The third county created in 1842, Wayne, taken from the western part of Cabell lay along the Ohio river and is now in West Virginia. This new division was to "be called and known by the name of Wayne county in memory and in honor of general Anthony Wayne."
Two counties destined to be in West Virginia were set up in 1843. The first of these was Ritchie in the western part of the state created from portions of Lewis, Harrison and Wood. The name honors Thomas Ritchie, "founder and long the able editor of the Richmond Enquirer and 'father of democracy' in Virginia."
The other county, Barbour, lying in the northeastern part of the state was established from areas of Harrison, Lewis and Randolph. The description of its bounds besides mentioning the usual rivers and ridges names also several persons which always draws the reader's interest. Some of these are: "Rueben Davisson's farm," "the old farm now occupied by Samuel Bartlett," "William Bean's," "Samuel Black's residence" and "the widow Corley's corner tree."
The name of the county was "in honour to and in memory of Philip Barbour of Virginia." Appropriately the county seat is Philippi. Judge Barbour, a native of Orange County, Virginia, where his home "Frascati" still stands, achieved distinction as a Judge of the Supreme Court. He had died the year before the county was formed.
Taylor County, also in the northeastern part of West Virginia was formed in 1844 from sections of Harrison, Barbour and Marion. Its bounds mention "the residence of Anderson Corbin," "the residence of James M'Daniell," "the residence of Joseph Bailey," "the farm of John H. Woodford" and others.
The name of the county honors General Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States, a native of Orange County, Virginia. He had a distinguished military career, serving in the Black Hawk, Seminole and Mexican Wars.
The determination on the part of Virginia's General Assembly to render justice more easy and accessible to all its citizens was as strong in 1845 when parts of Lewis and Kanawha counties became Gilmer County as it had been two centuries earlier. It was the unifying purpose in all development.
The name Gilmer takes us to Albemarle County, Virginia, where Thomas Walker Gilmer, elected Governor of Virginia in 1840, was born. He was grandson of Doctor Thomas Walker of "Castle Hill," Albemarle County who was the first to explore Southwest Virginia and Kentucky.
At the same time that Gilmer was formed, the county which lies to the north of it was established. Both are now in West Virginia. The bounds of Doddridge County, as noted in the Act of Assembly creating it, list several waterways including Hughes's and Monongahela rivers but the most interesting land mark named is "the Northwestern turnpike road at tollgate number eleven." This shows steadily advancing development in transportation, for earlier there had been references to wagon roads, then to stagecoach roads and now to a turnpike with the regular tollgates to provide funds for maintenance.