Amherst County Borders
"Diocese of Southern Virginia", Journal 1903, 49-50
AMHERST COUNTY was formed in 1761 from Albemarle County and "certain
islands" in the Fluvanna [James] River.
The Act dividing the Counties of Albemarle and Louisa and the
Parish of St. Anne was dated March 1761.
Amherst Parish in said Act is described as follows:
That from and after the first day of May next the said parish
(St. Anne) shall be divided into two distinct parishes, in the
following manner, that is to say, by Rockfish river to the mouth
of Green creek, thence a straight line by the house of Thomas
Bell to the Blue mountain, and that all that part of said parish
that lies above the said river and line shall be one distinct
parish, and shall be called and "known by the name of Amherst":
and that all other part of said parish that lies below the said
river and line shall be one distinct parish and "retain the
nane of St. Anne".
{In 1761 the border between Albemarle and Amherst Counties
would seem to be the Rockfish River, which I think is now the
border between Nelson and Albemarle}
In October 1778 the parish of Amherst was divided by a line
running from Fluvanna [James] River up Piney River to the mountains;
the part on the lower side to be known as Amherst Parish and on
the upper side, Lexington Parish.
That the parish of Amherst shall be divided into two distinct
parishes, in the following manner, that is to say:
By a line to be run from Meggenson's Warehouse, on the Fluvanna
river, to Rose's Mill on Piney river, thence up the fork thereof
above Lucas Powell's plantation, and hence up the north fork to
the Blue Ridge, and all that part of said parish which lies on
the lower side of the said line shall be one distinct parish and
"retain the name of Amherst", and all that part of said
parish which lies on the upper side of the said line shall be
one other distinct parish and be "know by the name of Lexington".
{Two years later}
In October 1780, the dividing line between Amherst and Lexington
parishes was relcated to make a more equitable division.
Be it therefore enacted, That instead of the dividing line mentioned
in said Act, the said parishes shall be divided by the following
lines, to-wit:
Beginning on the Fluvana [James] river at the mouth of Elk Island
Creek, with said creek to Hilton's mill, from thence a direct
line to Tye river at the mouth of Camp Creek; thence up Tye river
to mouth of Piney river, thence up Piney river to Rose's mill;
thence continued up Piney river to the fork thereof above Lucas
Powell's plantation and thence up the north fork to the Blue Ridge.
The collector of the parish of Lexington shall have the power
to collect and distrain for any dues which shall remain unpaid
by the inhabitants of that part of the said parish of Lexington
hereby made a part of the sais parish of Amherst.
The following recommendation from the committee on admission
of new parishes was approved.
3. From Amherst County a petition to be divided from Lexington
Parish, of which it now forms a part, and to be formed into a
separate parish, taking the name of Amherst Parish with the following
boundaries, to-wit:
Those boundaries known as belonging to Pedlar township, and all
that part of Elton township that lies to the west of the Virginia
Midland railroad; or in other words, the northern boundary of
the Elon section of the paarish will be the Lynchburg road from
Ware's Gap across to Cool Well; the eastren boundary the Virginia
Midland railroad; the southern boundary the James river, and the
western boundary the Tobacco Row mountains to Ware's Gap.