The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1906-12-19
How THIS State
Got It's Name.
(UharIeaton News.)

at the cfics of Hon. Virgil A.
Lewis the state historian and ar
Ichivist, and found him compiling
data relating the convention which
framed onr fret constitution of
West Virginia; a body of whicb.
unfortunately for onr history, too
little known. Asksd for story fl 7
1.-The News the arShivist said: There
Eis an interesting bit of history con.
scted with the name Of orr state
Vest Virginia which I have
Enever seen in printsave as it exists
in the documents relating to it's
formation and admission into the
union" What are some of the
facts connected with this subject p'
queried the News man.
The second Wheeling conven
tion," said the historian. "Which
assembled in that city. on the 18th
of June, 1861. reorganized the
government of Virginia; and at
its adjourned session, adopted. on
tue 10th of August. an ordinance
providing for the formation of a
new state out of portion of the
territory of Virginia. Section of
this ordinance declared that: The
people of Virginia by their dele
gates assembled in convention at
Wheeling do ordain. that a new
state, to be called Ksnawha, be
formed and erected out of the fol-
lowing bounds.' (Here followed
the description of boundary J
This ordinance was adopted by a
vote of the people within the pro-
posed new state, where polls were
opened. this standing 18.408 votes
for the new state, 781 against it.
Thus the people voted for the for,
nation of the new state of Kama
wha.'
Under the provision of another
section of the ordinance thus rati
fed. delegates were elected to q
convention to meet at Wheeling.
November 26. 1861 to form con
stitntion for the new etate of 'Ka
nawha This body in which from
the 6rst to last of it's session, sat
Fifty two members. convened at
s'ss ap, lntes tima and=plaoe. sd
/ 8 gage6in. the work before it.
"On the 3oth of November-the
fifth day of the session, the COM
mittee on,Fundamental and Gen.
eral Provisions to be embodied in
the constitution, submitted re-
p ort, the FIRST two sections of which
were as follows:
"Seotion 1.-The state of Kama.
wha' shall be and remain one of
the United States of America.
"Seotion 2-Writs. commissions
aud other publications Issued un.
der state authority, shall run in the
name of, and official bonds shall
be made payable to the state Of
'Kanawha.' Laws shall be enact
ed in the name of the state of Ka.
n4wha.' Writs shall conclude
against the peace and dignity of
the state of .Kanawha.'
'On the same day James 81.
Brown, delegate from Kanawha
county, submitted Document No.
21.'
"rhis related to the Virginia
debt question and the position to
be occupied by the new state of
'Ksnawha' in this matter.
The fret suggestion of change
of the name of the new state, came
on the 30th of November-same
date as the last above-wnen Hon
James Hervey, a delegate from
Brooke county, submitted 'Docu-
ment No. 27' wLioh read as fol-
lows:
Resolved that .Kanawha' in
the eighth line of AN ordinance to
provide for the formation of new
state out of portion of the terri,
tory of the state;of Virginia. passed
August Goth, 1861, be stricken out.
aud New Virginia,' inserted Ia iis
place This would have been a
very appropriate name.
"This was referred to the proper
committee-Hon Dudley s. Mon
tague, a delegate from Putnam
county and the father of Captain
Daniel w Montague. the present
chief of police of Charleston, was
greatly in favor of retaining the
name of 'Kanawha' as that of the
new state, and on the date last
mentinuad anhmiftad sDooumanf