The General Assembly established new counties by law, and the governor
appointed the first justices of the peace. Prior to 1776 the secretary
of the colony appointed the county clerk and received a portion of the
fees that the clerk received for the performance of his duties. The
Virginia Constitution of 1776 vested appointment of the county clerks in
the county court, so the justices of the peace thereafter appointed
their own clerks. The law that created a new county usually specified
the date on which the county court would first meet, which is the real
beginning date of county government. Confusions about the founding dates
of some counties have arisen because a law passed in the autumn of one
year (which can be interpreted as the founding date of the county) did
not go into effect until the spring or summer of the next year (an
alternative founding date). I recall that the enabling acts for some
counties (Frederick and Augusta Counties, I think) specified that those
counties would go into existence when enough people lived there, which
was in fact two or more years later than the date of the act. If the
first volume of a county's Order Book survives, the date of the meeting
and the actions of the county court will indicate what happened then.

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
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Please visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at
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-----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carole D. Bryant
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 10:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-ROOTS] question about order of official events

What would be the order of official events in the early life of a newly
formed Virginia county? Did all counties follow a uniform pattern of
official events? I am thinking specifically of Halifax County, when it
was formed from Lunenburg County in 1752. I would suppose they would
first select a clerk ... then what? What would be the first record
book(s), etc.?
 
THANK YOU VERY MUCH !
  Carole D. Bryant
  Prince Frederick, Maryland

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