Marion County Formation Timeline
BEFORE MARION COUNTY: The following shows the steps leading to the creation of Marion County. When tracing records or studying history of Marion County, this lineage may be helpful.
1584 – Queen Elizabeth of England granted authority to Sir Walter Raliegh to explore unknown countries in the new world.
1606 – King James I of England granted a charter, giving two companies the rights to most of North America – the Plymouth Company and the London Company.
1607 – Jamestown Colony is settled by the London Company, who sent a fleet of three ships and about 300 people under the command of Captain Christopher Newport.
1619 – The King granted the colony (Virginia) a representative government.
1634 – Virginia was divided into eight shires, or counties.
These counties would continue to be reduced in size by forming new ones as the population grew, until Marion County was formed in 1842:
1634 – Charles River Shire was one of the eight original, and the forrunner of Marion County.
1642 – York County organized from Charles River Shire.
1654 – New Kent County organized from York County.
1691 – King and Queen County formed from New Kent County.
1710 – King William County County was formed from King and Queen County and from Essex County.
1720 – Spottsylvania County formed from Essex, King William, and King and Queen counties.
1734 – Orange County formed from Spottsylvania County.
1738 – Augusta County formed from Orange County.
1774 – The District of West Augusta was recognized as a political jurisdiction, still within the limits of Augusta County.
1776 – Monongalia County was formed from the District of West Augusta.
1784 – Harrison County formed from Monongalia County.
1842 – Marion County formed from Monongalia and Harrison Counties.
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