Place:Lee, Virginia, United States

Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Timeline 4 Population History 5 Research Tips 6 Sources

Description

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

Lee County is the westernmost county in the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2015 census estimate, the population was 24,742. Its county seat is Jonesville.

History

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

The first Europeans to enter what is present-day Lee County were a party of Spanish explorers, Juan de Villalobos and Francisco de Silvera, sent by Hernando de Soto in 1540, in search of gold.

The county was formed in 1793 from Russell County. It was named for Light Horse Harry Lee, the Governor of Virginia from 1791 to 1794, who was famous for his exploits as a leader of light cavalry during the American Revolutionary War. He was also the father of the Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

Lee County was the final front on the Kentucky Trace, now known as the Wilderness Road and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. During the 1780s and 1790s, fortified buildings called "stations" were built along the trail for shelter from Indian raids as the settlers followed Daniel Boone's footsteps into Kentucky. The stations in Lee County were Yoakum Station at present-day Dryden, west to Powell River and Station Creek at today's Rocky Station, then to Mump's Fort at Jonesville, followed by Prist Station, Chadwell Station at Chadwell Gap, Martin's Station at Rose Hill, Owen Station at Ewing, and finally Gibson Station, which still bears its original name.

One of the largest early landowners was Revolutionary War officer and explorer Joseph Martin, after whom Martin's Station and Martin's Creek at Rose Hill are named. Due to his rank of command, Martin had been awarded some , which he later divided up and sold. Rose Hill, in 1832, was the first federally recognized post office in the county of Lee.

In 1814, parts of Lee County, Russell County, and Washington County were combined to form Scott County. In 1856, parts of Lee County, Russell County, and Scott County were combined to form Wise County.

Timeline

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990

Research Tips

• Lee County, Virginia family history and genealogy research guide (FamilySearch Research Wiki).

Sources

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog