Fayette County was formed in 1831 from Nicholas, Greenbrier, Kanawha, and Logan and was named for General Lafayette. On the New River in 1671, Batts and Fallam officially claimed the Mississippi Valley for Great Britain in opposition to the claim of France. Raleigh County was formed in 1850 from Fayette and was named for Sir Walter Raleigh, who planted the first English colony in America. Beckley, the county seat, was founded by Alfred Beckley and named for his father, John, first clerk of the House of Representatives.