Kegley's Virginia Frontier. Kegley, F.B.. (1938) 2007. Through the extensive use of contemporary documents, Kegley traces the westward course of migration into the interior of Virginia in the seventeenth<br><br> and eighteenth centuries, providing much detail on the settlement and development of communities in the upper reaches of the James and Roanoke rivers.<br>The author devotes just a few pages to the developments prior to 1740, reproducing letters and official documents relating to the exploration of the Virginia backcountry. The bulk of the book is devoted to the years from 1740 to 1783, with substantial sections on the land grants and settlements from 1740 to 1760, on the activities during the French and Indian War, on further developments from 1760 to 1770, and finally on the organization and early years of Botetourt County.<br>As the chronological and topographical treatment proceeds, the author sets forth abstracts of thousands of land grants, organized by time period and by section of the watershed. These basic records are supplemented by militia lists, business records and many other documents.<br>The text is supported by many maps drawn especially for this volume, some showing the distribution of settlements along the various watercourses, and others platting out groups of land grants at some of the early settlements. Many photographs of surviving early buildings are also included.
