Loyal Company of Virginia facts for kids
The Loyal Company of Virginia, also known as the Loyal Land Company, was a group formed in Virginia in 1749. Their main goal was to encourage people to move and settle in the western parts of Virginia. This company was involved in what's called land speculation, which means buying large areas of land, hoping its value would increase as more people settled there. The company operated until May 15, 1776, when Virginia declared its independence from Great Britain. Even after that, legal cases involving the company continued for many years, all the way until 1872.
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How the Company Started
On July 12, 1748, a group called the Virginia Council approved a huge land grant. This council was an important part of Virginia's government at the time. They gave 800,000 acres (about 324,000 hectares) of land to a group of investors.
This land was located west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was also in the "Ohio Valley watershed," which means the rivers there flowed towards the Ohio River. Unlike another company, the Ohio Company, the Loyal Company didn't have to find settlers right away. Instead, they just needed to survey, or map out, the lands they claimed within four years.
Who Started It?
The main person who helped create the Loyal Company of Virginia was John Lewis. He was a well-known pioneer in the Shenandoah Valley. The company was mostly managed by Lewis and three other important men: Thomas Walker, Joshua Fry, and Peter Jefferson.
Many other people were also founding members, including John Harvie, James Maury, Thomas Lewis, and Edmund Pendleton.
Early Adventures and Challenges
The Loyal Company officially began at a meeting on December 12, 1749. John Lewis was chosen to lead the company for four years. Thomas Walker was given the job of exploring new lands for the company.
On March 6, 1750, Walker began his first trip into what is now southwest Virginia and Kentucky. His group even built a cabin in a place that is now Barbourville, Kentucky. This helped show that the Loyal Company claimed that territory.
The company often had arguments with other land companies, like the Ohio Company. This was because the descriptions of the land grants were not always clear. These disputes made it harder to attract settlers. Because of this, the Loyal Company was given an extra four years, until June 14, 1753, to finish surveying their land claims.
The company also planned a big trip in 1753, led by Walker, to explore further west. This trip was similar to the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition that happened much later. The idea was to find the Missouri River and see if it connected to the Pacific Ocean. They wanted to map the land and rivers they found.
The French and Indian War's Impact
The start of the French and Indian War slowed down the Loyal Company's activities. The big western exploration trip never happened. Thomas Walker became an agent for the army during the war, so he stopped actively exploring for the company.
After a major defeat for the British army, Native American raids increased in the Shenandoah Valley. Many settlers left their farms, which meant less demand for the Loyal Company's land. It also made surveying new areas very dangerous.
After the War: New Rules
The Loyal Company's original permission to operate ended in 1757. They didn't try to get an extension until 1763. On May 25, 1763, they asked for more time, explaining that the French and Indian War had stopped their work.
However, their request was denied. The British government had a new rule, which was made official in the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This rule stopped people from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Even with this rule, the Loyal Company continued to survey land. People in the colonies kept pushing back against the Proclamation. This led to the Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768. In this treaty, the Ohio River became the western border for colonial expansion. More land was gained by companies like the Loyal Company in another agreement called the Treaty of Lochaber. Thomas Walker again represented Virginia's interests in these talks.
The land sold by the Loyal Company west of the Appalachian Mountains sometimes conflicted with land given to Virginia officers for their service in the war. These officers were represented by Colonel George Washington. Eventually, the Virginia Governor's Council decided to recognize all the land sales made by the Loyal Company.
The American Revolution and the End of an Era
After Virginia declared independence and formed its own government, it wasn't sure what to do about companies that had operated under British rule. On October 27, 1778, Thomas Walker asked the Virginia House of Delegates to confirm the Loyal Company's land claims.
On November 11, 1778, the House of Delegates agreed to recognize all the sales the Loyal Company had already made. However, they refused to let the company do any more surveys or sales. This decision effectively brought the Loyal Company's activities to an end. Even so, legal battles continued for many years, both for and against the company's claims.
See also
- Royal Land Company of Virginia
