Monongalia County was formed in 1776 from the District of West Augusta, and all or parts of 21 other counties, including three in Pennsylvania, were carved from it. It was named for the Monongahela River, bearing an Indian name meaning the "River of Caving Banks." Taylor County was formed in 1844 from Marion, Harrison, and Barbour and was named for John Taylor of Virginia. The county was the home of Bailey Brown, the first Union soldier killed in the War between the States, who was shot on May 22, 1861, at Fetterman, now Grafton.