The name honors the memory of Philip Doddridge of Brooke County, who was a prominent member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-30. He was an advocate of the wishes of the western portion of the state to have representation based upon white population exclusively. This motion failed and a compromise constitution was agreed upon. Philip Doddridge died in Washington, D. C. in 1832 while serving as a member of Congress.
After discussing six counties now in West Virginia, we come now to the county of Appomattox formed in 1845 from portions of Buckingham, Prince Edward, Charlotte and Campbell. The name derives from the river which traverses the county.
Its bounds are thus defined: "Beginning at the mouth of David's creek on James river; thence a straight line to the head of Holleway creek; thence down the same as it meanders to Appomattox river; thence down the same to the Cutbanks; thence a straight line to the mouth of Cabin branch on Vaughan's creek; thence up the said creek to its head; thence a straight line to Merryman's or Land's; thence along the public road leading by M'Kinney's old store to the fork of the Lynchburg road about a mile north of the Red house; thence a straight line to the old mill formerly owned by William Harvey; thence along the Lynchburg road to the mill formerly owned by Samuel Branch, esquire, on Falling river; thence up the said river to the mouth of Reedy creek; thence a straight line to Hunter's old tavern (now Glovers); thence a straight line to Sterling C. Anderson's; thence a straight line to the mouth of Scott's branch about a mile before the mouth of Joshua's creek on James river; and thence down the said river to the beginning."
In 1846, in the northwestern portion of the present state of West Virginia, the new county of Wetzel was set up from Tyler. The following landowners are named as living within its bounds: "James Peden (or Paden), Richard Anchrom and Rueben Martin, esquire." The county was so called "in honor of Louis Wetzel, the distinguished frontiersman and Indian scout, the Boone of Northwestern Virginia."
As if feeling this action a little unfair, the Assembly next year, when a new county was to be created, named it Boone "in honor to and in memory of Daniel Boone the well known pioneer of the western frontier settlements." Boone was taken from parts of Kanawha, Cabell and Logan counties and lies south of Charleston, the state capital.
In this same year, the county of Alexandria was added to Virginia's jurisdiction. The Assembly enacted "That the territory comprising the county of Alexandria in the District of Columbia heretofore ceded by this commonwealth to the United States and by an act of congress approved on the ninth day of July eighteen hundred and forty-six retroceded to this commonwealth, and by it accepted, is hereby declared to be an integral portion of this commonwealth and the citizens thereof are hereby declared to be subject to all the provisions, and entitled to all the benefits, rights and privileges of the bill of rights and constitution of this commonwealth."
In 1791, to aid in establishing the Federal City, as Washington was sometimes called, Virginia gave to the United States certain land taken from Fairfax County to form a part of the District of Columbia. In the Act quoted above it has been seen that the United States retroceded to Virginia that part of the District of Columbia which comprised the county of Alexandria. The name in 1920 was changed to Arlington.
Across the state from Alexandria the new county of Highland came into being in 1847, being taken from parts of Pendleton and Bath. Its bounds are thus given: "Beginning where the North river gap road crosses the Augusta county line, and running thence to the top of Jackson's mountain so as to leave Jacob Hiver's mansion house in Pendleton county; thence to Andrew Fleisher's so as to include his mansion house in the new county; thence to the highlands between the Dry run and Crab bottom; and thence along the top of the High Knob; thence north sixty-five degrees west to Pocahontas county line; thence along said county line to the plum orchard on the top of the Alleghany mountains; thence to Adam Stephenson's mansion house on Jackson's river in Bath county so as to include Thomas Campbell's mansion house on Back creek and also said Adam Stephenson's in the new county; thence to Andrew H. Byrd's mansion house on the Cow-pasture river so as to include the same in the new county, and so as to leave the dwelling house of William M'Clintick, jr. in Bath county; thence south sixty-five degrees east to the Augusta county line and thence with said line to the beginning."
The name of the county is derived from its exceptionally high altitude, and the name of its county seat, Monterey, reflects the popular interest felt in the victory General Taylor had just won over the Mexicans at the Battle of Monterey.