Editing Albemarle County, Virginia (section)

== History ==
[[File:Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800.jpg|thumb|left|Thomas Jefferson lived most of his life in Albemarle County]]
At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area that became Albemarle County were a [[Siouan languages|Siouan]]-speaking tribe called the [[Saponi]].<ref name=swanton>{{citation| last=Swanton| first=John R.| title=The Indian Tribes of North America| publisher=Smithsonian Institution| year=1952| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtHI5pkJOGMC| isbn=0-8063-1730-2| pages=72| oclc=52230544}}</ref>
In 1744, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] created Albemarle County from the western portion of [[Goochland County, Virginia|Goochland County]].<ref>{{Citation
 | last=Pawlett
 | first=Nathaniel
 | title=An Index to Roads Shown in the Albemarle County Surveyors Books 1744-1853
 | publisher=Virginia Highway & Transportation Research Council
 | place=Charlottesville, Virginia
 | year=1976
 | url = http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/76-r45.pdf
 | access-date = October 11, 2008
 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081030024030/http://www.virginiadot.org/vtrc/main/online_reports/pdf/76-r45.pdf| archive-date= October 30, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> The county was named in honor of [[Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle]] and titular Governor of Virginia at the time.<ref name="vdot">{{cite news |first=Ace |last=Atkins |title=A county by any other name? |work=C-Ville Weekly |publisher=Portico Publications |date=March 27, 2007 |access-date=October 11, 2008 |url=http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=121304064644348&z_Issue_ID=11042203071932370&ShowArchiveArticle_ID=11042303074210078&Year=2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708111038/http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=121304064644348&z_Issue_ID=11042203071932370&ShowArchiveArticle_ID=11042303074210078&Year=2007 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> The large county was partitioned in 1761, forming [[Buckingham County, Virginia|Buckingham]] and [[Amherst County, Virginia|Amherst]] counties, at which time the county seat was moved from the formerly central [[Scottsville, Virginia|Scottsville]] to a piece of newly central land, christened [[Charlottesville, Virginia|Charlottesville]].<ref name="vdot"/> In 1777, Albemarle County was divided and Fluvanna County established, finalizing the boundaries of modern Albemarle County.

Albemarle County is well known for its association with President and Founding Father [[Thomas Jefferson]], who was born in the county at [[Shadwell (Virginia)|Shadwell]], though it was then part of [[Goochland County, Virginia|Goochland County]].<ref name="HSR">Henry Stephens Randall, ''The Life of Thomas Jefferson''</ref> However, his home of [[Monticello]] is located in the county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.virginia.org/site/Cities.asp?locality=Albemarle |title=Albemarle County |access-date=October 11, 2008 |publisher=Commonwealth of Virginia |quote=Albemarle County is widely recognized as rich in history and beauty. Among its historic attractions are Monticello, home to President Thomas Jefferson... |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208034737/http://www.virginia.org/site/Cities.asp?locality=Albemarle |archive-date=December 8, 2006 }}</ref> When the [[American Revolutionary War]] started in 1775, Jefferson was made colonel of the Albemarle Militia.

During the Civil War, the [[Battle of Rio Hill]] was a skirmish in which Union cavalry raided a Confederate camp in Albemarle County, Virginia.

Until the Civil War, the majority of Albemarle County's population consisted of enslaved African Americans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/media_player?mets_filename=evm00002821mets.xml|title=Enslaved Population in Virginia|website=Encyclopedia Virginia|language=en|access-date=August 20, 2018}}</ref>
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