My good friend Jackie sent me this...I hope it helps someone ... Fran From: Betty Dotson Renick <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Virginia/West Virginia Counties > Date: Tuesday, December 29, 1998 12:28 PM > > I copied this from a WV website some time ago and thought it might be > helpful to others trying to sort out which county was developed when and > from what other county. Hope it helps someone. Betty > > History of West Virginia > > West Virginia was used as a hunting ground by a number of Indian tribes as > early as 14,000 years ago > until the 1700s when they were forced out by white settlers. > [1669] - German explorer John Lederer and his group reached the crest of the > Blue Ridge Mountains in > an western expedition and is believed to be the first white men to see West > Virginia. > [1671] - Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam led an expedition in search of > hunting grounds and > transportation routes into what is now West Virginia. > [1726-1731] - Morgan Morgan of Delaware, believed to be the first white > settler in what is now West > Virginia, established a home at Bunker Hill, now Berkeley county. > 1727 - Germans establish a settlement at New Mecklenburg, now Shepherdtown > in Berkeley county. > 1742 - Coal was discovered by John Salley near Racine. > 1743 - Frederick county was formed from part of Orange county and included > what is now the eastern > panhandle of West Virginia. > 1745 - Augusta county was formed from part of Orange county and included > almost all of what is now > West Virginia. > 1754 - Hampshire county was formed from parts of Augusta and Frederick > counties. > 1770 - Botetourt county was formed from part of Augusta county and included > what is now southern > West Virginia, as well as southwest Virginia, southern Ohio and Kentucky. > 1774 - The Battle of Point Pleasant, considered the first battle of the > Revolutionary War by some > historians, was fought at Point Pleasant, Virginia (now West Virginia). > 1775 - West Augusta District was designated by Virginia and included all of > West Virginia and the > western part of Pennsylvania. > 1776 - Monongalia and Ohio counties were formed from part of Augusta county. > People in the western > counties of Virginia sent petitions to the Continental Congress asking for a > separation of government > from Virginia. They proposed that the new state be called Westsylvania. The > separation was not > granted. > 1777 - Montgomery county (Virginia) was formed from Fincastle county and > included parts of present > day southern West Virginia. > 1778 - Greenbrier county was formed from Montgomery and Botetourt counties > and encompassed most > of the southern half of present day West Virginia. > 1779 - Virginia ceded much of the northern part of the West Augusta District > to Pennsylvania. > 1784 - Harrison county was formed from part of Monongalia county. > 1786 - Hardy county was formed from the southern half of Hampshire county. > 1787 - Randolph county was formed from part of Harrison county. > 1789 - Kanawha county was formed from parts of Greenbrier and Montgomery > counties. > 1790 - Wythe county was formed from Montgomery county and included part of > what is now > southern West Virginia. The estimated total population of what is now West > Virginia was 55,873 > 1797 - Brooke county was formed from northern Ohio county. > 1798 - Wood county was formed from part of eastern Harrison county. > 1799 - Monroe county was formed from the southern part of Greenbrier county. > 1800 - Tazewell county was formed from parts of Wythe and Russell and > included a section of > what is now southern West Virginia. The 1800 Virginia Federal Census was > taken and the estimated > population of that part which began West Virginia was 78,592. > 1801 - Jefferson county was formed from the eastern section of Berkeley > county. > 1804 - Mason county was formed from a northwestern section of Kanawha > county. > 1806 - Giles county was formed from parts of Montgomery, Monroe and Tazewell > counties and includes > a section of what is now in southern West Virginia. > 1809 - Cabell county was formed from a southwestern section of Kanawha > county. > 1810 - The 1810 Virginia Federal Census was taken and the estimated > population of what is now > West Virginia is estimated to be 105,469. > 1814 - Tyler county was formed from southern Ohio county. > 1816 - Lewis county was formed from the southwestern section of Harrison > county. > 1818 - Preston county was formed from eastern Monongalia county. Nicholas > county was formed from > parts of Greenbrier, Kanawha and Randolph counties near the middle of > present day West Virginia. > 1820 - Morgan county was formed from parts of Berkeley and Hampshire > counties. The 1820 > Virginia Federal Census was taken and the population of the part that later > became West Virginia is > estimated to be 136,808. > 1821 - Pocahontas county was formed from parts of Bath, Pendleton and > Randolph counties along the > eastern boundary of present day West Virginia. > 1824 - Logan county was formed from parts of Giles, Cabell, Tazewell and > Kanawha counties along the > southern boundary of present day West Virginia. > 1830 - The 1830 Virginia Federal Census was taken and the estimated > population is 176,924 for > that portion which later became West Virginia. > 1831 - Fayette county was formed from parts of Logan, Greenbrier, Nicholas > and Kanawha counties. > Jackson county was formed from parts of Mason, Kanawha and Wood counties. > 1835 - The first railroad reaches Harper's Ferry. Marshall county was formed > from the southern part of > Ohio county. > 1836 - Braxton county was formed from parts of Lewis, Kanawha and Nicholas > counties. > 1837 - Mercer county was formed from parts of Giles and Tazewell counties. > 1840 - The 1840 Virginia Federal Census was taken and the population of that > portion which later > became West Virginia is estimated at 224,537. > 1842 - Marion county was formed from parts of Monongalia and Harrison > county. Wayne county was > formed from a western section of Cabell county. > 1843 - Ritchie county was formed from Harrison, Lewis and Wood counties. > Barbour county was formed > from Harrison, Lewis and Randolph counties. > 1844 - Taylor county was formed from Harrison, Barbour and Marion counties. > 1845 - Gilmer county was formed from Lewis and Kanawha counties. Doddridge > county is formed from > parts of Harrison, Tyler, Ritchie and Lewis counties. > 1846 - Wetzel county was formed from part of Tyler county. > 1847 - Boone county was formed from part of Kanawha, Cabell and Logan > counties. > 1848 - Hancock county was formed from the northern part of Brooke county. > Wirt county was formed > from parts of Wood and Jackson counties. Putnam county was formed from parts > of Kanawha, Cabell > and Mason counties. > 1850 - Raleigh county was formed from part of Fayette county. Wyoming county > is formed from part of > Logan county. The 1850 Virginia Federal Census was taken and the population > in the area which later > became West Virginia was 302,313. > 1851 - Upshur county was formed from parts of Randolph, Barbour and Lewis > counties. Pleasants > county was formed from parts of Wood, Tyler and Ritchie counties. > 1856 - Calhoun county was formed from part of Gilmer county. Roane county > was formed from parts of > Kanawha, Jackson and Gilmer counties. Tucker county was formed from part of > Randolph county. > 1858 - McDowell county was formed from part of Tazewell county and formed a > southern boundary for > present day West Virginia. Clay county was formed from part of Braxton and > Nicholas counties. > 1859 - John Brown and his followers attacked the federal arsenel at Harper's > Ferry. > 1860 - Webster county was formed from parts of Nicholas, Braxton and > Randolph counties. The 1860 > Virginia Federal Census was taken and the population of that portion which > shortly after became West > Virginia was 376,688 persons. > 1861 - Virginia seceded from the Union. The counties of western Virginia > refuse to secede and > organized a separate government supporting the Union. West Virginia > contributed 32,000 soldiers to the > Union army and about 9,000 to the Confederate army. > Members of West Virginia's First Constitutional Convention (November, 1861) > 1863 - West Virginia became the 35th state. > 1866 - Mineral county was formed from part of Hampshire county. Grant county > was formed from part of > Hardy county. > 1867 - Lincoln county was formed from part of Boone, Cabell, Kanawha and > Putnam counties. > 1870 - West Virginia's First Census was taken and it had a population of > 442,014 people. > 1871 - Summers county was formed from parts of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer > and Monroe counties. > 1880 - The 1880 Federal Census was taken and West Virginia had a population > of 618,457 persons. > 1885 - The capitol of West Virginia was established in Charleston. > 1890 - The 1890 Federal Census was taken and West Virginia's population was > 762,794. > 1895 - Mingo county was formed from part of Logan county. > 1900 - The 1900 Federal Census was taken and West Virginia's population > increased to 958,800. >