Editing Westmoreland County, Virginia (section)

== History ==
[[File:Nomini Hall Westmoreland County Virginia.jpg|thumb|Nomini Hall, the Carter family plantation in Westmoreland County, was built in 1730 on land purchased from heirs of [[Nicholas Spencer]] by [[Robert Carter I|Robert "King" Carter]]]]
As originally established by the [[Colony of Virginia|Virginia colony]]'s [[House of Burgesses]], this area was separated from [[Northumberland County, Virginia|Northumberland County]] in 1653 and named for the [[English county]] of [[Westmorland]]; both counties are coastal.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.slideshare.net/TTC_Media/virginia-county-names-a-history|title=Virginia County Names - A History|date= September 21, 2013}}</ref> The territory of Westmoreland County encompassed much of what later became the various counties and cities of [[Northern Virginia]], including the [[Alexandria, Virginia|city of Alexandria]], [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]], [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]], and [[Prince William County, Virginia|Prince William County]]. These areas comprised part of Westmoreland until the formation of [[Stafford County, Virginia|Stafford County]] in 1664.

Westmoreland County on Northern Neck was the birthplace of [[George Washington]], who later became the first [[President of the United States]] (born at the former settlement of [[Bridges Creek, Virginia]]);<ref>Marquis, A.N. Company. ''Who's Who In America'', vol. 1:Historical Volume (1607-1896), revised ed., Marquis, A.N. Company., 1967.</ref> of [[James Monroe]], the fifth President; and of [[Robert E. Lee]], general and commander of the [[Confederate Army|Confederate armies]] during the [[American Civil War]] of 1861–1865.

Colonel [[Nicholas Spencer]] (1633-1689) resided in this county. He [[Land patent|patented]] the land at [[Mount Vernon]] in 1674 with his friend Lt. Col. [[John Washington]], ancestor of George Washington. Spencer, who served as President of [[Virginia Governor's Council|the Council]] and acting [[List of Governors of Virginia|Governor]] (in office: 1683–1684) of the [[Colony of Virginia]], was the cousin of, and agent for, the [[Baron Colepeper|Barons Colepeper]], [[Proprietary colony|proprietors]] of the [[Northern Neck]]. Spencer lived at his plantation, ''Nomini'', which his descendants later sold to [[Robert Carter I]] (1662/63 – 1732) .

Robert Carter's grandson, [[Robert Carter III]], is known for voluntarily freeing almost 500 [[History of slavery in Virginia|slaves]] from Nomini Hall, beginning in 1791. He also provided for their settlement on land that he bought for them in [[Ohio Country]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}} This [[manumission]] was the largest known release of slaves in North America prior to the American Civil War and involved the largest number ever manumitted by an individual in the U.S.<ref name="Levy2005">{{cite book |last1=Levy |first1=Andrew |title=The First Emancipator: The Forgotten Story of Robert Carter, the Founding Father Who Freed His Slaves |date=2005 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-58836-469-2 |page=147 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GcXFlzeQ8JwC&pg=PA147 |language=en |quote=he undertook the largest private emancipation in American history}}</ref>