In a message dated 3/31/99 7:52:02 PM Pacific Standard Time, bagygenz@napanet.net writes: << Was Augusta at any time called Hampshire County? Here's my problem. The will of William Kimsey (who, along with wife Elizabeth and brother Benjamin appear in Chalkley Abstracts) was made in 1778 in "Hampshire County\, in the colony of Virginia". It was also filed there. Problem is, I can't find any Hampshire County. I suspect it may be an old county that was renamed, but I can find no trace of it. Can anyone help?? >> Judy, According to "Everton's Handybook for Genealogists." Augusta County was formed from Orange County, VA., in 1738. Then also in 1738, Frederick County, VA., wa formed from Orange and Augusta Counties. In 1753, Hanpshire County was formed from Frederick County, VA. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, fifty western counties united and petitioned Congress for re-admittance to the union. The state of West Viriginia was admitted to the Union in 1863. That is where Hampshire County is located now -- right across the state boundary from Frederick County. All the records may be in Hampshire County court house on Main Street, Romney, WV 26757-1696. Handybook says they have Probate records from 1780, and birth, death and marriage records from 1865. Good luck Jim McClenahan...........Mccthescor@aol.com Researching: Bequette, Birlew, Blow, Breckenridge, Burns, Cabell, Cantrell, Carlisle, Carron, Charelville, Chartran, Chartrau, Clay, Cowan, Cunningham, DeRousse, Desha, Doak, DuClos, Dufour, Ewing, Frazier, Gamble, Gilmer, Godair, Godare, Godat, Hursey, Janis, Jennings, Kincaid, Labruyere, Lalumondier, Langlois, Laws, Lesser, Louvier, Lutman, Madison, Manning, McClanahan, McClenahan, Mullersman, Neely, Nevois, Orr, Patterson, Peyton, Pinkston, Poage, Preston, Sebastian, Spicer, St. Clair, Steinmetz, Taliaferro, Wagner.