Volume 7 , Issue 14

Geography of Old Augusta County...

This is for ALL those family genealogists out there doing research in the area of "Old Augusta County", Virginia. Lyman Chalkley diligently extracted and published a compilation of the original court records of Augusta County from 1745-1800. There are three (3) Volumes out there. We did a Google search online for Chalkley's "Chronicles of Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia" -- finding a transcription of it online at Rootsweb. There was another place where you could buy the hardback books (Vol. I, II, III) for a price of $135. Maybe someday! BUT... for now we think - www.rootsweb.com/~chalkley - is the quickest, easiest way for researching "Old" Augusta County, Virginia records.

Did you know that in the year 1745, all that portion of the Colony of Virginia that laid west of the Blue Ridge Mountains was erected into a County which was named Augusta? It was in December of 1745, that the County Court was organized and held its first sitting. The boundaries of Old Augusta County were limited on the North by Fairfax's Northern Neck Grant and the boundaries of Maryland and Pennsylvania to the the westward of Fairfax. On the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains -- on the South by the Caroline line. On the West its territory embraced all the soil held by the British without limit of extent. AND... for about twelve (12) years the County Court of Augusta was the only Court and Repository of records within that District. From the end of that period, at frequent intervals, its jurisdiction was restricted by the erection of other Counties as the demands of the settlers required.

Augusta County's original constitution included all of present-day West Virginia -- part of western Pennsylvania (including Pittsburgh) -- the lands on the waters of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers -- all of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains (with the exception of the areas mentioned earlier.

Old Augusta County, Virginia (1738-1745) was divided into the following Counties:

• Rockingham & Rockbridge Counties- 1778
• Pendleton Co., WV -1787
• Highland Co. VA - 1847
• Monroe Co., WV - 1799
• Giles Co. - 1806

We hope this helps some of you family researchers looking for ancestors in the Virginia's.   |  View or Add Comments (1 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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