Place:Westmoreland, Virginia, United States

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NameWestmoreland
Alt namesWestmorelandsource: Getty Vocabulary Program
TypeCounty
Coordinates38.117°N 76.783°W
Located inVirginia, United States     (1653 - )
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

As originally established by the Virginia colony's House of Burgesses, this area was separated from Northumberland County in 1653 and named for the English county of Westmorland; both counties are coastal. The territory of Westmoreland County encompassed much of what later became the various counties and cities of Northern Virginia, including the city of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Prince William County. These areas comprised part of Westmoreland until the formation of 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); of James Monroe, the fifth President; and of Robert E. Lee, general and commander of the Confederate armies during the American Civil War of 1861-1865.

Colonel Nicholas Spencer (1633-1689) resided in this county. He 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 the Council and acting Governor (in office: 1683-1684) of the Colony of Virginia, was the cousin of, and agent for, the Barons Colepeper, 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 slaves from Nomini Hall, beginning in 1791. He also provided for their settlement on land that he bought for them in Ohio territory. 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.

Timeline

Date Event Source
1653 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1653 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1653 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1653 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1772 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1790 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1810 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1858 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1790 7,722
1810 8,102
1820 6,901
1830 8,396
1840 8,019
1850 8,080
1860 8,282
1870 7,682
1880 8,846
1890 8,399
1900 9,243
1910 9,313
1920 10,240
1930 8,497
1940 9,512
1950 10,148
1960 11,042
1970 12,142
1980 14,041
1990 15,480

Note: Westmoreland was reported with Richmond in 1800. Westmoreland's 1790 census boundaries were the same as those of 1810-1990.

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This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Westmoreland County, Virginia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.