In the foothills of Virginia’s Piedmont, Nelson County was formed in 1807 from Amherst County and named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., governor of Virginia from June to November 1781; its county seat is Lovingston, and its courthouse, built under the supervision of George Varnum in 1809 according to plans submitted by Sheldon Crostwait, has been modified and enlarged over the years but remains one of Virginia’s best-preserved historic court structures. Albemarle County was formed in 1744 from Goochland County and named for William Anne Keppel, the second Earl of Albemarle, titular governor of Virginia from 1737 to 1754; a portion of Louisa County was later added, and in 1761 part of Albemarle County was divided to form Buckingham and Amherst Counties. Thomas Jefferson was born in Albemarle County at Shadwell and built his home Monticello there, and Charlottesville, the county seat, is also the home of the University of Virginia, chartered in 1819, opened for instruction in 1825, and designed and supervised in construction by Jefferson.