74 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



and enjoined on demand as aforesaid to deliver up intire and indefaced 

 all such papers and records as aforesaid, and in case they or either of 

 them shall refuse or neglect to deliver uj^ the papers and records in 

 manner and form aforesaid, they or either of them so neglecting or 

 refusing shall forfeit and pay the sum of five hundred pounds, to be 

 recovered by action of debt in any court of Common Pleas within this 

 Commonwealth, for the use of the same. 



" Signed by order of the House, 



"■ Fred' k A. Mtililcuhurg, Speaker. ''' 



Monongalia and Ohio counties, Virginia, did not l)ecome extinct, 

 but were pushed out of Pennsylvania by the boundary lines established, 

 and carried their records with them. The records of the courts at 

 Fort Dunmore and for Vohogania County, thus became a part of the 

 official records of Washington County, Pennsylvania. 



By reference to the record of the formal organization of the old Fort 

 Dunmore court, Vol. F, p. 525 of these Ainials, it is seen that that 

 court was constituted under "His Majesties Writ," issued by Ford 

 Dunmore, " for adjorning the County Court of Augusta from the Town 

 of Staunton to Fort Dunmore, and with a new Commission of the 

 Peace," which included George Croghan and fourteen others named 

 after him, all of whom resided in the Monongahela and Ohio valleys, 

 as "Gentlemen, Justices." The creation of that court was by the 

 will of King George as expressed by his colonial representative. Ford 

 Dunmore. But there came a time when His Majesty's writs by whom- 

 soever issued were inoperative west of the Alleghenies, as well as east 

 of them to the Atlantic; and, as noted briefly on p. 520, Vol. F of 

 these Annals, the legislature of Virginia, now become an independent 

 commonwealth, in October, 1776, ]xassed An Act for ascertaining the 

 boundary between the County of Augusta and the District of A\' est 

 Augusta, and for dividing the said District into three district Counties. 



This act, to be found at length by the reference in the note,' estab- 

 lished the southern boundaries of the District of West Augusta, and 

 proceeded : 



"And to render the benefits of government and administration of 

 justice more easy and convenient to the people of said District, Be it 

 enacted, (S:c., That from and after the Sth day of November next en- 



' Chapter XLV., 9 Henning's Statutes, 262. See our map of the District of West 

 Augusta, facing p. 518, Vol. I. of these Annals. 



