Editing Berkeley County, West Virginia (section)

==History==
Created on May 15, 1772,<ref>{{cite web|title=Hening's Statutes at Large, Vol. 8, Chapter XLIII|url=http://vagenweb.org/hening/vol08-29.htm|website=VAGenWeb|access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref> by an act<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/journalsofhous177072virg#page/316/mode/2up|title="An act for dividing the county of Frederick into three distinct counties": Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia 1770-1772|website=Internet Archive|publisher=Richmond: Printed by Thomas W. White|pages=314–316|access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref> of the [[House of Burgesses]] from the northern third of [[Frederick County, Virginia|Frederick County]] when it was part of [[Virginia]], Berkeley County went on to become West Virginia's second-oldest county after that state seceded from Virginia in 1863 during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. At the time of the county's formation, Berkeley County comprised areas that now are part of present-day [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson]] and [[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan]] counties in West Virginia.

Most historians believe the county was named for [[Norborne Berkeley, Baron de Botetourt]] (1718–1770), [[Colonial Governor of Virginia]] from 1768 to 1770.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} West Virginia's ''Blue Book'', for example, indicates Berkeley County was named in his honor.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} He served as a colonel in England's [[North Gloucestershire]] militia in 1761, and represented that division of the county in Parliament until he was made a peer in 1764.<ref>Berkeley claimed the title of [[Baron Botetourt]] as the lineal descendant of Maurice de Berkeley (d.1361) and his wife Catherine de Botetourt, sister & co-heir of John Botetourt, son and heir of [[John de Botetourt, 1st Baron Botetourt|Sir John de Botetourt]] (d.1324), baron by writ 1309-15. Maurice (d.1361) was the son and heir of Maurice de Berkeley (d.1347 at the [[Siege of Calais (1346)|Siege of Calais]]), who had acquired the manor of [[Stoke Gifford]], Gloucestershire, in 1337, the second son of [[Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley]] (1271–1326).</ref> Having incurred heavy gambling debts, he solicited a government appointment and in July 1768 was made [[Governor of Virginia]]. In 1769, he reluctantly dissolved the House of Burgesses after it adopted resolutions that opposed Parliament's replacement of requisitions with parliamentary taxes as a means of generating revenue and a requirement for accused American criminals to be sent to England for trial.

Despite his differences with the House of Burgesses, Berkeley was well respected by the colonists, especially after he sent Parliament letters encouraging them to repeal the taxes. When Parliament refused to rescind them, Governor Berkeley requested to be recalled. In appreciation of his efforts, the colonists erected a monument to his memory in [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]], and two counties were later named in his honor: Berkeley in present-day West Virginia and [[Botetourt County, Virginia|Botetourt]] in Virginia.

Other historians claim Berkeley County may have been named in honor of Sir [[William Berkeley (governor)|William Berkeley]] (1610–1677){{citation needed|date=January 2023}}, who was born near [[London]], graduated from [[Oxford University]] in 1629 and was appointed Governor of Virginia in 1642. He served as Governor until 1652 and was reappointed Governor in 1660. Berkeley presided over the colony during [[Bacon’s Rebellion]] of 1676, and was called back to England the following year.

===Early settlers===
According to missionary reports, several thousand [[Hurons]] occupied present-day West Virginia, including the [[eastern panhandle]] region, during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. During the 17th century, the [[Iroquois Confederacy]] (then consisting of the [[Mohawk Nation|Mohawk]], [[Onondaga people|Onondaga]], [[Cayuga people|Cayuga]], [[Oneida tribe|Oneida]], and [[Seneca tribe|Seneca]] tribes) drove the Hurons from the state. The Iroquois Confederacy was headquartered in [[New York (state)|New York]] and was not interested in occupying present-day West Virginia. Instead, they used it as a hunting ground during the spring and summer months.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

During the early 18th century, West Virginia's eastern panhandle region was inhabited by the [[Tuscarora (tribe)|Tuscarora]]. They eventually migrated northward into New York and, in 1712, became the sixth nation formally admitted into the Iroquois Confederacy. The eastern panhandle region was also used as a hunting ground by several other Indian tribes, including the [[Shawnee]] (then known as the Shawanese) who resided near present-day [[Winchester, Virginia]] and [[Moorefield, West Virginia]] until 1754 when they migrated into [[Ohio]]. The [[Mingo]], who resided in the [[Tygart Valley]] and along the [[Ohio River]] in present-day West Virginia's [[northern panhandle]] region, and the [[Delaware Tribe of Indians|Delaware]], who lived in present-day eastern [[Pennsylvania]], [[New Jersey]] and [[Delaware]], but had several autonomous settlements as far south as present-day [[Braxton County, West Virginia|Braxton County]], also used the area as a hunting ground.

Following the [[French and Indian War]], the Mingo retreated to their homes along the banks of the Ohio River and were rarely seen in the eastern panhandle region. Although the French and Indian War was over, many Indians continued to view the British as a threat to their sovereignty and continued to fight them. In the summer of 1763, [[Pontiac (Ottawa leader)|Pontiac]], an [[Ottawa]] chief, led raids on key British forts in the Great Lakes region. Shawnee chief Keigh-tugh-qua, also known as [[Cornstalk (Shawnee leader)|Cornstalk]], led similar attacks on western Virginia settlements, starting with attacks in present-day [[Greenbrier County, West Virginia|Greenbrier County]] and extending northward to [[Berkeley Springs, West Virginia|Berkeley Springs]], and into the northern [[Shenandoah Valley]]. By the end of July, Indians had destroyed or captured all British forts west of the Alleghenies except [[Fort Detroit]], [[Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)|Fort Pitt]], and [[Fort Niagara]]. The uprisings were ended on August 6, 1763, when British forces, under the command of Colonel [[Henry Bouquet]], defeated Delaware and Shawnee forces at [[Bushy Run]] in western Pennsylvania.

During the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775–1783), the Mingo and Shawnee, headquartered at [[Chalahgawtha|Chillicothe]], allied themselves with the British. In 1777, a party of 350 Wyandots, Shawnees, and Mingos, armed by the British, attacked [[Fort Henry (Virginia)|Fort Henry]], near present-day Wheeling. Nearly half of the soldiers manning the fort were killed in the three-day assault. The Indians then left the area celebrating their victory. For the remainder of the war, smaller raiding parties of Mingo, Shawnee, and other Indian tribes repelled settlers throughout northern and eastern West Virginia. As a result, European settlement throughout present-day West Virginia, including the eastern panhandle, came to a virtual standstill until the war's conclusion.

Following the war, the Mingo and Shawnee, once again allied with the losing side, returned to their homes. As the number of settlers in present-day West Virginia began to grow, both the Mingo and Shawnee moved further inland, leaving their traditional hunting ground to the white settlers.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===17th-century European explorers===
In 1670, [[John Lederer]], a [[German people|German]] physician and explorer employed by Sir [[William Berkeley (governor)|William Berkeley]], colonial governor of Virginia, became the first European to set foot in present-day Berkeley County; their safety was not guaranteed. John Howard and his son also passed through present-day Berkeley County a few years later, and discovered the valley of the [[South Branch Potomac River]] at [[Green Spring, West Virginia|Green Spring]].

===The 18th century===
The next known explorer to traverse the county was [[John Van Meter]] (1683–1745) in the 1730s. He came across the [[Potomac River]], at what is now known as [[Shepherdstown, West Virginia|Shepherdstown]], then he made his way to the South Branch Potomac River. In 1726, [[Morgan Morgan]] moved from Delaware and founded the first permanent English settlement of record in West Virginia on Mill Creek near the present-day [[Bunker Hill, West Virginia|Bunker Hill]] in Berkeley County. The state of West Virginia erected a monument in Bunker Hill commemorating the event, and placed a marker at Morgan's grave, which is located in a cemetery near the park. Morgan Morgan and his wife, [[Catherine Garretson]], had eight children. His son, [[Zackquill Morgan]], later founded present-day [[Morgantown, West Virginia|Morgantown]].

In 1730, John Van Meter, with his brother Isaac (1692–1757),<ref>Their father was Joost Jansen Van Metern (or John Van Meter; 1656-1706) who had been born in [[Gelderland]] in the [[Netherlands]] and died in [[Salem County, New Jersey]].</ref> secured a patent for {{convert|40,000|acre|km2}} at the South Branch Potomac River, much of it in present-day Berkeley County, from Virginia's Colonial Lieutenant Governor [[Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet|William Gooch]]. Part of the land was sold the following year to [[Hans Yost Heydt]], also known as Joist Hite or Jost Hite. In 1732, Heydt (Hite) and fifteen families set out from [[York, Pennsylvania]], passed through present-day Berkeley County, and settled near present-day [[Winchester, Virginia]]. In 1744, Isaac Van Meter moved to a site near [[Moorefield, West Virginia|Moorefield]] — then part of [[Hampshire County, West Virginia|Hampshire County]], but now in [[Hardy County, West Virginia|Hardy County]] (see [[Fort Pleasant]]) — where he was later killed by Indians. (His brother John settled and died in [[Winchester, Virginia]].)

In 1748, [[George Washington]], then just sixteen years old, surveyed present-day Berkeley County for [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron]]. He later returned to [[Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia]] several times over the next several years with his half-brother, [[Lawrence Washington (1718–1752)|Lawrence]], who was ill and hoped that the warm springs might improve his health. The springs, and their rumored medicinal benefits, attracted numerous Native Americans as well as Europeans to the area.

===The 19th century===
Berkeley County was reduced in size twice during the 19th century. On January 8, 1801, [[Jefferson County, West Virginia|Jefferson County]] was formed out of the county's eastern section. Then, on February 9, 1820, [[Morgan County, West Virginia|Morgan County]] was formed out of the county's western section and parts of [[Hampshire County, West Virginia|Hampshire County]].

Berkeley County was strategically important to both the North and the South during the [[American Civil War]] (from 1861 to 1865). The county, and [[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]], its seat, lay at the northern edge of the Shenandoah Valley, and Martinsburg was important because the main line of the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]] ran through it. The B&O was valuable to both armies for moving men and materiel. Increasing Martinsburg's strategic value was its proximity to the [[Harpers Ferry Arsenal|United States Arsenal and Armory]] at [[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harpers Ferry]]. Control over Martinsburg changed hands many times during the war, especially prior to the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] in July 1863. After Gettysburg, the city remained mostly under Union control.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

About 75% of Berkeley County's residents were loyal to the South during the American Civil War.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historicberkeley.org/history.html|title=County History}}</ref> Confederate fervor was even more evident with military enlistment, at least about 80% of soldiers fought for the South. There were at least eleven companies of soldiers recruited from the county: at least nine for the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate Army]] but only two for the [[Union Army]].<ref name="wvotherhistory">{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/wvotherhistory/home|title=West Virginia - The Other History}}</ref> In addition, the local militia sided with the Confederacy.<ref name="wvotherhistory" />

The Confederate units consisted of the following: Chew's Battery Virginia Horse Artillery (a.k.a. Capt. James W. Thomson's & Capt. John W. Carter's Co.), Capt. Osmond B. Taylor's Co. Virginia Light Artillery, Wise Artillery (Co. B, 1st Regiment Virginia Light Artillery), Co. F Clark's Co (12th Virginia Cavalry), Co. A Wildcat Cavalry (11th Virginia Cavalry), Co. B Berkeley Troop (1st Virginia Cavalry), Co. F Shepherdstown Troop (1st Virginia Cavalry), Co. D Berkeley Border Guards (2nd Virginia Infantry), Co. E Hedgesville Blues (2nd Virginia Infantry), and 67th Regiment Virginia Militia.<ref name="wvotherhistory" /> It is also believed that soldiers from Berkeley County participated in other Confederate units as well, such as the 7th Virginia Cavalry, whose Co. F and G recruited out of neighboring Hampshire and Jefferson Counties {{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

The Union units consisted of Co. C 3rd Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry, and Company B First Regiment, (West) Virginia Volunteers.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/alershistoryofma00aler/page/220/mode/2up?view=theater&q=horatio+gates|title=Aler's history of Martinsburg and Berkeley County, West Virginia|author=Aler, F. Vernon|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

Yet it was (then-Colonel) Stonewall Jackson who wrote to Robert E. Lee, "...&nbsp;I regret to say that in Berkeley things are growing worse, and that the threats from Union men are calculated to curb the expression of Southern feeling."<ref>{{cite book|title=The War of the Rebellion (Official Records), series 1|volume=2|page=863|date=May 21, 1861}}</ref>

A member of the Stonewall Brigade also wrote, "We left Winchester the first of this week [in June, 1861] and came to Berkeley County, the meanest Abolition hole on the face of the earth, Martinsburg especially."<ref>Ted Barclay, 4th Va Inf., letter to his mother, June 22, 1861</ref>

At least six hundred men from Berkeley County served in either the Confederate Army or the Union Army.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} When the vote for separation from Confederate Virginia was held, the majority voted for the Union creation of the state of West Virginia.

Berkeley County was also the home of [[Belle Boyd|Maria Isabella "Belle" Boyd]], a famous spy for the Confederacy.<ref>The Berkeley County, WV Historical Society</ref>

===Joining West Virginia===
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Berkeley and Jefferson counties, both lying on the [[Potomac River]] east of the mountains, with the consent of the [[Restored government of Virginia|Reorganized Government of Virginia]], voted in favor of annexation to West Virginia in 1863. The occupying Federal troops in the area ensured the desired outcome.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Many voters absent in the Confederate Army when the vote was taken refused to acknowledge the transfer upon their return. The [[Virginia General Assembly]] repealed the Act of Secession and in 1866 brought suit against West Virginia, asking the court to declare the counties a part of Virginia. Meanwhile, Congress, on March 10, 1866, passed a joint resolution recognizing the transfer. In 1871, the U.S. Supreme Court decided ''[[Virginia v. West Virginia]]'',<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Virginia v. West Virginia |vol=78 |reporter=U.S. |opinion=39 |date=1871 |url=http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/78/39/case.html |access-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref> upholding the secession of West Virginia, including Berkeley and Jefferson counties, from Virginia.{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a source, by June 1863, 48 counties were a de facto part of WV, however, Berkeley and Jefferson were the reason of the Congressional Mandate in 1866 (See WV A History by Otis Rice|date=February 2013}}

In 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided into [[civil township]]s, with the intention of encouraging local government. This proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into [[minor civil division|magisterial districts]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Otis K. Rice|author2=Stephen W. Brown|title=West Virginia: A History|edition=2nd|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|location=Lexington|year=1993|page=240}}</ref> Berkeley County was divided into seven districts: Arden, Falling Waters, Gerrardstown, Hedgesville, Martinsburg, Mill Creek, and Opequon.{{efn-lr|Over time, Falling Water and Gerardstown came to be spelled "Falling Waters" and "Gerrardstown", but both spellings were in use for several decades.}} The town of Martinsburg was originally co-extensive with Martinsburg District, but later spread into adjoining districts. Between 1990 and 2000, Berkeley County was redivided into six magisterial districts: Adam Stephens, Norborne, Potomac, Shenandoah, Tuscarora, and Valley.<ref>[[United States Census Bureau]], [[United States Census|U.S. Decennial Census]], Tables of Minor Civil Divisions in West Virginia, 1870–2010.</ref>