THE FORMATION OF VIRGINIA COUNTIES

 

County Date
Formed
Parent County County Seat
 
Accomack 1663 Northampton Accomac
Albemarle 1744 Goochland, Louisa Charlottesville
City of Alexandria . . Independent City
Alleghany 1822 Bath, Botetourt, Monroe(WVA) Covington
 
Amelia 1734 Brunswick, Prince George Amelia
Amherst 1761 Albemarle Amherst
Appomattox 1845 Buckingham, Prince Edward, Charlotte, Campbell Appomattox
Arlington 1801 DC, Fairfax (Alexandria Co. until 1920) Arlington
Augusta 1738 Orange Staunton
Bath 1790 Augusta, Botetourt & Greenbrier (now WV) Warm Springs
Bedford 1753 Albemarle, Lunenburg Bedford
Bland 1861 Giles, Tazewell, Wythe Bland
Botetourt 1769 Augusta Fincastle
Brunswick 1720 Prince George, Isle of Wight, Surry Lawrenceville
Buchanan 1858 Tazewell, Russell Grundy
Buckingham 1761 Albemarle Buckingham
Campbell 1781 Bedford Rustburg
Caroline 1728 Essex, King and Queen, King William Bowling Green
Carroll 1842 Grayson Hillsville
Charles City 1634   Charles City
Charlotte 1764 Lunenburg Charlotte
Chesterfield 1749 Henrico Chesterfield Courthouse
Clarke 1836 Frederick Berryville
Craig 1851 Botetourt, Montgomery, Roanoke, Giles, Monroe, Allegheny New Castle
Culpeper 1748 Orange Culpeper
Cumberland 1749 Goochland Cumberland
Dickenson 1880 Buchanan, Russell, Wise Clintwood
Dinwiddie 1752 Prince George Dinwiddie
Elizabeth City 1634   Hampton
Essex 1692 . Tappahannock
Fairfax 1742 Prince William City of Fairfax
Fauquier 1759 Prince William Warrenton
Floyd 1831 Montgomery Floyd
Fluvanna 1777 Albemarle Palmyra
Franklin 1785 Bedford, Henry, Patrick Rocky Mount
Frederick 1738 Orange, Augusta Winchester
Fredericksburg (City) 1721 Essex, King William, King and Queen Independent City
Giles 1806 Montgomery, Tazewell, Wythe, and Monroe (now WV) Pearisburg
Gloucester 1651 York Gloucester
Goochland 1727 Henrico Goochland
Grayson 1793 Wythe Independence
Greene 1838 Orange Stanardsville
Greensville 1780 Brunswick, Sussex Emporia
Halifax 1752 Lunenburg Halifax
Hanover 1720 New Kent Hanover
Henrico 1634   Richmond
Henry 1777 Pittsylvania Martinsville
Highland 1847 Bath (VA), Pendleton (now WV) Monterey
Isle of Wight 1634  Warrosquyoake County (1634-1637) Isle of Wight
James City 1634  See New Kent County Williamsburg
King and Queen 1691 New Kent King and Queen
King George 1721 Richmond, Westmoreland King George
King William 1702 King and Queen King William
Lancaster 1651 York, Northumberland Lancaster
Lee 1793 Russell Jonesville
Loudoun 1757 Fairfax Leesburg
Louisa 1742 Hanover Louisa
Lunenburg 1746 Brunswick Lunenburg Courthouse
Madison 1793 Culpeper Madison
Martinsville (City) 1873 Henry Independent City
Mathews 1791 Gloucester Mathews
Mecklenburg 1765 Lunenburg Boydton
Middlesex 1673 Lancaster Saluda
Montgomery 1777 Fincastle (abolished county formed from Botetourt) Christiansburg
Nansemond . . Now City of Suffolk
Nelson 1808 Amherst Lovingston
New Kent 1654 York, James City New Kent
Norfolk 1691 Lower Norfolk County
Now City of Chesapeake
 
Originally
Portsmouth
 
Northampton 1634  Original name, Accawmack Eastville
Northumberland 1645 Chickacoan District Heathsville
Nottoway 1789 Amelia Nottaway
Orange 1734 Spotsylvania Orange
Page 1831 Rockingham, Shenandoah Luray
Patrick 1790 Henry Stuart
City of Petersburg 1850 Dinwiddie, Pr. George, Chesterfield Independent City
Pittsylvania 1766 Halifax Chatham
City of Poquoson 1952 York Independent City
Powhatan 1777 Cumberland Powhatan
Prince Edward 1753 Amelia Farmville
Prince George 1703 Charles City Prince George
Prince William 1730 King George, Stafford Manassas
Princess Anne
 
1691 now City of Virginia Beach .
Pulaski 1839 Montgomery, Wythe Pulaski
Rappahannock 1833 Culpeper Washington
Richmond City 1782 Henrico Independent City
Richmond 1692 old Rappahannock Warsaw
Roanoke 1838 Botetourt Salem
Roanoke (City) 1874 Roanoke Independent City
Rockbridge 1778 Augusta, Botetourt Lexington
Rockingham 1778 Augusta Harrisonburg
Russell 1786 Washington Lebanon
Salem (City) 1836 Roanoke Independent City
Scott 1814 Lee, Russell, Washington Gate City
Shenandoah 1772 (called Dunmore until 1778), Frederick Woodstock
Smyth 1832 Washington, Wythe Marion
Southampton 1749 Isle of Wight, Nansemond Courtland
Spotsylvania 1721 Essex, King William, King and Queen Spotsylvania
Stafford 1664 Westmoreland Stafford
Surry 1652 James City Surry
Sussex 1753 Surry Sussex
Tazewell 1800 Russell, Wythe, Washington Tazewell
Warren 1836 Frederick, Shenandoah Front Royal
Warwick 1634  Now City of Newport News Independent City
Washington 1777 Abolishment of Fincastle Abingdon
Westmoreland 1653 Northumberland Montross
Wise 1856 Lee, Russell, Scott Wise
Wythe 1790 Montgomery Wytheville
York 1634  Renamed in 1643 from Charles River County Yorktown

WVGenWeb (West Virginia) has the former VA counties of:
Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Braxton, Brooke, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Logan, McDowell, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Mercer, Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Ohio, Pendleton, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Wayne, Webster, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood, Wyoming

 

 

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