The land does not change. If a person is living in western Virginia in 1850 then I would record it as West Virginia. The logic being that the records will be associated with the land.
If you have a person who lived in western Virginia in 1850 and you wished to visit their grave, you would set you GPS for the West Virginia community where the grave was located.
Point being by set the location to the current name, it makes finding information easier. Even if the name changed, it would be easy to find the current name, than to research the 1850 name to find the current name of the community. If you do not believe this plan a trip to visit the location your ancestors lived. The historic name is meaningless.
This name problem can occur on a minor scale, I can think of a dozen small communities that have changed their name in the last 150 year. Ricksville to Chatfield in Crawford Co Ohio. Maysville to Harlan in Allen Co Indiana. In this case do you record they lived in Maysville in 1850 and Harlan in 1860, making it appear they moved, or do you say the lived in Harlan and then explain the name changed over the years.
Some communities have complete disappeared, such as Fairport and Chamberlain in Allen County Indiana. Do you say they lived in Fairport or the current Milan Twp Allen Co. then note Fairport is south of the river about a mile east of the Webster road on old US 24
There is one caveat. If you find the person in the census and they are living in Indian Territory, unless you no precisely where in the Indian Territory the were, you may wish to record the more general Indian Territory as the location.
If you have a person who lived in western Virginia in 1850 and you wished to visit their grave, you would set you GPS for the West Virginia community where the grave was located.
Point being by set the location to the current name, it makes finding information easier. Even if the name changed, it would be easy to find the current name, than to research the 1850 name to find the current name of the community. If you do not believe this plan a trip to visit the location your ancestors lived. The historic name is meaningless.
This name problem can occur on a minor scale, I can think of a dozen small communities that have changed their name in the last 150 year. Ricksville to Chatfield in Crawford Co Ohio. Maysville to Harlan in Allen Co Indiana. In this case do you record they lived in Maysville in 1850 and Harlan in 1860, making it appear they moved, or do you say the lived in Harlan and then explain the name changed over the years.
Some communities have complete disappeared, such as Fairport and Chamberlain in Allen County Indiana. Do you say they lived in Fairport or the current Milan Twp Allen Co. then note Fairport is south of the river about a mile east of the Webster road on old US 24
There is one caveat. If you find the person in the census and they are living in Indian Territory, unless you no precisely where in the Indian Territory the were, you may wish to record the more general Indian Territory as the location.