County Voters, Property Surveyed by George Washington were all The history of West Virginia stems from the 1861 Wheeling Convention, which was an assembly of northwestern Virginian Southern Unionists, who aimed to repeal the Ordinance of Secession that Virginia made during the American Civil War (18611865). [34] In addition, a large portion of the state was secessionist,[35] and any polls there had to be conducted under military intervention. Also in 1725, Pearsall's Flats in the South Branch Potomac River valley, present-day Romney, was settled, and later became the site of the French and Indian War stockade, Fort Pearsall. High Sheriff and Capt. When the United States Bureau of Mines was given more authority to regulate mine safety in the 1960s, safety awareness improved, and West Virginia coal mines became less dangerous.[44]. In the northern portion of the state and elsewhere, the older Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) and other lines also expanded to take advantage of coal opportunities as well. On June 15, 1607 the fleet commander Captain Christopher Newport will return to England leaving 104 settlers. 230, "Mr. Lamb, of Ohio County declared that out of 2000 voters in Hampshire County, one hundred and 95 votes had been cast and he had heard that of these one hundred were cast by soldiers. Their descendants, who were legion, Disputes about the exact location of the border in some of the northern mountain reaches between Loudoun County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia continued well into the 20th century. was Col. James Wood, afterwards Clerk of the Court of Frederick, On the following day, the convention chose Francis H. Pierpont as governor of the "Restored Government of Virginia", elected other officers, and adjourned. The "capital" of the Pocahontas coalfield, this city would remain the largest city in the southern portion of the state for several decades. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 1,656 square miles (4,290 km2). During this expedition the pair followed the New River and discovered Kanawha Falls. But renegade Cherokee chief Dragging Canoe continued to dispute the settlers' advance, fighting the CherokeeAmerican wars (17761794) until after the American Revolutionary War. [39], In recent years, there has been serious talk about the possibility of certain counties in the Eastern Panhandle rejoining the Commonwealth of Virginia. The necessary sections of right-of way and land were acquired before the large railroads realized what was happening. County Voters, Property Surveyed by George Washington were all Many men absent in the Confederate army when the vote was taken refused to acknowledge the transfer upon their return. They were adopted into the Seneca as a reward and settled in Randolph County, calling themselves the Blackfoot Senecas, though a great many Saponi stayed behind and were later incorporated into the Iroquois by other means. Also in 1634, a new system of local government was created in the Virginia Colony by order of the King of England. Historical Magazine. [25] The large number of Northerners in this convention caused great distrust over the new Constitution during Reconstruction years. In 1861, as the United States itself became massively divided over slavery, leading to the American Civil War (18611865), the western regions of Virginia split with the eastern portion politically, and the two were never reconciled as a single state again. Beginning in 1898, Page teamed with northern and European-based investors to take advantage of the undeveloped area. During the French and Indian War (17541763), the scattered settlements were almost destroyed. Early settlers like people of German descent started to arrive in the 1700s. ", Corbin, David Alan. There were, therefore, two governments claiming to represent all of Virginia, one owing allegiance to the United States and one to the Confederacy. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. deeds recorded to Stephen Hunsonbeller. Building the Virginian Railway cost $40 million by the time it was completed in 1909. Grant to Robert McKay, jr., acres, October 3. By the spring stocking of 1963, the West Virginia Centennial year, Evans and Mace had supervised the spawning of good color and quality brood stock of the Mountain State's Centennial Golden Trout.[47]. On May 13, 1862, the state legislature of the reorganized government approved the formation of the new state. 1738 but was not organized until 1743, Grant to John Smith, 420 In combination, all of the records collected here will help you put the lives of your early West Virginia ancestors in historical context. Youll find a list of all Revolutionary War soldiers who ever lived in West Virginia and an index to civilians who participated in the War effort. George Washington to Frederick County to survey lands for him, The issue was finally settled in 1915, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that West Virginia owed Virginia $12,393,929.50. only sixteen year old to be a competent surveyor, but more The Adena Indians used ceremonial pipes that were exceptional works of art. Coincidentally, it was similar to an indigenous species open zoo of today and became a place of family outings visitation. Battelle's resolution a policy of "Negro exclusion" for the new state was adopted to keep any new slaves, or freemen, from taking up residence, in the hope that this would satisfy abolitionist sentiment in Congress. These were all factors driving its state economy and the lifestyles of residents, as well as drawing visitors to the state. Hite, David Vance, Jas. Their railroad was renamed Norfolk and Western (N&W), and a new railroad city was developed at Roanoke to handle planned expansion. The grant to Stoll, Steven. The June 1861 convention consisted of 104 members, 35 of which were members of the General Assembly in Richmond, some elected in the May 23 vote, and some hold-over State Senators. Most of the opposition came from delegates from eastern counties, who did not like the compromises made for the west.[14]. It was set up to be the center of the Virginia Colony's government and commerce. The first permanent English colony in North America was founded at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. In March 1761, Robert Harper obtained a permit to operate a ferry across the Shenandoah River at present-day Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County. The grant eventually came into the possession of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and in 1746 a stone was erected at the source of the North Branch Potomac River to mark the western limit of the grant. October 3, 1734, Grant to Richard Paulson, 834 Luptons. He was born in Wales and emigrated to Delaware about 1712. The first European settlers started arriving about 1730. In 1630, under the governorship of John Harvey, the first settlement on the York River was founded. This fort would become Middle Plantation and later Williamsburg, Virginia. Institution. [26], At first the Wheeling politicians controlled only a small part of West Virginia. Early Land Grants and Settlers of West Virginia Some history of early settlements and land grants in West Virginia by W. S. Laidly, Esq., who has devoted much study to the subject. Estimates of the numbers of Civil War soldiers from the state, both within the Union and Confederacy, have varied widely, but recent studies have placed the numbers about equal,[31] from 22,000 to 25,000 each. The first native settlers in West Virginia's Potomac Highlands (Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker counties) were the Mound Builders, also known as the Adena people. In the early 20th century, West Virginia coal was also under high demand at Great Lakes ports on Lake Erie. 1734, Grant to Josiah Jones, 104 These were Lutheran, Reformed, or Brethren. included in a county to be called the county of Orange, being In 1634, a palisade was built near Middle Plantation. From the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the three ships sailed. back to that date, beyond question with the further question, of Under royal authority, the colony began to expand to the North and West with additional settlements. In Noe and Shannon H. Wilson, Riccards, Michael P. "Lincoln and the Political Question: The Creation of the State of West Virginia", Stealey III, John E. "The Freedmen's Bureau in West Virginia,", Zimring, David R. "'Secession in Favor of the Constitution': How West Virginia Justified Separate Statehood during the Civil War. Settlers increasingly branched out along the eastern coast, but it was not until the early eighteenth century that pioneers began pushing into West Virginia itself. In 1661, King Charles II of England had granted a company of gentleman the land between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, known as the Northern Neck. The constitutionality of the new state was achieved when the Unionist government of Virginia approved the division. Following the war, Virginia unsuccessfully brought a case to the Supreme Court challenging the secession of Berkeley County and Jefferson County to West Virginia. A shift to exporting the state's other natural resources began. Served as Acting Gov., Secretary of State and Attorney General, Served as Attorney General, High Sheriff and Col. of the Militia, served in House of Burgesses and was Sheriff in Stafford County. McKay, and Abraham Hite in 1744. The Treaty of Albany, 1722, designated the Blue Ridge Mountains as the western boundary of white settlement,[9] and recognized Iroquois rights on the west side of the ridge, including all of West Virginia. [42] Small pockets of virgin forest remain at Gaudineer Scenic Area and Cathedral State Park.[43]. In 1742, Robert Allen, Jno. Also brief accounts of First Settlers, and their Descendants. By 1739, Thomas Shepherd had constructed a flour mill powered by water from the Town Run or the Falling Springs Branch of the Potomac River in present-day Shepherdstown. Some were German-born or the Pennsylvania-born children of German-speaking Protestant immigrants from the Palatinate and other areas bordering the Rhine River. This item is available on microfilm at this FamilySearch center. The earliest visits to the area were conducted primarily by English and Spanish explorers. of early settlements and land grants in West Virginia by W. S. In particular, men such as lawyer Francis H. Pierpont from Fairmont, had long chafed under the political domination of the Tidewater and Piedmont slave-holders. In 2011, West Virginia state delegate Larry Kump sponsored legislation to allow Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties to rejoin Virginia by popular vote. By 2000, the state's improved economy seemed to be contributing to a reversal of nearly four decades of population losses. Family tree maker's family archives. acres, dated October 3, 1734, Grant to David Perkins, 519 Wooden coal barges were built on the Monongahela River near Morgantown, as well as along Coal River and Elk River. The first settlers at the English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia hoped to forge new lives away from Englandbut life in the early 1600s at Jamestown consisted mainly of danger, hardship . The Virginia General Assembly repealed the act of cession and in 1866 brought suit against West Virginia asking the court to declare the two counties a part of Virginia. 1776 - People in the region petition the Congress to create a 14th state called Westsylvania, but it is denied. Although WEST VIRGINIA is used on this webpage for convenience, Lewis Starry, Robt. You must also have either version 3.02 or higher of Family Tree Maker for Windows or Macintosh, or, version 3.02 or higher of the Family Archive Viewer. University 1549 University Ave. | P.O. After its new President Frederick J. Kimball and a small party journeyed by horseback and saw firsthand the rich bituminous coal seam (which Kimball's wife named "Pocahontas," the N&W redirected its planned westward expansion to reach it. Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, Captain Christopher Newport, Captain John Ratcliffe, Captain Gabriel Archer, and Captain Edward Wingfield were in charge of the expedition. Among the numerous investors were Charles Pratt and New York City mayor Abram S. Hewitt, whose father-in-law, Peter Cooper, had been a key man in earlier development of the anthracite coal regions centered in eastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey. he made such surveys, viz: From Norris Enjoy the work of our webmasters, provide a link, do not copy their work. Governor of Virginia from 1751 to 1758. More women, children, and family groups began arriving in 1609. To note, it took the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution accomplished on December 6, 1865, to abolish slavery nationwide. Likewise, St. Albans, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers, became a point of trade. On April 17, 1861, the Richmond convention voted on the Ordinance of Secession. Early settlers did not find the area particularly inviting, so the population was sparse during the 18th and 19th centuries. Beginning in Reconstruction, and for several decades thereafter, the two states disputed the new state's share of the pre-war Virginia government's debt, which had mostly been incurred to finance public infrastructure improvements, such as canals, roads, and railroads under the Virginia Board of Public Works. of Militia in Accomack County, a contemporary of. Although the Deepwater plan should have provided a competitive shipping market via either railroad, leaders of the two large railroads did not appreciate the scheme and sought to discourage competition in an area they considered theirs for expansion plans. Second or third sons went out to the colonies to make their fortune, or entered the military and the clergy. acres, 21 August 1734, Grant to Henry Willis, 2030 HAWARA, West Bank (AP) A suspected Palestinian gunman on Monday shot and killed an Israeli motorist in the occupied West Bank, the latest bloodshed in a . Youll also find an exhaustive compilation of the states earliest marriages and, in an interesting twist on genealogical record keeping, two volumes of genealogical and architectural histories. Most of them came from Pennsylvania in the north in search of new lands. As tobacco emerged as a profitable export, Virginia imported more Africans to cultivate it and hardened boundaries of slavery. part of the same article. AHGP The American History and Genealogy Project. Therefore, since the Secession Convention had been called by the legislature and not the people, all its acts were illegal. Copyright August @2011 -2023 Buffalo were included in 1954 and attracted additional visitors. The same year German settlers from Pennsylvania founded New Mecklenburg, the present Shepherdstown, on the Potomac River, and others soon followed. and 1750 and the following are those for whom At this time, West Virginia had nearly 70,000 qualified voters, and the May 23, 1861 vote to secede had drawn nearly 54,000 voters. ], [Webmasters During the war, the settlers in western Virginia were generally active Whigs and many served in the Continental Army. Rakes (2008) examines coal mine fatalities in the state in the first half of the 20th century before safety regulations were strictly enforced in the 1960s. not the first settlers. The legislature of the Restored Government was composed of members from the western counties who had been elected on May 23, 1861, and some senators who had been elected in 1859. In and others. One of the silent partner investors Page had enlisted was millionaire industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers, a principal in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust and an old hand at developing natural resources, transportation. Meanwhile, Congress on March 10, 1866, passed a joint resolution recognizing the transfer. Though England eventually defeated the French, warfare would continue to be a part of life for the early West Virginia settlers, as Indian conflicts continued into the American War of Independence, the last battle of which was fought at Fort Henry in 1782, in present day Wheeling, West Virginia. [William and Mary Quarterly] JONES, Cadwallader (in Virginia 1681), Stafford County . To get the best possible experience using our website we recommend that you upgrade to a newer version or install another browser. After the 1730s, Virginia enacted a law that promised free land to new settlers, encouraging them to move west and form new colonies. The settlers listed below were all considered very important to the establishment of government and were significant in the historical impact on Colonial Virginia: The following persons were among the prominent first families that immigrated to Colonial Virginia in the 1600's-early 1700's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Virginia, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108283.html, https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Early_Settlers_of_Colonial_Virginia, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License, Was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1693, 1696, 1699, and one of the committee in 1700 reporting a revision of the laws which were approved by the General Assembly in 1705, Served as Colonial Governor of Virginia 1768-1770, Was a fur trader and served in the House of Burgesses. Middle-class women made up the majority of volunteers; many programs were not open to African American and lower-class white women. NOTE. acres, dated 3 October 1734, Grant to Isaac Pennington, Hampshire and Hardy were included in Win. There, city founder Collis P. Huntington also developed what would become the largest shipbuilder in the world, Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. Former West Virginia Governor William A. MacCorkle described him as a man who knew the land "as a farmer knows a field." Mr. Carskadon confirmed this and added that only 39 were the votes of citizens of the state." The instrument was ratified on April 11, 1862, with 18,162 votes for and 514 against. 1734, Grant to John Van Meter, 885 Enjoy the work of our webmasters, provide a link, do not copy their work. Reasons why microfilms may not yet be available digitally on FamilySearch.org include: FamilySearch Terms of Use (Updated 2021-09-27) | Privacy Notice (Updated 2021-04-06), 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. 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