History of Berkeley County, West Virginia

Bowie: Heritage Books. New. (1928) 2001. Reprint. Paperback. Index. . 370 pages. Originally, Berkeley County incorporated all the territory in what is now the “Eastern Panhandle” (including present Jefferson and Morgan Counties) , and extended from the Potomac to the Shenandoah Rivers on the north and east. This volume begins with descriptions of the daily life and customs of the early settlers, including farming, hunting, building a log cabin, cooking, witchcraft, medicine, etc. An important crossroad during the French and Indian War as well as the Civil War, Berkeley County “sent more soldiers to the wars of the country per capita than any other county” of Virginia. A detailed chapter on its military history contains muster rolls from several different wars. Of special interest is a full transcript of the “Faulkner Report, ” which was commissioned by the governor of Virginia in response to Maryland’s claims to part of the northern section of what is now West Virginia. The report was thorough, convincing, and full of historical data. A large biographical section (about 100 pages) is followed by lists of town officers and a history of the schools, churches and “miscellaneous. ” .