1641-June-Walter Austin, Rice Hoe, Joseph Johnson and Walter Chiles petitioned the General Assembly "for leave and encouragement to undertake the discovery of a new river of unknown lands bearing west southerly from Appomattox River." Petition granted in 1642 with right to have all profit from the trade for fourteen years.
1670-Governor Berkley sent a group of gentlemen under the command of Major William Harris to explore the western territory which included what is today Pittsylvania. John Lederer, a German, kept a diary of the trip in Latin.
1716-Gov. Alexander Spotswood led his Golden Horse Shoe Party of gentlemen exploreres across the state of Virginia to the Blue Ridge mountains.
1720 As a result of this trip two counties were formed, Spottsylvania in the north and Brunswick (present day Pittsylvania lay in this vast county) in the south by Acts of Assembly in November 1720
1723 Lords of Trade of London upon the petition of the Virginia Council, exempted the inhabitants of Spottsylvania and Brunswick from the payment of quit rents and the purchase of land rights for seven years and limited land grants to 1000 acres.
1728-Colonel William Byrd of Westover surveyed the dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina.
1730-40 The Germans, the Quakers and the Scotch-Irish were moving in great numbers from Pennsylvania into Virginia including what is to today Pittsylvania.
1732- Court for the county of Brunswick established. First justices were Henry Fox, John Irby, George Walton, William Wynne,Richard Birch, Nathaniel Edwards, Charles King, and William Maclin.
1738-Because Brunswick County was developing slowly in its western lands and to encourage settlement along the Roanoke , in November of 1738 the following was enacted.-"Whereas the lands lying upon Roanoke River on the southern boundary of this colony are for the most part unseated and unclutivated; and a considerable number of persons, as well as his Majesty's natural born subjects, as foreign protestants, are willing to import themselves with their families and effects, and to settle upon the said lands,, be it enacted that all persons whatsoever who within ten years next after the passing this Act shall import themnselves into this colony, and settle upon the Roanoke River, on the south branch (Dan) of the same above the fork; and on the north branch of the said river, above the mouth of Little Roanoke, and thre lands lying between them, deemed to be in Brunswick County shall be exempted from the payment of all livies for ten years, and be at liberty al all times hereaftre to pay the officers fees in money at the rate of three farthings per pound of tobacco."
1735-June 11 Colonel William Byrd petitioned the Council on June 11, 1735 for 100,000 acres along Roanoke River, between waters of Birch Creek and Irwin River, to settle Switzers and other foreign Protestants. Land lying between Birch Creek and Irwin River is southern Pittsylvania County. In 1739 Colonel Byrd petitioned Council to extend time to bring in settlers.
1745- Brunswick County divided
and the western part became Lunenburg
County which included Pittsylvania County. At the same time
more and more settlers from Tidewater Virginia especially from the peninsula
between the James and York River.
On May 5th the following took
the oath of justice of the peace for the newly created Lunenburg County-William
Leonard, Matthew Talbott, Lewis Delony, John Phelps, William Hill, John
Caldwell, Cornelius Cargill, Abraham cooke, Hugh Lawson, Thomas Lanier,
and William Caldwell.
1752- Halifax County created out of Lunenburg and included what is today Pittsylvania. The justices of the peace were William Byrd, William Wynne, Peter Fontaine, Jr., William Irby, James Terry, Nathaniel Terry, Robert Hampton, Andrew Wade and Sherwood Walton. In the next year the following were added fromthe area that is today Pittsylvania-Thomas Dillard, Thomas Calloway, Samuel Harris, Benjamin Clement, Peter Wilson and Robert Pusey.
1767-June 1 Pittsylvania County was cut off from Halifax County