Marion County was formed in 1842 from Harrison and Monongalia and was named for Revolutionary hero Gen. Francis Marion. It was the home of Francis H. Pierpont, a leader in the formation of this state, and the Monongahela River forms just above Fairmont. Wetzel County was formed in 1846 from Tyler and was named for Lewis Wetzel, a frontiersman who with his brothers during Indian days ranged the settlements from their home in Marshall County throughout northern West Virginia.