Virginia
Culpepper Archives
Table of Contents
Virginia's Land
By Carol McGinnis
Published in 7 Mar 2006 e-mail newsletter from the Genealogical Publishing
Company
To understand Virginia genealogy, researchers must know
something of its geography. Present-day Virginia is divided into several
geographic regions, and these terms are often used in genealogical and
historical literature. From east to west there are five areas: the Eastern
Shore, the Tidewater, the Piedmont, The Valley, and Western Virginia. From
north to south there are four regions: the Northern Neck, the North
Peninsula, the Peninsula, and Southside. Definitions of these nine regions
follow:
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Eastern
Shore. Otherwise known as The Shore, this is the small peninsula south
of the Maryland line that includes the counties of Accomack and
Northampton. |
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Tidewater.
The flat, and sometimes swampy, coastal plain west and inland from the
Chesapeake Bay to the Fall Line, the Tidewater region comprises about a
fourth of the state. The Fall Line is an imaginary line marking the upper
limits of the tidal flow, and it runs north to south through Alexandria,
Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Petersburg. |
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Piedmont.
A rolling area of rich farmlands from the Tidewater to the Blue Ridge
Mountains, the Piedmont extends southwest from Alexandria in the north and
comprises about half of the state. |
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The Valley.
The area between the Blue Ridge Mountains, which lie at the western edge of
the Piedmont, and the Allegheny Mountains, which run along the West Virginia
border, is known as The Valley or the Valley of Virginia. From Frederick
County on the north to Rockbridge County on the south, it is the "Shenandoah
Valley." To the south various other valleys continue the general terrain. For
genealogical purposes, the entire area is termed "The Valley." The Shenandoah
Valley includes the nine counties of Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah,
Warren, Frederick, Clarke, Jefferson, and Berkeley, the last two of which are
[now] in West Virginia. Prior to 1738 the entire Shenandoah Valley was part of
Orange County; in 1738 it was cut off from Orange County and divided into
Frederick and Augusta counties. |
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Western
Virginia. This is generally anything west of the City of Roanoke and south
of the Shenandoah Valley. |
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Northern Neck.
This is the area south from the Potomac River to the Rappahannock River and
generally east of Prince William and Stafford counties. The term also may be
used to identify the Fairfax (Northern Neck) Proprietary, which extended to the
western boundary of present-day West Virginia. |
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North Peninsula.
Also known as the Upper Peninsula, this is the region south of the Rappahannock
River and north of the York River. |
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The Peninsula.
This is the area between the York and James rivers and was the site of
Virginia's earliest settlement. |
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Southside.
This is the area south of the James River. |
The terms "Upper" and "Lower" are always used in
relation to rivers--not to the directions north and south. "Upper" refers
to the area closer to the source of the river, and "Lower" refers to the
area nearer to where the river empties into a larger body of water.
Boundary Disputes. The western boundaries of Virginia and Pennsylvania
remained unsettled until 1780. The district of West Augusta was an area of
northwestern Virginia (now West Virginia) and southwestern Pennsylvania below
the Ohio River. The district of West Augusta, at first considered a jurisdiction
within the County of Augusta, declared independence from it, but enjoyed a short
life span. But it signifies a 30-year controversy and nearly serious conflict
between Virginia and Pennsylvania. Eventually the area included within the
District was divided, the southern part remaining within Virginia (and now West
Virginia) and the northern part now comprising the Pennsylvania counties of
Greene, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland, and parts of Allegheny and Beaver.
Virginia's southern boundary with North Carolina was disputed until 1727, when
the boundary was finally settled at Point Comfort
Colonial Virginia
County/City Records
* Part of the Tidewater Area Archives
** Part of the Richmond Archives
Other Virginia Records
Professional and Miscellaneous Lists
Last Revised:
21 Mar 2006 |
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