What is early history of West Virginia?
Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of West Virginia. Learn about the prehistory and culture of the first early inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of West Virginia. 11,000 BC - First people in West Virginia were the Paleo-Indians or early hunters.
What Indian tribes lived in West Virginia in the 1600s?
By 1600, organized tribes such as the Delaware and Shawnee had moved into present-day West Virginia. In addition, the powerful Iroquois Confederacy began exerting its influence on the region.
When did the first settlers come to the Potomac River?
The first European settlers started arriving about 1730. Opequon Creek is tributary of the Potomac River. It joins the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg and its source is at the foot of Great North Mountain. It is part of the boundary between Frederick and Clarke counties in Virginia and between Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia. m.
Where did the descendants of the Maples of West Virginia go?
Their descendants, who were legion, overflowed to the Ohio and Kanawha Valleys, and went to help build up several Western States, especially Ohio. Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. There has been some discussion on this subject through the publications of the West Virginia Historical Society and there may be more.
Who originally settled in West Virginia?
Background. The settlement of present-day West Virginia began in the mid-1700s, when Scotch-Irish and German settlers from Pennsylvania came to the area that is now Berkeley and Greenbriar counties. Heavy settlement began in the 1760s after Indian claims had been settled.
What were the first settlements in Virginia?
In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Was West Virginia an original colony?
The area that comprises West Virginia was originally part of the British Virginia Colony (1607–1776) and the western part of the U.S. state of Virginia (1776–1863).
What is the oldest country in West Virginia?
As of 2019, the US Census population was estimated at 23,175. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town (1762). Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties (Virginia) and is the oldest county in the state of West Virginia.
Who were the 1st settlers in America?
Five hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.
What was the first town in Virginia?
Jamestown, VirginiaJamestown, VirginiaJamestown, Virginia Jamestowne, WilliamsburgColonyColony of VirginiaEstablishedMay 14, 1607Abandonedbriefly in 1610; again after 1699Founded byVirginia Company of London6 more rows
Were there slaves in West Virginia?
Population. Western Virginia's slave population peaked in 1850 with 20,428 slaves, or nearly 7% of the population. In 1860 the number of slaves was 18,371. Much of the decreased number of slaves in West Virginia was due to the high demand for slaves in the lower South.
What is West Virginia known for historically?
West Virginia was known for its glass manufacturing. It was made here before then, but the state became an important manufacturing state at the end of the 19th century.
What is West Virginia historically famous for?
West Virginia also played a major role during the war. Harper's Ferry, the site of John Brown's famous raid, is in West Virginia. The raid is partly credited with precipitating the Civil War. Harper's Ferry saw numerous battles over the course of the war.
What is the oldest town in West Virginia?
Shepherdstown is the oldest town in West Virginia. The first settlement was recorded in 1730. Thomas Shepherd obtained a land grant in 1734 and was soon followed by other settlers. The town was originally named Mecklenburg in 1762, but then later changed to Shepherdstown in honor of its founder.
Is West Virginia rich or poor?
West Virginia is the fifth-poorest U.S. state, with a median household income of $51,615 and a poverty rate of 14.6%. West Virginians have the lowest level of higher education attainment in the nation, with only 23.1% of its residents holding a Bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the youngest county in West Virginia?
MingoThe youngest county is Mingo formed in 1895. The smallest county is Hancock located in the northern panhandle of the state with Randolph being the largest.
When did the first people land in Virginia?
First landing After a long, rough voyage of 144 days, the colonists finally arrived in Virginia on April 26, 1607 at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
What are the names of the first settlers in Jamestown?
gentlemen. Master George Percie. Anthony Gosnoll. Captaine Gabriell Archer. ... labourers. John Laydon. William Cassen. George Cassen. ... councell. Master Edward Maria Wingfield. Captaine Bartholomew Gosnoll. ... carpenters. William Laxon. Edward Pising. ... preacher. Master Robert Hunt.blacksmith. James Read.sailer. Jonas Profit.barber. Thomas Couper.More items...
Who first came to Virginia?
Who Founded Virginia? The history of Virginia began in the 1500's when visited by Spanish Explorers. The occupants at that time were tribes of Algonquain, Iroquoian and Siouan peoples in the late 16th century, Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth 1st named the area – Virginia in honor of the Virgin Queen.
When was Virginia settled?
July 4, 1776Virginia / Date settled
What colony was West Virginia in?
It was originally part of the British Virginia Colony (1607–1776) and the western part of the state of Virginia (1776–1863), whose population became sharply divided over the issue of secession from the Union and in the separation from Virginia, formalized by West Virginia's admittance to the Union as a new state in 1863.
Which counties were annexed to West Virginia?
West Virginia, 78 U.S. 39 (1871). Berkeley and Jefferson count ies lying on the Potomac east of the mountains, in 1863, with the consent of the Reorganized government of Virginia voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia.
Why did every county west of the Alleghenies vote to reject the Constitution?
As a result, every county west of the Alleghenies except one voted to reject the constitution, which nevertheless passed because of eastern support. Failure of the eastern planter elite to make constitutional reforms exacerbated existing east–west sectionalism in Virginia and contributed to Virginia's later split.
What are the factors that affected West Virginia's history?
West Virginia's history was profoundly affected by its mountainous terrain, spectacular river valleys, and rich natural resources. These were all factors driving its economy and the lifestyles of residents, as well as drawing visitors to the "Mountain State" in the early 21st century.
What was the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state?
Topics: African-Americans - Environment - Politics. v. t. e. West Virginia is one of two American states formed during the American Civil War (1861–1865), along with Nevada, and is the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state.
Where did the beaver trappers live?
During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a growing demand for beaver sent trappers up and down the Kanawha region's tributary creeks by canoe and raft. Traiding posts were established at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers at Point Pleasant, West Virginia where, in the mid 1780s, Daniel Boone resided for several years. Likewise, St. Albans, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Kanawha and Coal Rivers, became a point of trade.
When did West Virginia split from the Union?
In 1861, as the United States itself became massively divided over slavery, leading to the American Civil War (1861–1865), the western regions of Virginia split with the eastern portion politically, and the two were never reconciled as a single state again. In 1863, the western region was admitted to the Union as a new separate state, initially planned to be called the State of Kanawha, but ultimately named West Virginia.
When did West Virginia first live?
West Virginia First Early Inhabitants Timeline. 11,000 BC - First people in West Virginia were the Paleo-Indians or early hunters. 7000BC-1000 BC -. Differing Archaic cultures developed in the Northern Panhandle, the Eastern Panhandle, and the Kanawha Valley. Most of the large game became extinct, and the early hunters either died out ...
What is the history of the first inhabitants of West Virginia?
First Early Inhabitants of West Virginia. Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of West Virginia. Learn about the prehistory and culture of the first early inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of West Virginia.
Why did the Archaic people choose the Kanawha River?
The Archaic people chose this site in order to gather shellfish from the Kanawha River. The use of gardens, pottery, and ceremonial burial mounds around 1000 BC marked the beginning of the Early Woodland or Adena culture.
What tribes were in West Virginia in 1600?
By 1600, organized tribes such as the Delaware and Shawnee had moved into present-day West Virginia. In addition, the powerful Iroquois Confederacy began exerting its influence on the region. The Confederacy was an alliance of five Iroquois-speaking nations - Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca - formed in present-day New York in the late 1500s. In 1722, the Tuscaroras joined the Iroquois Confederacy, which became known as the Six Nations.
What happened in 1614?
1614 - Violent confrontation between hundreds of English and Powhatan men on the Pamunkey River, Virginia - refer to Powhatan. 1622-1624 - The Powhatan Wars, battles and conflicts in Virginia between colonists and American Native Indians.
When did the Hopewell tribe begin to move to the Kanawha Valley?
By the year 1 , members of the Hopewell culture began migrating into the Kanawha Valley and erected mounds in the South Charleston and St. Albans area. During the late prehistoric period (1000--1600), West Virginia was occupied by Native Americans of various tribes.
What were the arrowheads found in the Ohio River?
Small nomadic groups hunted large game, such as mastodons, mammoths, and buffalo, with spears that had fluted points. Large numbers of these arrowheads have been discovered along the Ohio River between St. Mary's and Parkersburg.
Who was the first person to patent land west of the Blue Ridge?
The first patent or grant of land west of the Blue Ridge was made to Jost Hite. 20 Aug. 1734, see Grant Book No. 15, page 276.
Where did the Quakers settle in 1738?
In 1738 the Varices, Glasses, Hoges, Wilsons, Frys, Aliens, Johnstons and others, came and settled about the Opequon Presbyterian Church, above Winchester. There was another settlement of Quakers in another vicinity, viz: the Perkinses, Luptons. Walkers, Beesons. Barretts, Neets, Dillons, Fawcetts and others.
When did Jost Hite settle in the Shenandoah Valley?
It is known that in 1732, that Jost Hite with sixteen families went into the Shenandoah Valley and from that date there has been a record kept and the settlement reaches back to that date, beyond question with the further question, of whether there was others there before that date, unsettled.
When was Spotsylvania County formed?
Spotsylvania County was formed in 1720. Orange in 1734. Frederick was established by law in 1738 but was not organized until 1743.
Who sent George Washington to Frederick County?
In 1748, Thomas, Lord Fairfax sent George Washington to Frederick County to survey lands for him, which surveys were made and a record kept thereof.
Who was the surveyor for the 40,000 acres of land that Hite purchased?
The assignment of the said "orders" was made to Hite and Hite had the surveys made, and the surveyor was Col. James Wood, afterwards Clerk of the Court of Frederick, and these survey were assigned by Hite to those who purchased of him, and the grants were issued directly to the said purchasers, with the above clause therein, which designates the same as purchasers of Hite, of the 40,000 acres, he obtained from Van Meter
What is the capital of West Virginia?
West Virginia is located in the Appalachians and was originally part of Virginia. The capital and largest city is Charleston. It became a state during the Civil War and was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863.
Where did the early settlers settle?
Early Settlement in the Eastern Panhandle. The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia borders Maryland and Virginia. The first European settlers started arriving about 1730. Opequon Creek is tributary of the Potomac River. It joins the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg and its source is at the foot of Great North Mountain.
Where is Opequon Creek in Virginia?
It joins the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg and its source is at the foot of Great North Mountain. It is part of the boundary between Frederick and Clarke counties in Virginia and between Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia. m.
Overview
European exploration and settlement
In 1671, General Abraham Wood, at the direction of Royal Governor William Berkeley of the Virginia Colony, sent the party of Thomas Batts and Robert Fallum into the West Virginia area. During this expedition the pair followed the New River and discovered Kanawha Falls.
On July 13, 1709, Louis Michel, George Ritter, and Baron Christoph von Graffen…
Prehistory
The area now known as West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground of numerous Native American peoples before the arrival of European settlers. Many ancient earthen mounds constructed by various mound builder cultures survive, especially in the areas of Moundsville, South Charleston, and Romney. The artifacts uncovered in these give evidence of a village society having a tribal tr…
Trans-Allegheny Virginia, 1776–1861
Social conditions in western Virginia were entirely unlike those in the eastern portion of the state. The population was not homogeneous, as a considerable part of the immigration came by way of Pennsylvania and included Germans, Protestant Scotch-Irish, and settlers from the states farther north. Counties in the east and south were settled mostly by eastern Virginians. During the American Revolution, the movement to create a state west of the Alleghenies was revived and a …
Civil War and split
In 1861, as the United States itself became massively divided over slavery, leading to the American Civil War (1861–1865), the western regions of Virginia split with the eastern portion politically, and the two were never reconciled as a single state again. In 1863, the western region was admitted to the Union as a new separate state, initially planned to be called the State of Kanawha, but ulti…
Resources
The new state benefited from development of its mineral resources more than any other single economic activity after Reconstruction. Much of the northern panhandle and north-central portion of the State are underlain by bedded salt deposits over 50 feet (15 m) thick. Salt mining had been underway since the 18th century, though that which could be easily obtained had largely played out by the time of the American Civil War, when the red salt of Kanawha County was a valued co…
20th century
West Virginia suffragists worked at supporting the agendas put forward by the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the National Association of Colored Women and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the 1890s through the early part of the 20th century. According to historian Anne Wallace Effland, conservative social and religious beliefs together with the campaigns by anti-suffragists kept up a solid defense against them. The organized work by wo…
See also
• History of Appalachia
• History of the Upland South
• History of Virginia
• Former counties, cities, and towns of Virginia