Giles County, named for Governor William Branch Giles, was formed 1 May 1806 from Montgomery, Monroe (now West Virginia), and Tazewell Counties. On 2 January 1808, a part of Wythe County was added to Giles. In 1824, part of Giles was used to form Logan County (now West Virginia). In 1830, part of Monroe County was added to Giles; in 1841, a strip of Mercer County (now West Virginia) was added to Giles. In 1851 and 1858, parts of Giles were used to from Craig County; in 1861, Giles gave land to Bland County formation. In addition to the previous counties, the original area that was Giles County now embraces the whole or parts of the West Virginia counties of Summers, Raleigh, Wyoming, Fayette, Boone and even a tiny part of Kanawha. The county seat is Pearisburg.