The History of the Dividing Line
Encyclopedia
The History of the Dividing Line Betwixt Virginia and North Carolina is an account by William Byrd II
of the surveying of the border between the U.S. state
s of North Carolina
and Virginia
in 1728. Byrd's account of the journey to survey the contentious border with his chief surveyor William Mayo included such nuggets as the derivation of the name of "Matrimony Creek," so named because of its 'brawling' waters.
Each of the two colonies provided surveyors and technicians to the team. William Byrd was the chief representative from Virginia, and Edward Moseley
was the chief representative from North Carolina. Byrd also compiled a "Secret History" of the work. Byrd's text is also the focus of David Gatten
's film project, also titled The Secret History of the Dividing Line.]
William Byrd II
Colonel William Byrd II was a planter, slave-owner and author from Charles City County, Virginia. He is considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.-Biography:...
of the surveying of the border between the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1728. Byrd's account of the journey to survey the contentious border with his chief surveyor William Mayo included such nuggets as the derivation of the name of "Matrimony Creek," so named because of its 'brawling' waters.
Each of the two colonies provided surveyors and technicians to the team. William Byrd was the chief representative from Virginia, and Edward Moseley
Edward Moseley
Edward Moseley , was the Surveyor General of North Carolina from about 1710 and the first colonial Treasurer of North Carolina starting in 1715. He was responsible for surveying the boundary between North Carolina and Virginia in 1728...
was the chief representative from North Carolina. Byrd also compiled a "Secret History" of the work. Byrd's text is also the focus of David Gatten
David Gatten
David Edward Gatten is an American experimental filmmaker and moving image artist. Since 1996 Gatten's films have explored the intersection of the printed word and moving image, cataloging the variety of ways in which texts functions in cinema as both language and image, writing and drawing, often...
's film project, also titled The Secret History of the Dividing Line.]