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Dan Stone

West Virginia Place Name Question

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Just curious, as to what the suggestion is for recording place names, in the portion of Virginia that later became West Virginia. The standard recommendation is always to record place names as they were at the time of an event. Since there was a few year period of time between when this area decided to succeed from Virginia, and when this area became the state of West Virginia, what would you refer to this area as during that time? In my reading on the state history, I've yet to come across anything that clarified what the area was known as during this period other than either Virginia or West Virginia. If there is no other name for the interim time period, what would you suggest as the date to begin referring to this area as West Virginia (date of succession, date of statehood, other)? I'm not trying to be overly strict, but I have several ancestors with events in this area during the time of the Civil War and am just trying to get things recorded as correctly as possible. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Dan

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Just curious, as to what the suggestion is for recording place names, in the portion of Virginia that later became West Virginia. The standard recommendation is always to record place names as they were at the time of an event. Since there was a few year period of time between when this area decided to succeed from Virginia, and when this area became the state of West Virginia, what would you refer to this area as during that time? In my reading on the state history, I've yet to come across anything that clarified what the area was known as during this period other than either Virginia or West Virginia. If there is no other name for the interim time period, what would you suggest as the date to begin referring to this area as West Virginia (date of succession, date of statehood, other)? I'm not trying to be overly strict, but I have several ancestors with events in this area during the time of the Civil War and am just trying to get things recorded as correctly as possible. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Dan

 

Nice question. If we adopt Lincoln's view of the indissoluble union I think West Virginia was Virginia until it was admitted by Congress as a state -- June 20, 1863. Clarity -- at least to today's ear -- leans toward West Virginia throughout. Finding Wheeling or Martinsburg in Virginia could be quite a struggle.

 

formerprof

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Thanks for your take on this. I like your rationale.

 

I wasn't thinking about it too closely at the time of posting, but wanted to apologize for posting the question in this forum, as it has dawned on me the subject is off topic and not truly a TMG usage related question. I've also discovered, since posting, that I will be attending a seminar in October at which Barbara Vines Little will be speaking. I'll be sure to ask for her recommendation on this question, and will post a follwup here of what she says.

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Today was the seminar I attended at which Barbara Vines Little was the guest speaker, so I got a chance to ask for her take on this question. I like the approach she suggested. She said that anytime she documents an event, for the Virginia counties which eventually became West Virginia, during the time between the announcement of the intention to secede and the admittance of West Virginia as a state, she uses parenthesis around West for clarification that we are aware of the transition:

 

(West) Virginia

 

Hope others may find this helpful.

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Finding Wheeling or Martinsburg in Virginia could be quite a struggle.
Well, sure. Wheeling may have been in Pennsylvania and then Virginia but was West Virginia's state capitol at one time before the capital city was moved to Charleston. Martinsburg was south of the Potomac River, so part of Virginia until part of West Virginia. Areas north of the Potomac became Lord Calvert's Maryland in 1682. In 1785, Virginians got the right to fish in it.

 

not truly a TMG usage related question.

Sure it is, since we're entering stuff like this into it. I have been using VA/WV for compactness.

 

The area of northwestern Virginia isn't that simple, since I have some family lines from that wide area.

 

Even before June 20, 1863 when WV broke off from VA, part of Western Pennsylvania and Western Virginia was disputed. The 1767 Mason-Dixon line originally went west only as far as the western boundary of Maryland. The District of West Augusta covered a wide overlapping area of VA and PA. The name is preserved as the West Augusta Historical and Genealogical Society (at Parkersburg, Wood County, WV) In 1776, the northern area was split into Ohio, Monongalia and Yohogania (lost) counties with wandering boundaries even later. The disputes over which colony had authority over the area led to overlapping land grants to settlers and battles between Virginians and Pennsylvanians in the period 1774-1775. In 1774, a Virginia militia group even attacked and captured the Westmoreland County seat at Hannastown and arrested three Westmoreland County justices who refused to acknowledge the jurisdiction of Virginia.

 

The line was pushed west in 1781 when slavery was abolished in PA. I have seen the newer monument at the Ohio River marking that end of the Mason-Dixon line at the southern boundary of Marshall Co WV. If in the area, also take a 2 block short side trip at Moundsville to see the largest conical Adena Moundbuilders Indian mound in the US there. After climbing to the top, you get a view of the retired state penitentiary on the other side.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_Creek_Mound

 

More county changes are in here. The western boundary of PA was established in 1786, establishing the northern VA/WV panhandle.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohogania_County

 

The southern part of Monongalia Co. because Marion Co., along with part of Harrison Co. Another part of Harrison Co. and part of Wood Co. became Ritchie County. The fun never ends when NOT moving your house.

 

The triangle on the eastern side was disputed by PA and DE until the top of the wedge and several compound curves were surveyed in 1892. It was "sort of" an arc of a circle, but actually the arcs of several circles nearly the same.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason-Dixon_Line

 

You have to deal with difficult arcs of a 12 mile circle and tangents over there.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve-Mile_Circle

http://www.udel.edu/dgs/Publications/pubsonline/info6.html

Edited by retsof

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