STANLEY: Formation of Augusta County

By K. W. Stanley for The News Virginian
Published: August 6, 2008

When Virginia was chartered as a colony of England in 1609, the territory was extensive. Early land grants for colonization were acquired by two companies. The grants extended from 34 to 41 degrees latitude, which today is the area between Wilmington and New York City. The western limits were indefinite. States that were once part of Virginia include West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Virginia once had 172 counties, but after 1880 only had 100. Thirteen became extinct and were absorbed into other counties. Nine were lost to Kentucky (the “Bluegrass State”) when it separated and became the 15th state in 1792. Fifty counties were lost when West Virginia separated and joined the union in June 1863 during the Civil War.
The separation of West Virginia from Virginia was tragic. Many of West Virginia’s sons fought for the Confederacy defending the Shenandoah Valley as this separation occurred. After the war, these soldiers returned to their homes in West Virginia and were ostracized as traitors by West Virginia officials who led the new state.
Ancestors of these soldiers had originally settled in Augusta County, which included all the territory that became West Virginia in 1863. One of West Virginia’s counties was Pendleton, west of Harrisonburg across the West Virginia mountains.
My mother’s people settled in Pendleton in 1768 when it was wilderness and part of Augusta. Her great-grandfather, Christian Franklin Eye, fought with the Confederacy. He told stories about Gen. Philip Sheridan’s burning of the Shenandoah Valley.
Spotsylvania County was formed in 1721. Orange County was formed from Spotsylvania in 1734. Augusta County was formed from Orange in 1745. Between 1770 and 1880, 28 Virginia counties were formed from territory that originally was part of Augusta.
These included Bath, in 1791, and Allegheny, which formed from Bath in 1822. Pendleton was formed from Augusta in 1788, and Highland formed from Pendleton in 1847. Rockingham was formed from Augusta in 1778, and part of Page was formed from Rockingham in 1831. Rockbridge was formed from Augusta in 1778. Botetourt was formed from Augusta in 1770, and counties formed from Botetourt include Fincastle (1772-1777), Roanoke (1838) and Craig (1851). Montgomery and Washington were formed from Fincastle in 1777. Between the 1770s and 1880 all other southwest counties of Virginia were established, nine from Montgomery and six from Washington.
Augusta County, in 1745, was named for Princess Augusta (of Saxe-Gotha), wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Father of George III. Rockingham County, in 1778, was named for the Marquis of Rockingham, Prime Minister of England between 1765 and 1766. Rockbridge County, in 1778, was named after Natural Bridge, a natural stone bridge in the county. Page, in 1831, was named after John Page, who was governor of Virginia between 1802 and 1805.
Staunton, named for Lady Staunton (wife of Lt. Gov. Gooch), was established as a town in 1761 and became a first-class city in 1906. Harrisonburg (once known as Rocktown) was established as a town in 1780, incorporated in 1849 and was named for Thomas Harrison, who donated 50 acres to the town. Waynesboro (once known as Teasville) was named for Gen. Anthony Wayne, of Revolutionary War fame. It was established as a town in 1797, incorporated in 1803 and became a city of the first class in 1948.
K.W. Stanley is a Waynesboro resident, historian and TNV correspondent. Contact him at .