cities as Clifton Forge, Salem, Roanoke and Buena Vista. The district also included portions of present Mercer County, West Virginia, Raleigh County, West Virginia, Wyoming County, West Virginia and Summers County, West Virginia and Fayette County, West Virginia. The district had a population of 38,788 of whom 18% were African-Americans. (Parsons, p. 284). Martis says the 17th district during this time consisted of Frederick County, Virginia and Shenandoah County, Virginia which Parsons et al. place in the 20th district. The two authors disagree on the placement of all the districts in Virginia numbered 15 and up during these years. The 1842 redistricting was the first time that any area was retained in the 17th district during a redistricting. The new district was extended north to include Augusta County, Virginia but lost Giles County, Virginia in the south. Its population was now 63,464, 23.3% of whom were African-Americans. In the 1843 redistricting. Virginia had lost population relative to the rest of the country and the 17th district was eliminated. List of members representing the district References Sources Parsons, Stanley B., William W. Beach and Dan Harmann. United States Congressional Districts, 1788-1841 (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1978) Thorndale, William and Dollarhide, William. Map Guide to the U.S. Federal Censuses, 1790-1920. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987) http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/virginia_map.html Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present 17 Former congressional districts of the United States 1792 establishments in Virginia Constituencies established in 1792 Constituencies disestablished in 1843 1843 establishments in Virginia