Jefferson County, VA

Headnote
JEFFERSON COUNTY, situated on the northeasterly boundary of Virginia, with the Potomac river on the northeast, and traversed by the Shenandoah. Area, 225 square miles. Face of the country pleasantly diversified with hills and valleys; soil rich and well cultivated. Seat of justice, Charleston. Pop. in 1810, 11,851; in 1820, 13,087; in 1830, 12,927; in 1840, 14,082; in 1850, 15,357. (Fanning's, 1853)
Place Unit Type
County
Containing Unit
Virginia

Jefferson County, Virginia (Fanning's, 1853)

Gazetteer/Almanac
JEFFERSON COUNTY, situated on the northeasterly boundary of Virginia, with the Potomac river on the northeast, and traversed by the Shenandoah. Area, 225 square miles. Face of the country pleasantly diversified with hills and valleys; soil rich and well cultivated. Seat of justice, Charleston. Pop. in 1810, 11,851; in 1820, 13,087; in 1830, 12,927; in 1840, 14,082; in 1850, 15,357.
Fanning's Illustrated Gazetteer of the United States.... (New York: Phelps, Fanning & Co., 1853), 173.

Jefferson County, Virginia (Howe)

Gazetteer/Almanac
JEFFERSON was formed in 1801, from Berkeley; its mean length is 22 miles, breadth 12 miles. The Potomac forms its northeastern boundary; the Shenandoah enters the county near its southeastern border, and flowing in a northeast direction, parallel with the Blue Ridge, enters the Potomac at Harper's Ferry. The face of the country is rolling, and the soil almost unequalled in fertility by any other county in Virginia. "It was settled principally by old Virginia families from the eastern part of the state; and the inhabitants still retain that high, chivalrous spirit, and generous hospitality, for which that race was so remarkable in the palmy days of their prosperity." Pop. in 1840, whites 9,323, slaves 4,157, free colored 602; total, 14,082.
Henry Howe, Historical Collections of Virginia… (Charleston, SC: William R. Babcock, 1852), 334.
Date Type
Governor of Virginia requests Ohio for the extradition of two Harpers Ferry Raiders Lawmaking/Litigating
Birthplace of
Name Type
Charlestown, VA City or Town
Harpers Ferry, VA City or Town
Shannondale Springs, VA Location or Site
Shepherdstown, VA City or Town
Date Title
New York Herald, “The Slave Population in the Vicinity of the Outbreak,” October 23, 1859
Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer, “The Harper’s Ferry Insurgents,” March 15, 1860
Charlestown (VA) Free Press, “Conservative Sentiments,” November 8, 1860
Charlestown (VA) Free Press, “The Clouds Lowering,” December 27, 1860
How to Cite This Page: "Jefferson County, VA," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/node/19515.