A Formation History of
Morgan County, Va/WV

   Year                County Name                        Parent County                 County Seat
1634 Charles City County Charles City, Va
1643 York County Charles River  Yorktown, Va
1654 New Kent County York  New Kent, Va
1691 King & Queen County New Kent King & Queen, Va
1692 Essex County Tappahannock, Va
1701 King William County King & Queen King William, Va
1721 Spotsylvannia County King William 
King & Queen 
Essex		 Spotsylvannia, Va
1734 Orange County Spotsylvannia Orange, Va
1738 Augusta County Orange Staunton, Va
1743 Frederick County King & Queen 
King William 
Essex		 Winchester, Va
1754 Hampshire County Frederick 
Augusta		 Romney, WV
1772 Berkeley County Frederick Morgantown, WV
1820 Morgan County Berkeley 
Hampshire		 Berkeley Springs, WV
 
 
 

Virginia Gazetter Description from 1850

From pages 315-317
 

Morgan, a county forming the N.N.E. extremity of Virginia, bordering on the Potomac river, which separates it from Maryland, has an area of about 330 square miles.  It is intersected by Cacapon river, and by Sleepy creek.  In 1850 this county produced 46,247 bushels of corn; 40,584 of wheat; and 16,383 of oats.  There were five flour and grist mills, two saw mills, and two tanneries; eleven churches, and 645 pupils attending public schools.  The county contains large deposits of iron and stone coal.  It is plentifuly supplied with water power.  The Berkeley spring in this county is one of the oldest watering places in the United States.  Organized in 1820 and named in honor of General Daniel Morgan, an officer in the war of the Revolution.  Capital, Bath.  Population 3557; of whom 3434 were free and 123 slaves.

Note: Bath is the "county seat" of Morgan County.  Berkeley Springs was the name of the local post office and eventually became commonly recognized as the "county seat".    Berkeley spring (sic) is mentioned as a watering place or place of healing or mineral baths.  Thus the name Bath.  George Washington visited Berkeley Springs on several occassions.  In 1779 he and his wife, Martha, and daughter Patsy, visited with the family of Joshua and Elizabeth Chapline Hedges while enroute to and possibly from Berkeley Springs.*

* The Descendants of Joshua and Elizabeth (Chapline) Hedges of Berkeley County, Virginia
complied by Gary Wayne Watson for the Hedges Family Associaltion 1994
 

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