Harrison County was formed in 1784 from Monongalia and included all or parts of 17 other counties. It was named for Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and governor of Virginia from 1781 to 1784, and was the birthplace of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Lewis County was formed in 1816 from Harrison and was named for Colonel Charles Lewis, who was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. It was the home of frontier scout Jesse Hughes and the boyhood home of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.