Valley of the Shadow
The Eve of War
Fall 1859–Spring 1861

1860 Census and Summaries

Party Activists, 1859-60


Whig activists dominated in the county, while in Staunton Democratic activists outnumbered Whigs 2 to 1.

Precinct No Record Whig Democrat Total
Staunton, Precinct No. 1 32 2 6 40
Staunton, Precinct No. 2 44 4 5 53
Waynesborough 33 5 1 39
Churchville 50 4 0 54
Mt. Sidney 45 1 1 47
Middlebrook 23 5 0 28
Greenville 23 3 0 26
Fishersville 36 5 2 43
New Hope 84 9 5 98
Mt. Meridian 37 5 0 42
Mt. Solon 56 1 1 58
Deerfield 29 3 1 33
Craigsville 21 6 1 28
Stuart's Draft 32 4 2 38
Swoope's Depot 38 5 0 43
Sherando 17 3 1 21
Parnassus 41 3 0 44
Spring Hill 32 3 2 37
Newport 18 3 0 21
Midway 12 1 1 14
Total 703 75 29 807

The data are based on the GIS of Augusta and Franklin households--maps are derived from a D. H. Davison map of Franklin County, published in 1858, and Jedediah Hotchkiss map of Augusta County, published in 1870 and based on surveys completed "during the war." The maps have been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic Information Systems map and database of households based on U. S. census data from the population, agricultural, and slaveowners schedules.

Note: Original precinct boundaries are not available. Precinct boundaries were established in the GIS using Thiessen polygons around precinct stations as central places.