For about
six years, 1754-1760, the colony was actively participating in the
struggle to crush French power in America. The Commander-in-Chief of the
British Forces in America was, for a time, John Campbell, fourth Earl of
Loudoun. His conduct of the war was severely criticized, and he was
recalled in December 1757. He was, for almost two years, titular
"Governor and Captain-General of Virginia," though his deputy
Lieutenant-Governor Robert Dinwiddie performed all the duties of the
office. Loudoun, the new county named for the Earl, was formed from
Fairfax County in 1757. It included "all that part thereof lying above
Difficult Run which falls into Potomac river and by a line to be run
from the head of the said run or straight course to the mouth of Rocky
run." The part "thereof below the said run and course" retained its
status as a distinct county and the name of Fairfax.
In 1759, the inhabitants of Prince William County complained of many
inconveniences "by reason of the great extent thereof and their remote
situation from the courthouse." Mindful that justice be accessible to
all, the Assembly enacted that Prince William be divided and "all that
part of the said county that lies above a line to be run from the head
of Bull Run and along the top of Bull run mountains to Chapman's mill,
in Broad run thoroughfare, from thence by a direct line till it
intersects the nearest part of the line dividing Stafford and Prince
William Counties" be known as Fauquier. This again honors an English
official but in this case a very popular one, Francis Fauquier, who, in
1758, succeeded Robert Dinwiddie as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He
served the colony for nearly ten years, dying in Williamsburg on 3 March
1768 "after a tedious illness which he bore with the greatest patience
and fortitude." Among the eulogies in prose to his memory, the following
verse may be noted:
"If ever virtue lost a friend sincere
If ever sorrow claimed Virginia's tear
If ever death a noble conquest made
'Twas when Fauquier the debt of nature paid."
With tobacco as the medium of exchange and as the most valuable export,
the economic base was too small for the large superstructure erected on
it. The taxes, fees, and commissions on exported tobacco were numerous
and onerous, the net return to the planter often did not cover the goods
he had ordered and his debt to his London agent increased. It was
British policy that her colonies should send her raw materials and buy
from her manufactured articles, thus giving her merchants a double
advantage and placing the colonists at double disadvantage. During the
1750's, the colony had been put to such great expense in prosecuting the
French and Indian War that for the first time an issue of paper money
was required. Economic conditions grew worse throughout the colony.
"WESTWARD-HO" TWENTY-SIX NEW COUNTIES, 1750-1770
The unceasing westward trek of settlers continued. In 1750-60, eight
counties were formed, between 1760-1770, eighteen new divisions
occurred, which evidences the great growth of population.
Albemarle was the next county to be divided. In 1761, it was enacted
that the portion "of the said county which lies on the south side of the
Fluvanna river" [old name for the James River above Richmond] "shall be
one distinct county and called and known by the name of Buckingham." By
the same legislation, "that other part of the said county which lies on
the north side of the Fluvanna river shall be divided from the
confluence of Rockfish river with the Fluvanna by Rockfish river to the
mouth of Green creek and thence a straight line to the house of Thomas
Bell to the Blue mountains, and all that part which lies above Rockfish
river and the lines aforesaid" shall be called Amherst County. Amherst
Parish at the same time was formed from Saint Anne's Parish and made
coterminous with the county of Amherst. Several years earlier, Tillotson
Parish had been formed from Saint Anne's to take care of the residents
of Amherst who lived on the south side of James River. It was now made
coterminous with the county of Buckingham.
The name Buckingham is probably for the Duke of Buckingham. Amherst
derives its name from "the hero of Ticonderoga, Major-General Sir
Jeffrey Amherst, the most successful as well as the most popular of all
the English Colonial Governors-General." He was titular Governor-General
of Virginia 1759-1768 while Francis Fauquier performed the duties of the
office.
Four years passed, and two more divisions were made in the western
portion of Lunenburg. The part of Lunenburg comprised in the parish of
Cornwall became Charlotte County and the portion in the parish of St.
James became Mecklenburg.
These counties were named, as is the city of Charlottesville, after
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became Queen of England on her
marriage to King George III.
We next find in 1767 that Halifax has grown to the point of division and
a new county, Pittsylvania, has been taken from its western portion.
Pittsylvania lay on the upper or western side "of a line to be run
across the mouth of Strait Stone creek on Staunton river to the country
line, near the mouth of the country line creek on Dan river." At the
same time, Antrim, which was the parish for Halifax, was divided and the
part lying in Pittsylvania became Camden. Pittsylvania honored "Sir
William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, the celebrated English statesman" whose
sympathy with them had endeared him to the colonists. A statue of him in
Westmoreland county, Virginia and another in Charleston, South Carolina
are further expressions of the affection felt for him.
BOTETOURT, 1770 HONORS A POPULAR COLONIAL GOVERNOR
The next county was, in the main, a rearrangement of already settled
territory bearing always in mind that easy access to justice was the
purpose of every division. The new county, Botetourt, was formed from
Augusta in 1770 and lay on the south side of a dividing "line beginning
at the Blue Ridge, running north fifty-five degrees west, to the
confluence of Mary's creek, or the south river, with the north branch of
James River, thence up the same to the mouth of Carr's creek, thence up
the said creek to the mountain, thence north, fifty-five degrees west as
far as the courts of the two counties shall extend it." The phrase to
note in the above is: "as far as the courts of the two counties shall
extend it," in other words, there was no limit to the western boundary.
The name Botetourt was for Norborne Berkeley, Lord de Botetourt,
Governor of Virginia 1768-1770. He died in Williamsburg in October 1770,
lamented and beloved for his interest in the colony and the College of
William and Mary. The House of Burgesses voted a sum of money to have a
statue of him made in London to stand in the old Capitol building. The
statue still exists, one of the most treasured possessions of the
College of William and Mary, and adorns its campus.
FREDERICK SUBDIVIDED
Two years later, the county of Frederick had a division on both its
eastern and northern ends. It was enacted by the Assembly that the
territory of Frederick be divided into three distinct counties: "on the
north by a line beginning in the line that divides the counties of
Frederick and Loudoun one mile and an half northward of the corner in
Williams' gap that at present divides the parishes of Frederick and
Norborne thence westward with a line exactly parallel to the line that
now divides the said parishes of Frederick and Norborne till it
intersects the line of Hampshire county; thence with the Hampshire line
to the corner dividing the parishes of Frederick and Beckford; thence
with the lines dividing the said parishes of Frederick and Beckford east
southeast to the south eastwardly bank of Cedar creek, thence binding on
the same to its confluence with the river Shenandoah; thence across the
said river east to the easterly bank of the same; thence down the said
river and binding on the same to the mouth of Passage creek; and thence
with a right line to the line of Culpeper, at the intersection of the
road leading through Chester's gap; thence with the Culpeper, Fauquier,
and Loudoun lines to the beginning." This area, so described, was to
remain Frederick County. "All that part of the county which lies between
the first mentioned line running from the said beginning in the line of
Loudoun county and Potomac river shall be ... known by the name of
Berkeley county." The remainder of what had been Frederick now became
Dunmore County. There had been three parishes in Frederick; of these
Frederick remained in the county, while Norborne appropriately became
the parish for Berkeley and Beckford for Dunmore.
Berkeley County named for Norborne Berkeley, Lord de Botetourt, later
became a part of West Virginia. It was further evidence of this
governor's popularity, Botetourt County having previously been named for
him.
DUNMORE RENAMED SHENANDOAH
Dunmore honored the new Governor, John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, who
succeeded Lord Botetourt. His popularity was short lived, and his
tyrannical acts, when he attempted to keep the colony loyal to the
crown, so enraged the people that he was forced to take refuge with his
family on a British warship. In 1777, still smarting over his behavior,
the Assembly changed the name of the county to Shenandoah for the
beautiful river that flows through it; the change to take effect
February 1, 1778.
FINCASTLE REACHES TO THE OHIO RIVER
In 1772, the county of Fincastle was formed from the western portion of
Botetourt. It is an evidence of rapidly growing settlements when for the
first time mention is made of "inhabitants and settlers on the waters of
Holston and New rivers." The territory of Fincastle was "within a line
to run up the east side of New river to the mouth of Culberson's creek,
thence a direct line to the Catawba road where it crosses the dividing
ridge between the north fork of Roanoke and the waters of New river,
thence with the top of the ridge to the bent where it turns eastwardly,
thence a south course crossing Little river to the top of the Blue Ridge
of mountains." The reason for the name Fincastle seems uncertain; one
version has it as being for George, Lord Fincastle, Lord Dunmore's son,
and the other that it was for the town of Fincastle established in 1772
and so named for Lord Botetourt's home in England.
VIRGINIA COUNTIES EXTENDED TO THE OHIO RIVER AND INCLUDE KENTUCKY
Fincastle County was an expansion of Augusta to the west but an
expansion to the northwest had been in progress since before 1754. In
that year, Governor Dinwiddie ordered a fort built on the present site
of Pittsburgh and issued a proclamation offering land in the area to
those who would enlist as soldiers for the French and Indian War. The
French captured the fort and named it Fort Duquesne. This outpost of
great strategic importance fell to the English in 1758 and was renamed
Fort Pitt. The area was under Virginia jurisdiction and called the
district of West Augusta being considered a part of Augusta County.
"County courts were held at Pittsburgh under Virginia jurisdiction and
the great section of country from the Alleghany mountains northwest to
the Ohio came to be called West Augusta. It was represented under this
name in the Conventions of 1775 and 1776. In October 1776, the district
of West Augusta was divided into the counties of Ohio, Yohogania and
Monongalia. A portion of this territory, including Pittsburgh, was
claimed by Pennsylvania and there was much disorder and some bloodshed
between the officers and adherents of the two Colonies. In 1779,
commissioners from Virginia and Pennsylvania finally settled the line
and Pittsburgh and the adjoining area were surrendered to Pennsylvania."
The above is the concise account, by the late W. G. Stanard, in an early
volume of the _Virginia Magazine of History and Biography_, of an almost
forgotten episode in western development. It explains why in the Augusta
County records in Staunton, Virginia are found deeds for land now in
Pennsylvania.
The bounds of these three new counties, Ohio, Yohogania and Monongalia
are set forth in detail in the Act of Assembly creating them, but are
not quoted here since they neither adjoin nor are a part of the
Commonwealth of Virginia now.
KENTUCKY A VIRGINIA COUNTY, 1776