Patrick County's 467-square-mile area was carved from neighboring Henry County in 1791 and one-third is in the rolling Piedmont plateau and the remaining two-thirds in the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains where the Blue Ridge Parkway straddles the line with Floyd and Carroll counties to the north and west. The name comes from Patrick Henry, first governor of the Commonwealth, who lived at Leatherwood, near Martinsville, from 1779 to 1884.
Settled largely by Scotch-Irish and English settlers, the new county on the North Carolina line had more than 160 grants recorded before 1800.
Patrick County is recognized as the birthplace of General J.E.B. Stuart, renowned Civil War cavalryman, who died at 31 at Yellow Tavern while trying to halt the advance of General Phil Sheridan on Richmond. His home, Laurel Hill, no longer standing, was located near Ararat in the western part of the county.
Among other important people from Patrick County have been these state senators: Col. George Penn, Col. George Hairston, Maj. Clark Penn, Archibald Stuart (also Congressman and father of the General), Col. John E. Penn, Governor Gerald Baliles, Attorney General Mary Sue Terry, Judge A.M. Lybrook, Judge E. J. Harvey and Frank Burton.
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