Valuable Genealogy and History of the First Settlers to Bath County, Virginia
The source material cites many details of the first settlers to Bath County. It is certainly worthwhile (and highly recommended) that genealogists read The Annals of Bath County for information that cannot be found elsewhere. Indeed, the detailed historical instances and names will enlighten any genealogy research. This book is available online to members of virginiapioneers.net (click on navigation, then genealogy-books, then Virginia)
Until West Virginia became a fact, Bath lay near the center of Virginia. It now lies against the western border of the parent state.
The western boundary of Bath is the central ridge of the Appalachian Mountains, sometimes called the Alleghany Front. It divides the waters coursing toward the Atlantic from those running toward the Mississippi. This massive uplift is a natural boundary. On the county's eastern side, Walker’s Mountain, Sideling Hill, and Mill Mountain take turns forming the borderline. These three elevations run almost precisely in the same direction. From the top of Walter’s Mountain, the line leaps squarely across a very narrow valley to the top of Sideling Hill. Four miles southward, it passes with equal abruptness across a still narrower valley to the summit of Mill Mountain. And yet this complex eastern border opens to the baseline only…
