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
Its bounds were as follows: "Beginning on the top of the Middle mountain
at the corner of Monroe and Alleghany counties, near Achilles Dews, and
running with the Alleghany line to the top of Peters' mountain; thence
westward along the top of said mountain to a point nearby opposite to
the house of Boston Rowan; thence crossing Potts' creek to a point one
fourth of a mile below said Rowan's so as to leave said Rowan's in the
county of Monroe; thence a southwestern direction to the top of Potts'
mountain, so as to leave Armentrout, Fridley and Rose in Monroe; thence
westward along the top of said mountain to a point opposite Colonel R.
M. Hutchinson's on John's creek, and thence a straight line including
said Hutchinson in the new county, and crossing Sinking creek valley to
William Niday's, including said Niday in the new county, to the
Montgomery line; thence eastward with the Montgomery line to the corner
of Roanoke and Montgomery; thence with the Roanoke line to the top of
Brush mountain; thence eastward along said mountain, crossing the Cove
branch where John Carper formerly lived; thence along the same range of
mountains passing near Lilburn Doss's, crossing Stone Coal gap; thence
along the same range of mountains, crossing Price's turnpike road to a
point opposite Daniel Sizer's; thence a northwestern direction crossing
Craig's creek above said Sizer's to a point one mile from Craig's creek
on the ridge; thence to Andrew Persinger's on Barber's creek; thence to
the Alleghany line and with the same to the beginning."
The name of the county honored Robert Craig, member of Congress from
Virginia 1829-1834, 1835-1841.
In the same month in which Craig was set up, the new county of Upshur
was created from parts of Randolph, Barbour and Lewis, all now in West
Virginia. The starting point in the description of its bounds reads as
follows: "Beginning at a rock or milestone on the Staunton and
Parkersburg turnpike road ten miles east of Weston in Lewis County."
This shows that transportation had developed sufficiently to connect
places on the Ohio River with other sections of Virginia.
Upshur County took its name from Abel P. Upshur whom President Tyler
appointed Secretary of State to succeed Daniel Webster. Upshur was
killed 28 February 1844 by the explosion of a new type of cannon which
was being tested on the U.S.S. _Princeton_.
Also in March 1851, from the counties of Tyler, Wood and Ritchie the new
county of Pleasants was established. This lies in the area around
Parkersburg in the northwestern part of West Virginia, along the Ohio
River. The name honored the memory of James Pleasants, Governor of
Virginia, 1822 to 1825, member of a family long resident and prominent
in the state.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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