Actually, WV was a cutthroat situation, basically the family members from the northern part of the state were being killed by their southern relatives. From what I&#039;ve been told, most folk wanted to stay with Virginia, but a few from up Wheeling way decided different. That is why the first capital was Wheeling, if it was Charleston they would have never made it out alive!! But thanks to old Abe, the family feud went well.