University of Virginia Library

United States Circuit and District Courts.

In the year 18—, the Congress of the United States created a
district in Western Virginia, to which was given the name of the
Western District of Virginia, and soon thereafter the court of said
district was organized. For many years this court was held at
Wytheville, but it was subsequently removed to Abingdon. This
district at the present time is composed of the following counties:
Alleghany, Albemarle, Amherst, Appomattox, Augusta, Bath, Bedford,
Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Carroll,
Charlotte, Clarke, Craig, Cumberland, Dickenson, Floyd, Fluvanna,
Franklin, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Greene, Halifax, Henry, Highland,
Lee, Madison, Montgomery, Nelson, Page, Patrick, Pulaski,
Pittsylvania, Rappahannock, Roanoke, Rockbridge, Rockingham,
Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington,
Wise and Wythe.

Courts are held at five points in the district, semi-annually, towit:
Abingdon, Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg and Danville.

The jurisdiction of this court is confined to matters arising under
the Constitution and laws of the United States.

This court, from the time of its first meeting in Abingdon until
the year 1891, held its sessions on the second floor of the county
courthouse of this county.

Some time previous to the year 1884, through the efforts of Colonel
Abram Fulkerson and General William Mahone, the Congress
of the United States appropriated money sufficient to erect
a handsome courthouse in Abingdon for the accommodation of the
United States courts, which courthouse was completed in the year
1891, at an expense to the United States of $85,000, including the
furnishing of the same, and was occupied the same year.

The judges of this court, so far as I have been able to ascertain,
have been:

18—, Judge Caldwell, of Wheeling.

1839-1846, Isaac S. Pennypacker, of Harrisonburg.

1846-1871, John W. Brockenbrough, of Lexington.

1871-1883, Alexander Rives, of Albemarle.

1883-1900, John Paul, of Harrisonburg.

1900—, Henry Clay McDowell, of Big Stone Gap.

The clerks of this court have been as follows:

1839—, Thomas L. Moore.

1839-1846, R. W. Moore.

1846-18—, Erasmus Stribling.

1861—, Joseph W. Caldwell.

1871-1874, E. S. Watson.

1874-1884, Benjamin Gildersleeve.

1884—, Isaac Chapman Fowler.

The attorneys representing the United States in this court since
1871 are as follows:

1871—, Robert W. Hughes.

1871-1882, Warren S. Lurty.

1882-1885, Daniel Sheffey Lewis.

1885-1889, Henry C. Allen.

1889-1893, William E. Craig.

1893-1897, A. J. Montague.

1897-1901, T. M. Alderson.

1901-1905, Thomas Lee Moore.

The marshals of this court since 1855 have been as follows:

1855—, Jefferson T. Martin.

1871-1878, Algernon S. Gray.

1878-1882, John F. Lewis.

1882-1886, John G. Watts.

1886-1887, Samuel L. Graham.

1887-1890, James R. Jordan.

1890-1893, John G. Watts.

1893-1898, George W. Levi.

1898-190-, S. Brown Allen.

In addition to the officers above named, several of the citizens of
this county and district, to-wit: F. B. Hutton, David F. Bailey,
John J. Stuart and John C. Blair, have discharged the duties of
assistant district attorney in this court with distinguished ability.