The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.

Feb. 2, 1908: Justice Marion Chambers was born in Huntington. Chambers was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the World War II Iwo Jima campaign in February 1945.

Feb. 3, 1825: Confederate General William Lowther Jackson was born in Clarksburg. He was one of at least three Southern officers to bear the nickname “Mudwall.”

Feb. 3, 1845: Gilmer County, located in the heart of West Virginia, was established from parts of Kanawha and Lewis counties. It was named for Thomas W. Gilmer, a governor of Virginia.

Feb. 3, 1923: Broadcast announcer Jack Fleming was born in Morgantown. He was the longtime “Voice of the Mountaineers.”

Feb. 3, 1961: The West Virginia legislature passed a resolution adopting “The West Virginia Hills” as an official state song. Prior to the adoption of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “The West Virginia Hills” was the best-known of our four official state songs.

Feb. 4, 1845: Doddridge County was formed from parts of Harrison, Lewis, Ritchie and Tyler counties. It was named for Philip Doddridge, a Western Virginia congressman, state legislator and member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-30.

Feb. 4, 1945: The hotel at Minnehaha Springs was destroyed by fire. Built in 1914, it was the first facility in Pocahontas County built strictly for the tourism business and was a forerunner of today’s local tourism economy.

Feb. 5, 1784: Nancy Hanks, the mother of Abraham Lincoln, was probably born February 5, 1784, in Hampshire County on Mikes Run in what is now Mineral County, although historical records relating to her early life do not exist.

Feb. 5, 1889: Fiddler and self-taught physician James Franklin “Doc” White was born near Ivydale, Clay County. White served the community as doctor, dentist and midwife, delivering more than 1,800 babies.

Feb. 5, 1890: Coach Eli Camden “Cam” Henderson was born in Joetown, Marion County. He is a revered figure in Marshall University sports history.

Feb. 5, 1941: Actor David Lynn Selby was born in Morgantown. His stage and screen credits include the outdoor drama “Honey in the Rock,” and the television shows “Falcon Crest” and “Dark Shadows.”

Feb. 6, 1882: Poet Anne Spencer was born in Virginia but spent most of her youth in Bramwell, Mercer County. She became an acclaimed poet during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. In 2000, two of her poems were included in the Library of America’s anthology of 20th Century American poetry.

Feb. 6, 2007: Selva Lewis “Lew” Burdette, a native of Nitro, died in Florida. Burdette was an outstanding major league baseball player who spent most of his career with the Milwaukee Braves. He won three games in the 1957 World Series, helping the Braves defeat the New York Yankees.

Feb. 7, 1867: West Virginia University was established by an act of the West Virginia legislature. The college, originally called the Agricultural College of West Virginia, opened its doors in September 1867.

Feb. 7, 1889: Nell Elizabeth “Pistol Nell” Walker was born at Sewell Mountain. Known as the “First Lady” of Fayette County, she served 12 terms as a member of the House of Delegates.

Feb. 8, 1892: Cartoonist Irvin Dugan was born in Huntington. For many years, his “Adam” cartoon character was a feature on the editorial pages of the Herald-Dispatch.

Feb. 8, 1915: Photographer Volkmar Kurt Wentzel was born in Dresden, Germany. He emigrated with his family to the United States at age 11. As a teenager in West Virginia, Wentzel took up with an eclectic group of people who had retreated to Youghiogheny Forest, a Preston County artist colony.

Feb. 8, 1918: Medal of Honor recipient Herbert Joseph Thomas Jr. was born. He excelled as a football halfback at South Charleston High School, and Herbert J. Thomas Memorial Hospital in South Charleston is named for him.