Editing Warren County, Virginia (section)

== History ==

By 1672, the entire [[Shenandoah Valley]] was claimed for hunting by the [[Iroquois Confederation]] following the [[Beaver Wars]]. Some bands of the [[Shawnee]] settled in the area as client groups to the Iroquois and alternately to the Cherokee after 1721. The Iroquois formally sold their entire claim east of the Alleghenies to the [[Virginia Colony]] at the [[Treaty of Lancaster]] in 1744.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hofstra|first=Warren|title=The Planting of New Virginia: Settlement and Landscape in the Shenandoah Valley|year=2005|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore, MD|isbn=0801882710|pages=10–12}}</ref> Warren County was established in 1836 from [[Frederick County, Virginia|Frederick]] and [[Shenandoah County, Virginia|Shenandoah]] Counties.<ref name="Wayland">{{cite book|last1=Wayland|first1=John Walter|title=A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia|publisher=Genealogical|date=1969|pages=894}}</ref>{{rp|33}} At that time the county had a population of 7,000 people, a quarter of which were enslaved.<ref name="Wayland" />{{rp|289}} Wedding records show marriages of people born in the 1770s marrying in the 1800s who head households of four to eight "free colored" so the early demographics of the population are unclear.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Heinegg|first1=Paul|title=Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to about 1820, Volume 2|date=2005|publisher=Genealogical}}</ref>{{rp|823–824}} Joist Hite lead the ''Sixteen Families'' into the Lower Shenandoah Valley.<ref name="Pioneers and Descendants">{{cite book|last1=Kemp Cartmell|first1=Thomas|title=Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908 |date=1909|publisher=Eddy|pages=587}}</ref> Some consider that group the first European settlers of the area, others believe different claims.<ref name="Pioneers and Descendants" />{{rp|ix}} Either way, [[Presbyterians]] of [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Scotch-Irish lineage]] and [[Quakers]] followed.<ref>Presbyterians: {{Hanging indent | {{cite book|last1=Kemp Cartmell|first1=Thomas|title=Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: A History of Frederick County, Virginia (illustrated) from Its Formation in 1738 to 1908|date=1909|publisher=Eddy|pages=587}}{{rp|ix}}}} Quakers: {{Hanging indent | {{cite book|last1=Kretzschmar|first1=William A.|title=Handbook of the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States|date=September 15, 1993|publisher=University of Chicago Press|pages=454}}{{rp|334}}}}</ref>

Rail service was established in 1854 with the construction of the Alexandria, Orange and Manassas Gap Railroad between Manassas and Riverton. This line was soon extended to Strasburg in time to become a factor in the [[Battle of Front Royal]] on May 23, 1862, and throughout the Civil War. Lumber, agriculture, manufacturing and grain mills provided employment in the region for decades after the Civil War. The county is named for [[Joseph Warren]]. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] the [[Battle of Front Royal]] took place in the county on May 23, 1862.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Forman|first1=Sam|title=Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty|date=November 21, 2011|publisher=Pelican|pages=400}}</ref>{{rp|368}} On September 23, 1864, William Thomas Overby and five others of then Lt. Col. [[John S. Mosby]]'s [[43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry|43rd Virginia Battalion of Partisan Rangers]] were captured by cavalry troops under the command of then Brig. Gen. [[George A. Custer]] in [[Front Royal, Virginia|Front Royal]] out of uniform and were executed as spies.<ref>Executions: {{Hanging indent |{{cite book|last1=Simson|first1=Jay W.|title=Custer and the Front Royal Executions of 1864|date=November 11, 2008|publisher=McFarland|pages=211}}{{rp|1}}}} {{Hanging indent |{{cite journal|last1=Boyle|first1=William E.|title=Under the Black Flag: Execution and Retaliation in Mosby's Confederacy|journal=Military Law Review|date=Spring 1994|volume=144}}{{rp|155}}}}</ref>

=== 2019 Warren County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Jennifer McDonald Scandal ===

In 2017, questions were raised about the validity of an alleged $40 million economic development deal that had been brought to the community by Curt Tran, the owner of a company called IT Federal, over the redevelopment of the Avtex Superfund site.<ref name="roanoke.com">Casey, Dan. [https://www.roanoke.com/news/casey-scandals-rock-northern-shenandoah-valley-town/article_fd9aaacb-a221-5909-a6c3-0ef3d03b0076.html "CASEY: Scandals rock northern Shenandoah Valley town"], ''[[The Roanoke Times]]'', Virginia, April 27, 2019.</ref>

In 2018, [[Warren County Economic Development Authority]] executive director Jennifer McDonald was charged with filing false police reports about an alleged rock-throwing incident that she claimed had occurred at her home.<ref>Gully, Josh. [https://www.nvdaily.com/news/front-royal/eda-director-charged-with-filing-false-police-report/article_15f15e69-5787-5b2e-86c9-8570df6355dc.html"EDA Director Charged With Filing False Police Reports"]</ref>

In 2019, McDonald and other parties were embroiled in a massive financial scandal that some observers have characterized as the largest embezzlement scheme in the history of the state of Virginia.<ref name= IndictmentStory>{{cite news |last=McCaslin |first=John |date=September 24, 2019 |title=Warren County's top officials indicted in Front Royal embezzlement scam |url=https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/warren-county-s-top-officials-indicted-in-front-royal-embezzlement/article_bbbaa17c-df28-11e9-bf04-e78ba7699e79.html |work=The Rappahannock News |location=online |access-date=September 26, 2019 }}</ref> The fraud scheme, which involved the alleged embezzlement of $21 million in county funds through fictitious development schemes and insider deals, was uncovered by the [[Virginia State Police]] Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Culpeper field office.

The Virginia State Police launched a probe into the business practices of McDonald in conjunction with the [[Front Royal, Virginia|Front Royal Police Department]] and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].<ref name= IndictmentStory/>

Sheriff McEathron, who had been indicted after it was revealed he was McDonald's business partner, committed suicide.<ref>Bria Llyod. [https://www.localdvm.com/news/virginia/former-warren-county-sheriff-daniel-mceathron-found-dead/ "], ''[[Local DVM]]'', May 28, 2019.</ref>

Jennifer McDonald was charged with 32 felony counts for her role in the scheme.<ref>Gully, Josh. [https://www.nvdaily.com/nvdaily/mcdonald-charged-on-four-additional-felonies/article_e2a3aee2-b835-514f-89b9-ada3c2548f06.html"], ''[[Northern Virginia Daily]]'', Virginia, October 28, 2019.</ref> 14 current and former municipal officials were indicted and faced criminal charges, including the entire Warren County board of supervisors as well as the former Warren [[County Attorney]] and the head of the Warren County schools division.<ref name="IndictmentStory" /><ref name="WaPoExpose">{{cite news |last=Olivo |first=Antonio |date=September 24, 2019 |title=Millions of dollars are missing. The sheriff is dead. A small Virginia town wants answers.
 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-news/millions-of-dollars-are-missing-the-sheriff-is-dead-a-small-virginia-town-wants-answers/2019/09/24/1a0be2fe-c061-11e9-b873-63ace636af08_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Internet |access-date=September 26, 2019 }}</ref>
These charges were later dropped as the judge ruled there was no basis for the allegations.<ref>Carey, Julie.[https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/charges-dropped-against-14-warren-county-leaders/2049641/]''[[NBC4 Washington]]'', Virginia, October 28, 2019.</ref>