1818
John Fairfax is appointed Preston County’s first sheriff
At Preston County’s organization in 1818, Colonel John Fairfax—then the senior justice and presiding officer of the first county court—received the appointment as sheriff. Fairfax did not personally perform the office’s duties; Joseph D. Suit served as his deputy during the term.
Research status
This entry has been checked against its named source.
The timeline wording accurately reflects the source listed below. This status does not necessarily mean the event has been independently corroborated against additional records.
Sources and further reading
Where this entry comes from
Oren F. Morton, A History of Preston County, West Virginia, vol. I (1914), ch. X, printed p. 165
Research notes
What the evidence establishes
Morton explains that, before 1851, the sheriffalty was normally filled by the senior justice recommended by the county court and commissioned by the governor. He specifically identifies John Fairfax as the first sheriff and says that Fairfax sold his commission to Joseph D. Suit, who performed the duties as deputy.
The county-creation act directed the first justices to take the sheriff’s bond, but it does not name Fairfax or Suit. The appointment and deputy-service distinction in this entry is therefore attributed to Morton’s county history rather than presented as a detail established by the 1818 act itself.
The exact date of Fairfax’s appointment has not been established. The entry is dated only to 1818, the year Preston County was organized.
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