Two years later in 1858, three more counties were established, one of which, Buchanan, was destined to remain in Virginia, and the other two in West Virginia.
McDowell, one of the two, was taken from the northwest portion of Tazewell County and remains a border county between the two states, "The ridge between Abb's Valley and Sandy" is one of the bounding lines noted in the description; it recalls the Indian Massacre that occurred in that Valley and the many stories related about it.
The name of the county honors James McDowell, elected Governor of Virginia in 1843 and serving until 1846.
Clay County formed also in 1858 was created out of the southern part of Braxton County and the northern part of Nicholas. Among the property owners whose lands were mentioned as within its bounds, were Thomas Jarvis, jr., James Rogers, Charles Ruffner, who with others owned a twelve thousand acre tract "(near the farm of William Nichol, Sr.)," Strother B. Grose and Abraham Dilly.
The county was so named in honor of Henry Clay, the great Kentucky statesman who had died only a few years before its formation.
The Virginia county established in 1858 from parts of Tazewell and Russell was Buchanan, named for James Buchanan, President of the United States 1857-1861.
Its bounds were as follows: "Beginning at the state line between Kentucky and Virginia and with said line to its intersection with the line of Wise county, to the top of the dividing ridge between the waters of Sandy and Clinch and with said ridge eastwardly to the head of Dismal, a branch of the Lavica fork of Sandy river; then with the dividing ridge between the waters of Dismal and the waters of the Dry fork of Sandy and with the ridge between the waters of the Lavica fork and the Dry fork to the ridge between Knox creek and Bull creek to Tug river and down Tug river to the beginning."
1860-1870 Recession, Two Counties
In 1860, an Act was passed to create the new county of Webster from portions of the counties of Nicholas, Braxton and Randolph, all to be later in West Virginia. The name honored Daniel Webster, the prominent statesman who had died only a few years previously.
In March 1861, the new county of Bland, taken from portions of Giles, Wythe and Tazewell and named for Richard Bland of Revolutionary War fame came into being. Its bounds are thus set forth: "beginning at the top of Walker's Little mountain at the line between Wythe and Pulaski and running northwards with said line of Pulaski, to the top of Walker's Big mountain; thence eastward along the top of said last mentioned mountain to a point opposite the mouth of Kimberling creek; thence by a line northward passing through the mouth of said Kimberling creek to a point on the top of the mountain which lies south of Wolf creek, three miles east of the present county line between Giles and Tazewell counties; thence to a point on the top of East river mountain two miles east of the present county line between Giles and Tazewell so as to include the homestead of Madison Allen and his lands adjoining thereto; thence with the top of the said East River mountain westward to a point two miles west of George Steel's house on Clear fork; thence across and by a line as near as may be at right angles to the course of the valley between to the top of Rich mountain and westward along the top of said Rich mountain so far as to include the settlement of Wolf creek, thence across the top of Garden mountain; thence along the top of Garden mountain to a point through which the line between Wythe and Smyth would pass if prolonged; thence by said prolonged line to the said line between Wythe and Smyth and by the last mentioned line to the top of Walker's Big mountain; thence eastward with the top of said Walker's Big mountain to a point opposite the headwaters of Walker's Little creek; thence across to the top of Walker's Little mountain, thence to the top of said mountain eastward to the beginning."