January
January 1 – On January 1, 1800, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act adding part of Monongalia County to Harrison County.
January 2 – On January 2, 1804, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Mason County from part of Kanawha County, with the county seat at Point Pleasant.
January 3 – On January 3, 1806, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act appropriating money to fund the improvement and repair of certain parts of the state road in Randolph County.
January 4 – On January 4, 1787, the president of the Virginia Senate signed the bill establishing the town of Charles Town, Jefferson County.
January 5 – On January 5, 1798, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing the proprietors of iron works to construct dams on the west fork of the Monongahela River.
January 6 – On January 6, 1800, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Union on the property of James Alexander at the Monroe County Courthouse, governed by the following trustees: William Haynes, John Gray, John Byrnside, James Hanley, Michael Earskin, John Hutcheson, and Isaac Estill. The same act established the town of Newport, present-day Parkersburg, Wood County, on the property of John Stokeley at the mouth of the Little Kanawha River, governed by the following trustees: William Lowther, Jacob Bennett, Isaac Williams, James Neal, and John G. Henderson. The same act established the town of Monroe on the property of Hugh Phelps at a place known as Neal’s Station on the Little Kanawha River (county unidentified), governed by the following trustees: William Lowther, Jacob Bennett, Isaac Williams, James Neal, and John G. Henderson.
January 7 – On January 7, 1807, the speaker of the House of Delegates of Virginia signed the bill establishing the town of Charles Town, Jefferson County. This is the commonly accepted date for its establishment.
January 8 – On January 8, 1801, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Jefferson County from part of Berkeley County, with the county seat at the house of Bazil Williamson in Charles Town.
January 9 – On January 9, 1799, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act adding 100 acres of property belonging to Samuel Washington to the town of Charles Town, Berkeley County, present-day Jefferson County.
January 10 – On January 10, 1800, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing the Wood County justices of the peace to meet at the house of Hugh Phelps.
January 11 – On January 11, 1752, Thomas Lord Fairfax conveyed 500 acres in present-day Martinsburg, Berkeley County, to John Evans, who later erected Fort Evans on the property.
January 12 – On January 12, 1803, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing the construction of mills and mill dams on the Little Kanawha River in Wood County.
January 13 – On January 13, 1800, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act affirming and establishing the boundary line between Virginia and Kentucky.
January 14 – On January 14, 1799, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Monroe County from part of Greenbrier County, with the county seat at the house of George King.
January 15 – On January 15, 1798, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Smithfield, Berkeley County, present-day Middleway, Jefferson County, on the property of John Smith, the younger, and William Smith, governed by the following trustees: John Packett, Moses Smith, John Smith, Jacob Reese, Joseph Grentham, and John Grentham, Jr.
January 16 – On January 16, 1806, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act incorporating the town of Wheeling, Ohio County.
January 17 – On January 17, 1786, Henry Banks was granted 2000 acres of land in Harrison County.
January 18 – On January 18, 1803, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Elizabethtown on the property of Joseph Tomlinson on the flats of Grave Creek in Ohio County, part of present-day Moundsville in Marshall County, governed by the following trustees: Joseph Biggs, Lazarus Harris, Jonathan Purdy, Jeremiah Woods, and Jacob Whitsel.
January 19 – On January 19, 1799, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing a ferry across the Ohio River on the property of Ebenezer Zane in Ohio County to Wheeling Island. The same act established a ferry across the Ohio River on the property of Josiah Gamble in Brooke County. The same act established a ferry across Tygart Valley River on the property of Edward Hart in Randolph County. The same act established a ferry across the Tygart Valley River on the property of Peter Johnston in Harrison County to the property of Charles Gallahur. The same act established a ferry across the Ohio River on the property of Richard Wells in Brooke County. The same act established a ferry across the Ohio River on the property of George Edgenton in Brooke County.
January 20 – On January 20, 1800, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act declaring the Monongalia River to be a public highway from the Pennsylvania state line to the confluence of the Tyger Valley River and the West Branch River, to John Nusum’s mill, to Edward Jackson’s mill, up Simpson’s Creek, to Benjamin Wilson’s mill, up Elk Creek, to George Jackson’s mill.
January 21 – On January 21, 1807, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing Robert Colwell and John Coulter to construct a mill dam at the lower end of Willos Island on the northwestern side of the Ohio River in Brooke County.
January 22 – On January 22, 1798, Andrew Paul was granted 10 acres of land in Berkeley County.
January 23 – On January 23, 1798, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated the Shenandoah Company for the purpose of improving navigation on the Shenandoah River. Subscription books were opened under the direction of the following commissioners: in Charles Town, present-day Jefferson County, under George Hite, Thomas Hammond, and Van Rutherford; in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, under Philip Pendleton, David Hunter, and Elisha Boyd; and under listed commissioners in Winchester, Woodstock, Harrisonburg, and Staunton.
January 24 – On January 24, 1792, Mary Watkins was granted 400 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
January 25 – On January 25, 1799, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act further appropriating money to fund the completion of a wagon road from Morgantown in Monongalia County to the mouth of Grave Creek on the Ohio River in Ohio County, present-day Marshall County.
January 26 – On January 26, 1802, John Turner was granted 597.25 acres of land in Berkeley County.
January 27 – On January 27, 1812, in 1812 the General Assembly passed an act for the opening of a road from the Monongalia Glades (now Preston Co) to the mouth of Buffalo and thence to the site of New Martinsville on the Ohio River to meet a road from Zanesville
January 28 – On January 28, 1793, William Royal was granted 1556 acres of land in Kanawha County.
January 29 – On January 29, 1808, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act prohibiting slaves from hiring themselves out at large.
January 30 – On January 30, 1788, Virginia Governor Edmund Randolph authorized George Clendenin to organize a company of rangers to defend Greenbrier County settlements and to establish an outpost. Clendenin ordered the outpost, Clendenin’s Fort (later re-named Fort Lee), to be erected at the confluence of the Elk River and Kanawha River on lands he purchased one month before in present-day Charleston. The following is a list of the company’s members, many of which would become the first permanent residents of Charleston: George Shaw, Francis Watkins, Shadrach Harriman, Reuben Slaughter, John Tollypurt, Samuel Dunbar, John Burns, Isaac Snedicer, William Miller, John Buckle, James Edgar, Robert Aaron, Michael Newhouse, William Carroll, Thomas Shirkey, Nicholas Null, William Boggs, Archer Price, Benjamin Morris, Levi Morris, Joseph Burrell, William Morris, William Turrell, Alexander Clendenin, William Clendenin, and John Moore.
January 31 – On January 31, 1792, George See, Jr., was granted 62 acres of land in Hardy County.
February
February 1 – On February 1, 1752, Christopher Gist arrived at Middle Island Creek, present-day Tyler County.
February 2 – On February 2, 1801, David Williams was granted 120 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
February 3 – On February 3, 1806, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing the construction of mill dams across the Monongahela River, Cheat River, Tyger Valley River, or the West Fork of the Monongahela River.
February 4 – On February 4, 1806, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing Andrew McIntire to construct a mill dam across the mouth of Simpson’s Creek in Harrison County.
February 5 – On February 5, 1808, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act providing for the improvement and repair of certain parts of the state road in Randolph County.
February 6 – A survey of 950 acres of land in Kanawha County was completed for Charles Davis on February 6, 1798.
February 7 – On February 7, 1786, the first meeting of the Hardy County Court met at William Bullett’s in Moorefield
February 8 – On February 8, 1808, the Ruffner brothers made their first lifting of salt from the new furnace they built and simultaneously reduced the price to 4 cents a pound.
February 9 – On February 9, 1798, Lewis Dickwall was granted 104 acres of land in Berkeley County.
February 10 – Samuel Dexter, Jr. wrote a letter to Judge Sumner concerning the purchase of land along Big Sandy River on February 10, 1796.
February 11 – On February 11, 1735, Daniel Boone, famous frontiersman, pioneer, and legislator who explored and settled in Kanawha County was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
February 12 – On February 12, 1806, The Jefferson County court authorized construction of a new jail.
February 13 – On February 13, 1800, Future statehood leader John Jay Jackson, Sr. was born in Parkersburg, the illegitimate son of John George Jackson and Frances Amelia Triplett.
February 14 – On February 14, 1752, Christopher Gist reached Standing Stone Creek on the Little Kanawha River.
February 15 – On February 15, 1752, Christopher Gist reached present-day Elizabeth, Wirt County.
February 16 – On February 16, 1795, the Harrison County Court appointed Henry Smith surveyor of the road from the mouth of Little Kanawha to Williams Station.
February 17 – On February 17, 1735, the first unit of the National Guard (later to become the West Virginia National Guard), Company D, 201st Infantry, was organized by Morgan Morgan in Berkeley County.
February 18 – On February 18, 1756, Colonial and Cherokee troops led by Major Andrew Lewis departed from Fort Frederick to raid Shawnee towns along the Big Sandy River in retaliation for Shawnee attacks on frontier forts. One month later, the Sandy Creek Expedition was halted due to hunger among the troops.
February 19 – On February 19, 1778, The Council of Virginia passed measures recommended by Governor Patrick Henry to better protect western Virginia from Indian attacks, including authorization for the construction of a fort at the mouth of the Elk River at present-day Charleston, Kanawha County.
February 20 – On February 20, 1797, the federal government purchased 310 acres for use by the Harpers Ferry Armory, most of which was located in present-day Bolivar, Jefferson County.
February 21 – On February 21, 1784, The Virginia Court of Appeals awarded Michael Bowyer clear title to 950 acres on Howards Creek, on the present grounds of The Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County.
February 22 – On February 22, 1813, Isaac Adkins was granted 250 acres of land in Cabell County.
February 23 – On February 23, 1778, George Rogers Clark re-captured Vincennes from the British.
February 24 – On February 24, 1751, Christopher Gist and his party camped near Big Sandy Creek in what is now Jackson County
February 25 – On February 25, 1809, Leonard Harbaugh and William Little were granted 5.75 acres of land in Jefferson County.
February 26 – On February 26, 1757, William Preston was ordered to erect a fort (Wallace Austins Fort) on Bull Pasture River in either Pocahontas County or Greenbrier County. He was in the process of constructing it during April of the same year.
February 27 – On February 27, 1786, John Heazlewood was granted 2000 acres of land in Harrison County.
February 28 – On February 28, 1756, White and Cherokee troops led by Major Andrew Lewis reached the head of Big Sandy Creek in present-day Wayne County in a campaign retaliating against Shawnee attacks on frontier forts.
March
March 1 – On March 1, 1751, Christopher Gist reached Slate Creek, present-day Wood County.
March 2 – John Fryatt Snodgrass was born on March 2, 1804, in Berkeley County. Snodgrass later became a member of Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 and a representative in Congress from 1853 until death in 1854
March 3 – On March 3, 1807, The United States Congress repealed the salt tariff.
March 4 – On March 4, 1799, A Masonic Lodge was founded at Wellsburg, Brooke County, the first west of the Allegheny Mountains.
March 5 – On March 5, 1807, The Wheeling Repository was first published, the first newspaper in Wheeling, Ohio County.
March 6 – On March 6, 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker began an expedition as a representative of the Loyal Company during which he explored the Greenbrier River and the New River.
March 7 – On March 7, 1752, Christopher Gist reached Big Grave Creek, Marshall County.
March 8 – On March 8, 1785, Harmon Greathouse acquired 800 acres on Harmons Creek, establishing the first settlement at Holliday’s Cover, present Weirton, Hancock County.
March 9 – On March 9, 1802, the first Jefferson County grand jury was called.
March 10 – On March 10, 1800, Nathaniel Davisson was admitted to practice law in Wood County.
March 11 – On March 11, 1795, J. W. Kitterer had 180,000 acres of land surveyed, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
March 12 – On March 12, 1768, following a change in the English cabinet, Lord Hillsborough directed Sir William Johnson and John Stuart to negotiate a new western boundary for English settlement. The Treaty of Fort Stanwyx and the Treaty of Hard Labour, both signed later that year, released the Iroquois and Cherokee tribes from their claims to the territory between the Ohio River and the Allegheny Mountains, effectively repealing the Proclamation of 1763, which had prohibited settlement west of the Alleghenies.
March 13 – On March 13, 1760, Thomas Cresap was granted 150 acres of land in Hampshire County.
March 14 – On March 14, 1760, Providence Williams was granted 180 acres of land in Hampshire County.
March 15 – On March 15, 1793, Major Robert Crockett and a party of settlers attacked a Native American camp on the island at the mouth of Island Creek (opposite Logan). The Natives rapidly dispersed, leaving stolen horses behind.
March 16 – On March 16, 1742, Explorers John Peter Salley and John Howard left Augusta County on an expedition which took them down the New River and the Great Kanawha River into the Kanawha Valley, the Ohio River, and Mississippi River.
March 17 – On March 17, 1747, George Washington visited the Berkeley Springs in present-day Berkeley Springs, Morgan County.
March 18 – On March 18, 1785, the Greenbrier County Court empowered William Ward, George Clendenin and Samuel Brown to let a contract for erection of a courthouse.
March 19 – The Grave Creek Mound, a Native American burial mound located in present-day Moundsville, was opened by Jesse Tomlinson on March 19, 1838.
March 20 – The first post office in present-day West Virginia was opened in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, under Postmaster Horatio Ross on March 20, 1793.
March 21 – On March 21, 1793, the County Court of Harrison County organized a militia company at Mouth of Little Kanawha, present-day Wood County, and recommended Hugh Phelps as captain, Michael Thomas as lieutenant, and Bird Lockhart as ensign.
March 22 – On March 22, 1792, John Young was granted 200 acres of land in Kanawha County.
March 23 – On March 23, 1747, George Washington surveyed lands on the Potomac River in present-day West Virginia.
March 24 – On March 24, 1809, Colonel Edmund P. Hunter was born in Martinsburg. Hunter was later an editor of the Martinsburg Gazette, a county attorney, a House of Delegates member, and Colonel of the 67th Virginia Militia.
March 25 – On March 25, 1754, Thomas Lord Fairfax conveyed 416 acres on the east side of Lost River in present-day Hardy County to Stephen Ruddle, most likely the future site of Fort Ruddle.
March 26 – Isaac Williams and his wife settled near present-day Williamstown, Wood County on March 26, 1787.
March 27 – On March 17, 1789, a relative of Alexander Campbell referred to as Mrs. Glass, her son, a servant and two of the servant’s children were captured by Native Americans near the Glass home in Bethany, Brooke County.
March 28 – On March 28, 1800, Michael Bowyer offered to give the Greenbrier County Court at plot of land if they would build a courthouse.
March 29 – On March 29, 1752, Christopher Gist reached the Ohio Company storehouse on the Potomac River following his travel through present West Virginia.
March 30 – On March 30, 1776, the Committee of Safety of Virginia declared the Berkeley County Company of Captain William Darke to be Company No. 1.
March 31 – On March 21, 1788, Allen McDonald was granted 216 acres of land in Berkeley County.
April
April 1 – On April 1, 1808, Richard Williams and William Brown first published the Farmers’ Repository in Charles Town, Jefferson County, the first agricultural newspaper in present-day West Virginia.
April 2 – On April 2, 1794, Congress passed an act authorizing the establishment of national armories and arsenals. The first armory was created at Springfield, MA and the second was located at Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County.
April 3 – On April 3, 1778, Colonel Fleming and Colonel Preston sent a message to the Shawnee stating that the murderers of Shawnee chieftain Cornstalk would be brought to justice.
April 4 – On April 4, 1783, William Powers moved his scouting party from Powers’ Fort to the mouth of Bingamon Creek in Harrison County, where he stationed part of his men and the rest at the mouth of Jones Run to watch for Natives.
April 5 – On April 5, 1784, James Stafford was granted 354 acres of land in Monongalia County.
April 6 – On April 6, 1745, The King of England defined the lands owned by Lord Fairfax, including all of present-day West Virginia east of the Fairfax Stone, which was erected in present-day Preston County the following year.
April 7 – On April 7, 1791, James Kelley was killed and his son Joseph captured by Native Americans at Fort Belleville, Wood County.
April 8 – The last will and testament of George Stump of Hardy County was recorded on April 8, 1805. Stump’s will divided property in his possession, including timbering lands in Hardy County, among his heirs.
April 9 – On April 9, 1762, John Hite was granted 212 acres of land in Hampshire County.
April 10 – On April 10, 1771, John Floyd discovered natural gas at Burning Spring in the Kanawha Valley, Kanawha County, the first discovered by white explorers in present West Virginia.
April 11 – Hampshire County Lieutenant Van Meter wrote to Governor Thomas Jefferson on April 11, 1781, that he “apprehended difficulty in executing the requisition made upon the county for 242 men.”
April 12 – On April 12, 1774, the 2,000 acre “Cole” River Tract in the St. Albans area, Kanawha County, was patented by George Washington. It had been surveyed by John Floyd.
April 13 – On April 13, 1796, an appraisement of the goods and chattel held by the estate of the late Michael See was conducted and recorded.
April 14 – On April 14, 1761, Fielding Lewis and Charles Dick was granted 260 acres of land in Hampshire County.
April 15 – John Evans of Monongalia County wrote to Governor Beverley Randolph on April 15, 1789, detailing recent attacks by Native Americans and scouting expeditions.
April 16 – On April 16, 1796, Edward Dillon was granted 40,000 acres of land, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
April 17 – On April 17, 1757, George Washington ordered garrisons at Fort Cocke and Fort Ashby to march to the South Branch Valley, with one garrison stationed at Fort Harness in present-day Hardy County and the other at Fort Upper Tract at present-day Upper Tract, Pendleton County.
April 18 – On April 18, 1756, French and Native American forces fought a regiment of Colonel George Washington’s troops at the Battle of Great Cacapon River, Hampshire County. That same day, Native American forces captured Fort Edwards in present-day Hampshire County and killed Captain John Mercer.
April 19 – On April 19, 1754, George Washington spent the night at Job Pearsall’s, now Romney.
April 20 – On April 20, 1761, Garret Van Meter was granted 200 acres of land in Hampshire County.
April 21 – On April 21, 1773, John Connolly issued a circular declaring a virtual state of war between settlers and Native Americans in present-day West Virginia.
April 22 – On April 22, 1753, Thomas Lord Fairfax conveyed 338 acres about one-half mile south of the confluence of the North River and the Great Cacapon in Hampshire County to Henry Enoch, on which he later erected Fort Enoch.
April 23 – On April 23, 1756, George Washington ordered Ensign Hubbard to evacuate Fort Enoch and take residents to Fort Edwards, both in Hampshire County, for protection.
April 24 – In an April 24, 1756, letter to the House of Burgesses, George Washington described his plan for defense of western Virginia from Native American attacks.
April 25 – On April 25, 1774, Lord Dunmore ordered John Connolly to issue circulars to militia along the Ohio River to protect settlers from Native American attack.
April 26 – On April 26, 1754, George Washington sent Governor Dinwiddie a letter which had just been sent to him from Fort Hopewell on the South Branch in Hampshire County.
April 27 – On April 27, 1773, Settlers and Shawnee Indians fought a skirmish near Grave Creek in present-day Marshall County.
April 28 – On April 28, 1758, Native Americans attacked Fort Seybert in present-day Pendleton County, killing or capturing thirty.
April 29 – On April 29, 1794, Sophia Props was granted 119 acres of land in Pendleton County.
April 30 – On April 30, 1774, Colonists murdered the family of Mingo chieftain Tah-gah-jute, who had been baptized under the English name Logan, at Baker’s Tavern on the Ohio River in the Northern Panhandle. Logan had previously lived peacefully with whites, but killed at least 30 settlers that summer in revenge, justifying his actions in a famous oration.
May
May 1 – Clendenin in Kanawha County, was first settled on May 1, 1788.
May 2 – On May 2, 1786, William Walter was granted 613 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
May 3 – On May 3, 1796, J. I. Benoist was granted 58,000 acres of land, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
May 4 – On May 4, 1786, William Arbuckle was granted 950 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
May 5 – Colonel Peter Jefferson was ordered to clear the western Virginia frontier “barbarous murderers,” including portions of the Greenbrier Valley and the upper waters of the South Branch of the Potomac River.
May 6 – Explorer John Peter Salley reached the mouth of the Great Kanawha River on May 6, 1743.
May 7 – On May 7, 1798, the first court in Wheeling was held at the inn of John Gooding.
May 8 – On May 8, 1800, The United States government purchased the iron ore and the Friend’s ore bank near the Keep Triste Furnace near present-day Bakerton, Jefferson County, from General Henry Lee.
May 9 – John Brown was born in Connecticut on May 9, 1800.
May 10 – On May 10, 1742, William Vestal, John Traden, Richard Stevenson, and Daniel Burnet hired Thomas Mayberry to construct a bloomery forge for making iron on Vestal’s plantation on the Shenandoah River at present-day Bloomery, Jefferson County. This is possibly the earliest documented industry in present-day West Virginia.
May 11 – On May 11, 1742, James Smith and Jacob Ridgeway were granted 150,000 acres of land in Kanawha County.
May 12 – On May 12, 1756, George Washington ordered Lieutenant Colonel Henry Peyton to construct Fort Cox at the mouth of the Little Capon Creek in present-day Hampshire County.
May 13 – On May 13, 1791, the husband and daughter of Mary Kinnan were murdered by Shawnee warriors on the Tygart Valley River in Randolph County. Mary Kinnan lived in captivity of the Native Americans for 3 years.
May 14 – On May 14, 1776, The Committee of Safety of Virginia ordered five-hundred pounds of powder and five-hundred pounds of lead to be used by the District of West Augusta and Hampshire County.
May 15 – On May 15, 1756, George Washington ordered Captain Nicholas Minor to take command of Fort Cox in present-day Hampshire County. On the same day, Washington ordered Lieutenant Hedgman to be stationed at Fort Harness three miles south of Fort Buttermilk in present-day Hardy County.
May 16 – On May 16, 1756, George Washington ordered Captain Thomas Waggoner to take command of Fort Pleasant (also known as Fort VanMeter) at the Old Fields in present-day Hardy County. That same day, Washington ordered Captain William Woodford and a company of soldiers to march from Caroline County to the mouth of Sleepy Creek in present-day Morgan County to protect that region from attacks by Native American warriors. Fort Sleepy Creek was erected on this site later in the year.
May 17 – On May 17, 1756, George Washington ordered three officers and forty-five militia to be stationed at Fort Kuykendall about seven miles south of present-day Romney, Hampshire County. He also ordered Captain James Hamilton to replace Captain Nicholas Minor at the same site. On that same day, due to the threat of attack by Native Americans, Washington also ordered Colonel Henry Peyton to make his permanent headquarters at Fort Pearsall, where Hamilton had been stationed, west of present-day Romney, Hampshire County.
May 18 – On May 18, 1796, Richard Smith was granted 38,577 acres of land, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
May 19 – On May 19, 1772, the first Berkeley County Court met at the house of Edward Beeson.
May 20 – On May 20, 1786, George Jackson was given permission to run a ferry across the Elk River, Harrison County, and to charge 4 pence for man and horse or 2 pence for man or horse.
May 21 – On May 21, 1799, The Monroe County government was organized at the house of George King, near Union.
May 22 – On May 22, 1781, Colonel Elias Poston sent an urgent plea to Frederick County to send 300 men to protect Hampshire County citizens whose lives were threatened by Loyalists.
May 23 – Bishop Francis Asbury preached at the Rehoboth Church in Monroe County on May 23, 1796.
May 24 – On May 24, 1775, Thomas Bullitt headed a team which surveyed his land claims in present-day Charleston.
May 25 – On May 25, 1802, John Cabell was granted 1240 acres of land in Monroe County.
May 26 – On May 26, 1748, Thomas Lord Fairfax conveyed 400 acres near present-day Capon Bridge, Hampshire County, to Joseph Edwards on which he later erected Fort Edwards.
May 27 – On May 27, 1787, the Randolph County government was organized at the house of Benjamin Wilson in Beverly.
May 28 – On May 28, 1792, Dr. Robert McSherry was born in Berkeley County on the farm called “Retirement” near Leetown.
May 29 – On May 29, 1778, Following a brief retreat after the attack on Fort Randolph in Point Pleasant, Mason County, Native American warriors attacked Fort Donnally in present Greenbrier County. Militiamen John Pryor and Philip Hammond, disguised as Native Americans, travelled from Fort Randolph to Fort Donnally, notifying residents of the impending attack. At one point, Hammond and Dick Pointer, one of Colonel Donnally’s slaves, allegedly held off the attackers by themselves. Troops from Camp Union commanded by Matthew Arbuckle and Samuel Lewis ended the attack the following day.
May 30 – On May 30, 1760, Thomas Lord Fairfax conveyed 467 acres “on the drains of Evans Great Spring” in present-day Martinsburg, Berkeley County, to John Evans.
May 31 – Virginia Governor John Blair sent a message to the House of Burgesses on May 31, 1768, acknowledging that settlers were on lands near Redstone Creek and Cheat River which were considered property of the Native Americans.
June
June 1 – On June 1, 1792, Congress authorized the creation of the first post office in present-day West Virginia. It was later established at Martinsburg, Berkeley County.
June 2 – On June 2, 1788, Virginia Governor Randolph commissioned the following justices to form what became Pendleton County: Robert Davis, John Skidmore, Moses Hinkle, James Dyer, Isaac Hinkle, Robert Poage, James Skidmore, Matthew Patton, Peter Hull, James Patterson, and Jacob Hoover. The meeting was held in a house owned and occupied by Seriah Stratton near Ruddle.
June 3 – On June 3, 1783, William Callison was granted 200 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
June 4 – On June 4, 1784, Harrison County was created from Monongalia County.
June 5 – On June 5, 1760, Michael Pyke was granted 3000 acres of land in Hampshire County.
June 6 – On June 6, 1774, Mingo Chief Logan killed eight and took two people prisoner near the Monongahela River in response to the murder of his family.
June 7 – On June 7, 1794, the first post office at Wheeling was established and John Finley named postmaster.
June 8 – On June 8, 1803, Thaddeus Mason Harris visited and described the location of the Grave Creek Mound. This description was found in The Journal Of A Tour Into The Territory Northwest of the Alleghany Mountains; Made in the Spring of the Year 1803, by Thaddeus Mason Harris, and later reprinted in Travels West of the Alleghanies, by Reuben Gold Thwaites (Cleveland: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 1904), pp. 360-362.
June 9 – Lord Dunmore announced that the Shawnee had declared war against the western frontier on June 9, 1774.
June 10 – On June 10, 1753, Thomas Lord Fairfax conveyed 237 acres on the North River in present-day Hampshire County to Thomas Parker on which he erected Fort Parker. (Historians note: during this time, there were also two other forts named Fort Parker.)
June 11 – On June 11, 1781, Bishop Francis Asbury traveled to Fort Ashby, present-day Mineral County.
June 12 – On June 12, 1751, Lord Fairfax granted Thomas Shepherd 457 acres to add to Shepherd’s 1734 acquisition from the governor for what would become the town of Shepherdstown, Jefferson County.
June 13 – On June 13, 1756, George Washington ordered Lieutenant Neugent and his company to be stationed in the South Branch Valley at Fort Parker, about 2 miles southeast of present-day Springfield, Hampshire County. (Historians note: during this time, there were also two other forts named Fort Parker.)
June 14 – On June 14, 1751, Robert Buckles received a patent for 407 acres just south of present-day Shepherdstown, Jefferson County.
June 15 – On June 15, 1796, the federal government purchased 125 acres of land from the heirs of Robert Harper for the establishment of a national armory at Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County.
June 16
June 17 – On June 17, 1730, John Van Metre was assigned 10,000 acres of property in the fork of the Shenandoah River, including Cedar Lick and Stony Lick, Jefferson County.
June 18 – On June 18, 1772, George Rogers Clarke and Rev. David Jones viewed land on the Little Kanawha.
June 19
June 20
June 21 – On June 21, 1790, Daniel Davisson deeded a lot in Clarksburg, Harrison County, to the Regular Baptists, members of the Hopewell Church.
June 22 – On June 22, 1779, the Virginia Assembly passed a bill creating a land office and providing a procedure for settling claims to unpatented western lands.
June 23 – On June 23, 1795, Robert Morris was granted 500,000 acres of land in addition to the 480,000 he was granted that March, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
June 24 – On June 24, 1791, a Martinsburg, Berkeley County newspaper reported that Methodists had organized a church at Charles Town, Jefferson County.
June 25 – On June 25, 1788, Virginia ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the tenth state. Thirteen of the 16 delegates from present-day West Virginia voted in favor of ratification, proving a decisive factor in the final margin of 89 to 79.
June 26 – On June 26, 1789, Thomas Slater was granted 51 acres of land in Hardy County.
June 27 – On June 27, 1751, Lord Fairfax granted Peter Burr 480 acres, including the land which would become the town of Bardane, Jefferson County.
June 28 – On June 28, 1797, The Impartial Observer: or Shepherds-Town, Charles Town & Country Advertiser was first published by Philip Rootes and Charles Blagrove at Shepherdstown, Jefferson County; it became the second newspaper to be published in western Virginia.
June 29 – On June 29, 1776, the first Virginia Constitution was adopted.
June 30 – On June 30, 1792, the first post office in present-day West Virginia was established at Martinsburg, Berkeley County.
July
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July 16
July 17 – On July 17, 1775, Hugh Stephenson of Berkeley County led his military company out of Mecklenburg, present-day Shepherdstown, Jefferson County on what became known as the Beeline March. They arrived in Cambridge, MA, on August 11.
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August
August 1
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August 5
August 6
August 7
August 8
August 9
August 10
August 11 – On August 11, 1775, A company of men from present-day West Virginia under Captain Hugh Stephenson reached Boston, becoming one of the first companies from south of the Potomac River to join General George Washington after the start of the Revolutionary War.
August 12
August 13 – In an August 13, 1763, letter to Robert Stewart, Colonel George Washington described his plans for defending western Virginia settlements during Pontiacs War by stationing 500 soldiers in Hampshire County and elsewhere.
August 14 – On August 14, 1755, On August 14, Colonel George Washington was assigned to defend western Virginia from French and American Indian attacks.
August 15
August 16
August 17
August 18 – On August 18, 1747, George Washington was employed surveying lands for Lord Fairfax on the Upper Potomac River.
August 19
August 20 – On August 20, 1794, General Anthony Wayne won a decisive victory over about 2,000 Native Americans at Fallen Timbers, effectively removing any remaining opposition in the Ohio Valley.
August 21
August 22 – On August 22, 1800, Nicholas County pioneer Colonel Edward Campbell was born in Kanawha County.
August 23
August 24
August 25
August 26
August 27 – On August 27, 1790, Fort Tackett or Coal Fort, in present-day St. Albans, Kanawha County, was destroyed by Native Americans. Mrs. Lewis Tackett and her son were taken prisoner.
August 28
August 29
August 30
August 31 – On August 31, 1801, Captain Samuel Washington of Spotsylvania County, VA, deeded four corners of the public square in Charles Town for the use by the Jefferson County government.
September
September 1 – On September 1, 1777, Wyandot and Mingo warriors attacked Fort Henry in present-day Wheeling, Ohio County. The siege lasted for three days.
September 2
September 3
September 4 – On September 4, 1784, George Washington visited the Berkeley Springs at Berkeley Springs, Morgan County. During the visit, he witnessed the steamboat invented by James Rumsey.
September 5 – On September 5, 1716, On September 5, Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood reached the crest of the Appalachian Mountains, in present Pendleton County.
September 6
September 7
September 8
September 9
September 10 – On September 10, 1782, about 200 Wyandot and Delaware Indians laid siege to Fort Henry in present Wheeling. During the siege, Elizabeth Zane supposedly made a daring run through gunfire to obtain gunpowder. After the four-day siege, these forces attacked Rice’s Fort at Bethany.
September 11
September 12
September 13
September 14
September 15
September 16
September 17 – On September 17, 1671, Thomas Batts, Thomas Wood, and Robert Fallam explored along the Kanawha River.
September 18
September 19
September 20
September 21 – On September 21, 1774, forces under Colonel Andrew Lewis reached the site of present-day Charleston on their march to the Battle of Point Pleasant, Mason County.
September 22
September 23
September 24
September 25
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30
October
October 1 – On October 1, 1789, Kanawha County was established from portions of Greenbrier County and Montgomery County.
October 2 – On October 2, 1786, Stephen West was granted 400 acres of land in Harrison County.
October 3 – On October 3, 1763, About 150 troops under Colonel Charles Lewis defeated Native American warriors in a skirmish during Pontiac’s War on the headwaters of the South Fork near Fort Seybert, present-day Pendleton County.
October 4 – Adam Stephen reported about 150 Native Americans were in the vicinity of Fort Cumberland on October 4, 1755.
October 5 – On October 5, 1770, George Washington left Mount Vernon accompanied by Dr. James Craik to locate lands in the Ohio Valley for himself and other soldiers from the French and Indian War.
October 6 – Forces under Colonel Andrew Lewis reached Point Pleasant, Mason County, on October 6, 1774, in preparation for the Battle of Point Pleasant against the Shawnee.
October 7 – On October 7, 1763, the King of England announced the Proclamation of 1763, prohibiting settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains in an attempt to avoid conflict with Native Americans.
October 8 – On October 8, 1764, Harman Blennerhassett was born in Hampshire, England.
October 9 – On October 9, 1720, land speculator Andrew Lewis was born in Donegal, Ireland.
October 10 – On October 10, 1774, the Battle of Point Pleasant, the only major conflict of Lord Dunmore’s War and regarded by some as the first battle of the American Revolution, was fought between the Virginia Militia and Shawnee and Mingo warriors at Point Pleasant, Mason County. Native forces under Chief Cornstalk attacked Virginia militiamen under Colonel Andrew Lewis, hoping to halt Lewis’s advance into the Ohio Valley. The Shawnee forces were eventually forced to retreat, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Camp Charlotte.
October 11 – Due to a territorial dispute with Pennsylvania, the council of Virginia created the District of West Augusta, including all of present-day West Virginia, on October 11, 1773.
October 12 – On October 12, 1792, Chronicles of Border Warfare author Alexander Scott Withers was born.
October 13 – While surveying land for Lord Thomas Fairfax, Thomas Lewis reached the crest of the Allegheny Mountains in present-day West Virginia on October 13, 1746.
October 14 – On October 14, 1769, author Joseph Doddridge was born in Pennsylvania.
October 15 – On October 15, 1783 Alexander McClanahan was granted 200 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
October 16 – On October 16, 1798, Isaac Williams was paid $10.00 for work on the road from Salem to Vienna.
October 17 – On October 17, 1785, James Rumsey first tested his steamboat near the mouth of Sir Johns Run, present-day Morgan County.
October 18 – On October 18, 1770, British representative John Stuart signed the Treaty of Lochaber with the Cherokee tribe, relinquishing all Cherokee claims to property from the North Carolina and Virginia border to a point near Long Island on the Holston River to the mouth of the Kanawha River at present-day Point Pleasant, Mason County. In this treaty, the Cherokee surrendered their rights to land in present-day southern West Virginia not included in the Treaty of Hard Labour in 1768.
October 19 – On October 19, 1795, William Hays was granted 288 acres of land in Berkeley County.
October 20 – On October 20, 1770, George Washington left Fort Pitt for western Virginia in search of lands he planned to claim as payment for his service in the French and Indian War.
October 21 – On October 21, 1793, the Virginia Assembly convened in Richmond.
October 22 – On October 22, 1792, George Fisher, Jr. was granted 60 acres of land in Pendleton County.
October 23
October 24 – On October 24, 1768, negotiations of the Treaty of Fort Stanwyx began between British representative Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations of the Iroquois, relinquishing all Iroquois claims to the property west of the Allegheny Mountains and east of the Ohio River, comprising all of present-day West Virginia except the extreme southwestern part of the state. Along with the Treaty of Hard Labour, this effectively repealed the Proclamation of 1763, which had prohibited settlement west of the Alleghenies.
October 25 – On October 25, 1785, John Prickett was granted 400 acres of land in Monongalia County.
October 26 – On October 26, 1755, George Washington ordered Lieutenant John Bacon to select a location for what became Fort Ashby. He chose a place on the plantation of John Sellers at present-day Fort Ashby, Mineral County. He also ordered Bacon to construct Fort Cocke about one mile south of present-day Headsville, Mineral County.
October 27 – George Washington and his party reached the mouth of the Little Kanawha and camped near the site of Harris’ Ferry, Wood County on October 27, 1770.
October 28 – On October 28, 1805, Executors of the estate of the late John Dickinson sued the executors of the estate of the late Joseph Ruffner because Ruffner had failed to properly develop a salt manufacturing operation at Campbell’s Creek, Kanawha County, per the terms of the original sale. Ruffner’s executors, David Ruffner and Joseph Ruffner, reached an out of court settlement with the Dickinson executors several years later.
October 29 – On October 29, 1751, The Greenbrier Company was authorized to stake out 100,000 acres of land along the Greenbrier River.
October 30 – On October 30, 1776, A petition to the Virginia General Assembly argued the plan to create the colony of Westsylvania in western Virginia did not have the unanimous support of western Virginians.
October 31 – Under the orders of Virginia Governor Robert Dinwiddie, George Washington and Christopher Gist demanded the French surrender its forts on the Ohio River on October 31, 1753, leading to the outbreak of the French and Indian War.
November
November 1 – On November 1, 1807, David Ruffner and Joseph Ruffner opened their first salt well on the Kanawha River in Kanawha County.
November 2 – November 2, 1734, Kanawha Valley pioneer Daniel Boone was born.
November 3 – Anne Trotter, whose husband was killed at Battle of Point Pleasant and who served as a scout and messenger, married John Bailey at Lewisburg on November 3, 1785.
November 4 – On November 4, 1770, George Washington visited present-day Gauley Bridge, Fayette County.
November 5 – On November 5, 1768, British representative Sir William Johnson signed the Treaty of Fort Stanwix with the Six Nations of the Iroquois, relinquishing all Iroquois claims to the property west of the Allegheny Mountains and east of the Ohio River, comprising all of present-day West Virginia except the extreme southwestern part of the state. Along, with the Treaty of Hard Labour, this effectively repealed the Proclamation of 1763, which had prohibited settlement west of the Alleghenies.
November 6 – On November 6, 1776, Ohio County and Monongalia County were created from the District of West Augusta.
November 7 – On November 7, 1775, Virginia Governor Dunmore authorized the recruitment of free African Americans into the British Army.
November 8 – On November 8, 1796, The Virginia General Assembly convened in Richmond.
November 9 – On November 9, Elinipsico, son of Cornstalk, arrived at Fort Randolph seeking information about his father, who had been detained there in early November 1777.
November 10 – On November 10, 1777, Shawnee Chief Cornstalk was killed at Fort Randolph at present-day Point Pleasant, Mason County.
November 11 – On November 11, 1749, George Washington surveyed land at Wardensville for William Wallace Warden, who built Fort Warden near the site. In 1758, members of his family were killed, and the fort was destroyed by Native Americans.
November 12 – On November 12, 1762, Thomas Shepherd presented his bill of incorporation for the town of Mecklenburg, present-day Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
November 13 – On November 13, 1800, Adam Flesher was granted 100 acres of land in Harrison County.
November 14 – On November 14, 1788, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Kanawha County from parts of Greenbrier County and Montgomery County, with the county seat at the house of William Clendinen.
November 15 – On November 15, 1799, Joseph Tomlinson sold Andrew Rogers the first lot of land in Elizabethtown, now part of Moundsville, Marshall County.
November 16 – On November 16, 1754, Lord Fairfax granted 135 acres of land in Hampshire County to Joseph Rhodes.
November 17 – Morgan Morgan, supposedly the first permanent white settler in West Virginia, died on November 17, 1766.
November 18 – On November 18, 1762, the bill for incorporation of the town of Romney, Hampshire County, was given its first reading in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
November 19 – On November 19, 1779, Cuthbert Bullitt was granted 1030 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
November 20 – On November 20, 1779, Cuthbert Bullitt received a patent for the land in present-day Charleston and opposite present-day St. Albans willed by his brother Thomas Bullitt, who had died in 1778.
November 21 – On November 21, 1757, Mary Nisewanger was granted 400 acres of land in Hampshire County.
November 22 – On November 22, 1762, the bill for incorporation of the town of Mecklenburg, present-day Shepherdstown, Jefferson County was given its first reading in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
November 23 – Charles Washington and others petitioned the Virginia General Assembly to establish the town of Charles Town, Jefferson County on November 23, 1786.
November 24 – On November 24, 1750, George Washington purchased his first tract of property in present- day West Virginia, the Bullskin or Rock Hall Tract, located in Jefferson County.
November 25 – On November 25, 1762, The Virginia House of Burgesses passed the incorporation bill for the town of Mecklenburg, present-day Shepherdstown, Jefferson County.
November 26 – On November 26, 1793, Michael Buzzard was granted 85 acres of land in Pendleton County.
November 27 – On November 27, 1786, Michael Ryan was granted 2000 acres of land in Harrison County.
November 28 – On November 28, 1784, George Clendennon was granted 400 acres of land in Greenbrier County.
November 29 – Randolph County was formed from Harrison County on November 29, 1786.
November 30 – On November 30, 1796, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Brooke County from part of Ohio County, with the county seat at the house of William Tharp.
December
December 1 – On December 1, 1773, Virginia Governor Dunmore granted 21,941 acres on the Kanawha River to settlers, including 2,618 acres across from present-day St. Albans, Kanawha County, to Thomas Bullitt for his service in the French and Indian War.
December 2 – On December 2, 1796, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act authorizing a lottery to fund the repairs to the state roads from Morgantown in Monongalia County to Romney in Hampshire County to Winchester in Frederick County, and from Morgantown to Hardy Courthouse in Hardy County to Winchester. The following commissioners were appointed to oversee the lotteries: Isaac Hite Williams, Jonathan Davies, George Harness, Jr., Cuthbert Bullitt, Alexander King, Hugh Holmes, James Singleton, and John Jack.
December 3 – On December 3, 1787, James Rumsey first demonstrated his steam-powered boat publicly on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown, Jefferson County. His invention led to the creation of new technology, eventually culminating in Robert Fulton’s steamboat.
December 4 – On December 4, 1787, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Pendleton County from parts of Hardy County, Augusta County, and Rockingham County, with the county seat at the house of Zariah Stratton.
December 5 – The Virginia General Assembly passed an act defining the boundary between Greenbrier County and Kanawha County on December 5, 1795.
December 6 – On December 6, 1751, Christopher Gist completed exploration of the area near the Monongahela River.
December 7 – On December 7, 1751, Christopher Gist first met Nemacolin, a Delaware tribesman, who would later help him blaze Nemacolin’s Trail from Cumberland, Maryland to the Monongahela River.
December 8 – On December 8, 1776, The Monongalia County government was organized at the house of James Coburn.
December 9 – On December 9, 1796, William McClery was granted 100,000 acres of land, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
December 10 – On December 10, 1786, Hardy County was formed from Hampshire County.
December 11 – On December 11, 1806, President Thomas Jefferson sent the militia to Blennerhassett Island near Parkersburg to stop the expedition of Aaron Burr and Harman Blennerhassett to create an empire for Burr in the southwestern part of the continent. Blennerhassett was arrested the following day in Lexington, KY, and charged with treason. The charges were later dropped.
December 12 – On December 12, 1786, On December 12, the Virginia General Assembly passed a bill establishing the town of Charles Town on the property of Charles Washington in Berkeley County, present-day Jefferson County, governed by the following trustees: John Augustine Washington, Robert Rutherford, William Darke, James Crane, Cato Moore, Benjamin Rankin, Magnus Tate, Thornton Washington, William Little, Alexander White, and Richard Ransone.
December 13 – On December 13, 1754, Hampshire County was created from parts of Frederick County and Augusta County.
December 14 – On December 14, 1796, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Pleasantville, Monongalia County, on the property of John Evans, Jr., and Benjamin Reeder on the Monongahela River, governed by the following trustees: Josiah Prickett, James Dunn, John Holt, Colder Haymond, Stephen Morgan, Zacquil Morgan, and William Holt.
December 15 – On December 15, 1772, King George III granted George Washington 2,448 acres of property in present-day Jackson County for his service in the French and Indian War.
December 16 – The town government of Charleston, Kanawha County, was organized on December 16, 1795.
December 17 – On December 17, 1762, The Virginia House of Burgesses and the Council of Virginia passed the incorporation bill for the town of Romney, Hampshire County.
December 18 – On December 18, 1769, John Michael Propst and his wife Catherine Propst donated the property for the Propst Lutheran Church, about two miles south of present-day Brandywine, Pendleton County.
December 19 – On December 19, 1794, the town of Franklin was established as the Pendleton County seat.
December 20 – On December 20, 1799, George Jackson was granted 4200 acres of land in Harrison County.
December 21 – On December 21, 1798, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act creating Wood County from part of Harrison County, with the county seat at the house of Hugh Phelps.
December 22 – On December 22, 1804, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act adding part of Ohio County to Harrison County.
December 23 – On December 23, 1762, The Virginia governor signed the bill officially incorporating Mecklenburg, present-day Shepherdstown, Jefferson County. That same day, he signed the bill officially incorporating Romney, Hampshire County. These are the oldest towns in present-day West Virginia.
December 24 – On December 24, 1795, Ben Grayson Orr was granted 174,000 acres of land, including property in present-day Logan County and Mingo County.
December 25 – On December 25, 1795, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing the town of Wheeling, Ohio County, on the property of Ebenezer Zane on the Ohio River, governed by the following trustees: John McIntyer, Andrew Woods, Henry Smith, Archibald Woods, James Nelson, Robert Woods, Absalom Martin, and William Waddle.
December 26 – On December 26, 1795, The Virginia General Assembly adopted a joint resolution authorizing the governor to negotiate a solution to the boundary dispute with Kentucky.
December 27 – On December 27, 1755, Captain Charles Lewis of Fredericksburg assumed command at Fort Ashby at present-day Fort Ashby, Mineral County. It had been constructed earlier in the year by Lieutenant John Bacon on a recommendation from George Washington.
December 28 – On December 28, 1787, George Clendenin purchased 1,030 acres of land on the north side of the Kanawha River at Charleston from Cuthbert Bullitt.
December 29 – John Cooke, the first settler of present-day Wyoming County, was discharged from the Continental Army on December 29, 1779.
December 30 – On December 30, 1806, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act adding tracts of land belonging to Ebenezer Zane and James Patton to the town of Wheeling, Ohio County.
December 31 – On December 31, 1787, The Virginia General Assembly passed an act which incorporated the Randolph Academy at Clarksburg.