I'm sure this is old news to most of you, but I will post it anyway. 4-5 Formation of Counties of VA from Charles City County, est. 1634 to Franklin County, est. 1785 Source: The Hornbook of VA History, A Ready Reference Guide to the Old Dominion’s People, Places, and Past, Fourth Edition, Edited by Emily J. Salmon and Edward D. C. Campbell Jr., The Library of VA, Richmond, 1994 Charles City County was named for Charles I of England and was one of the eight shires established in 1634. Its area is 204 square miles, and the county seat is Charles City. Population 6,282. Prince George County was named for Prince George of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne of England. It was formed from Charles City County in 1702. Its area is 276 square miles, and the county seat is Prince George. Population 27, 394. Brunswick County was named for the duchy of Brunswick-Lunenburg, one of the German possessions of George I. It was formed in 1720 from Prince George County, but, because of the sparse population, county government was not organized until 1732. In the latter year Brunswick County was enlarged by the addition of parts of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties. Its area is 579 square miles, and the county seat is Lawrenceville. Population 15,987. Lunenburg County was named for George II, duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg, a German possession of England’s Hanoverian kings. It was formed from Brunswick County in 1745. Its area is 443 square miles, and the county seat is Lunenburg. Population 20,235. Halifax County was named for George Montagu Dunk, second earl of Halifax, who was president of the Board of Trade from 1748 to 1761. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1752. Its area is 805.7 square miles, and the county seat is Halifax. Population 29,033. Pittsylvania County was named in honor of William Pitt, first earl of Chatham, a great English statesman. It was formed from Halifax County in 1766. Its area is 982.89 square miles, and the county seat is Chatham. Population 17,473. Bedford County probably was named for John Russell, fourth duke of Bedford, who, as secretary of state for the southern department from 1748 to 1751, had general supervision of colonial affairs. It was formed from Lunenburg County in 1753, and parts of Albemarle and Lunenburg Counties were added later. Its area is 764 square miles, and the county seat is Bedford. Population 45,656. Henry County was named for Patrick Henry, revolutionary leader and first governor of the commonwealth of Virginia. It was formed from Pittsylvania County in 1776. Its area is 385 square miles, and the county seat is Martinsville. Population 56,942. Patrick County, like Henry County, was named for Patrick Henry. It was formed from Henry County in 1790. Its area is 469 square miles, and the county seat is Stuart. Population 17,473. Franklin County was named for Benjamin Franklin and was formed from Bedford and Henry Counties in 1785. Its area is 711.5 square miles, and the county seat is Rocky Mount. Population 39,549. Floyd County was named for John Floyd, governor of Virginia from 1830 to 1834. It was formed from Montgomery County in 1831, and part of Franklin County was added later. Its area is 383 square miles, and the county seat is Floyd. Population 12,005. We have to be careful about our assumptions of which counties we should search for our kin, especially very early. Old Brunswick, Lunenburg, Bedford and Campbell are no exceptions. County boundaries back in the 1700's were in a constant state of flux. The old Goochland/Albemarle/Amelie line was not the James River, but a line approximate to the Appomattox River. At the head of the Appomattox, the line dipped south for a few miles, then gradually moved northwest to the Blue Ridge. Hence, some of the northern areas of later Bedford/Campbell were part of some other county. The area of Lynchburg, for instance. It often took years for a courthouse to be built, and by the time the surveyors arrived, the boundaries changed again. Parts of Bedford/Campbell were given to Appomattox as late as the 1840's? Even the experts on the boundaries are unsure of where exactly they were at any given time. I've studied it much, and I still have no clue. You will see land patents and records in counties you least expect. Edwin