In the same month in which Craig was set up, the new county of Upshur was created from parts of Randolph, Barbour and Lewis, all now in West Virginia. The starting point in the description of its bounds reads as follows: "Beginning at a rock or milestone on the Staunton and Parkersburg turnpike road ten miles east of Weston in Lewis County." This shows that transportation had developed sufficiently to connect places on the Ohio River with other sections of Virginia.
Upshur County took its name from Abel P. Upshur whom President Tyler appointed Secretary of State to succeed Daniel Webster. Upshur was killed 28 February 1844 by the explosion of a new type of cannon which was being tested on the U.S.S. Princeton.
Also in March 1851, from the counties of Tyler, Wood and Ritchie the new county of Pleasants was established. This lies in the area around Parkersburg in the northwestern part of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. The name honored the memory of James Pleasants, Governor of Virginia, 1822 to 1825, member of a family long resident and prominent in the state.
Five years passed and in the interval population had increased to such an extent in the western part of Virginia that four county governments had to be set up to take care of legal needs. One of these, Wise, formed from portions of Lee, Scott and Russell counties, remains in Virginia. The name honored Henry A. Wise, Governor of Virginia 1856-1860.
The bounds of the county were as follows: "Beginning at the break of Cumberland mountain on the Kentucky and Virginia line where the Pound fork of Sandy breaks through the Cumberland mountain; thence up the Pound fork to the mouth of Crane's nest, a water of said Pound fork; thence with the dividing ridge between the waters of Crane's nest and McLure's, to William Taylor's farm, including said Taylor's farm in the new county; thence a straight line to the mouth of Lick creek; thence down Clinch river to the mouth of Guest's river; thence up Guest's river one mile; thence a straight line to the Camp rock south of the High Knob; thence a straight line to the Pole fence on Little Powell's mountain, on the line dividing Scott and Lee counties; thence with said county line to the head of Stock creek including the farm of Zachariah N. Wells in the said county; thence a straight line to the Cedar gap near Powell's river; thence a straight line to the dividing ridge between the waters of Crab orchard and Pigeon fork; thence with said dividing ridge to the Kentucky line and thence with the Kentucky line to the beginning."
In the Act creating the county it was ordered that the "said seat of justice shall be known as Gladesville," but the present county seat is called Wise.
As has been said, Wise was the only one of the four counties erected in 1856 that remains in Virginia. The next county formed was Calhoun taken from the lower portion of Gilmer County beginning at the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River. The name derives from the great South Carolina statesman who succeeded Abel P. Upshur as Secretary of State and was long outstanding in politics.
At the same time that Calhoun became an entity, parts of the counties of Kanawha, Jackson, and Gilmer lying a little to the west of Calhoun became Roane County. The description of its bounds is startling when it mentions "the Ravenswood and California turnpike in Jackson county," but later we learn that California is a town in Jackson County.
With regard to Roane County, "its name and that of its seat of justice, Spencer, commemorate that of him [Spencer Roane ] whose life and public services added lustre to the annals of Virginia jurisprudence." Spencer Roane was "judge of the Supreme Bench 1794 to 1822."
The next county was Tucker formed out of the northeastern portion of Randolph County and adjoining also the counties of Hardy, Preston and Pendleton. The county seat appropriately bore the name of Saint George. The county was "named in honor of Saint George Tucker the eminent Virginia jurist while the seat of justice derives its name from Saint George Tucker who was Clerk of the House of Delegates at the time the county was formed."