How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their FormationHiden, Martha W. (Martha Woodroof)
History
How Justice Grew: Virginia Counties, An Abstract of Their Formation
Hiden, Martha W. (Martha Woodroof)
Counties -- Virginia -- History; Virginia -- History; Virginia -- History, Local
Also, in 1777, Albemarle was divided "by a line beginning at the most
western point in the line of Louisa County and running thence directly
to the lower edge of Stott's ferry on the Fluvanna river and that part
which lies south eastward of the said line together with the islands in
the Fluvanna river adjacent thereto shall be called by the name of
Fluvanna county." The county was named for the river and the river was
so called in honor of Queen Anne whose name is borne by four other
Virginia rivers. Fluvanna, used for most of the eighteenth century, was
the title given the James River above its falls at Richmond. Tobacco and
other merchandise was taken in bateaux down this river to Richmond.
Both Henry and Fluvanna Counties had been formed mostly because of
natural increase in population rather than of any tide of immigration.
The creation of Powhatan County in 1777 was of the same type. This
county embraced the portion of Cumberland lying on the south side of
James River and in Southam Parish, which was the eastern end of
Cumberland and adjoined Chesterfield County. The name Powhatan honored
the celebrated Indian chieftain.
In 1778, the vast sprawling territory of Augusta underwent changes. One
was an addition to Hampshire County of the territory on the north of "a
line beginning at the north side of the North Mountain opposite to the
upper end of Sweedland Hill and running a direct course so as to strike
the mouth of Seneca creek on the north fork of the south branch of
Potomac river and the same course to be continued to the Allegheny
mountain, thence along the said mountain" to the county line. "The
residue of the county and parish of Augusta" was divided by a line
beginning "at the South Mountain and running thence by Benjamin
Yardley's plantation so as to strike the north river below James Byrd's
house thence up the said river to the mouth of Naked creek, thence
leaving the river a direct course so as to cross the said river at the
mouth of Cunningham's branch in the upper end of Silas Hart's land to
the foot of North Mountain, thence fifty-five degrees west to the
Allegheny mountain and with the same to the line of Hampshire"; all the
portion north eastward of this line was to be called Rockingham. It is
supposed the name of this county honors the Marquis of Rockingham, Prime
Minister of England in 1765-66 when the unpopular Stamp Act was
repealed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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