Hardesty's History Of General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, for whom the county is named.
Wayne County,West Virginia

On the 18th day of January, 1842, a bill passed the general assembly of Virginia entitled "An act establishing the county of Wayne of part of the county of Cabell." Section 1st of that act defined the boundaries of the new county to be as follows: Beginning at the mouth of Four Pole creek............

In compliance with the foregoing act, John Rutherford, the acting governor of Virginia, on the 24th day of February, 1842, issued commissions to the several justices of the peace for the county of Wayne, viz......... It was on this day that the first grand jury that ever sat a jury of inquest for the body of Wayne county was empanelled. It was composed of Isaac A. Hanley...... FIRST CIRCUIT SUPERIOR COURT Convened on the 6th day of May, 1843, Hon. Lewis Summers.........

It will be remembered that the county was named in honor of General Anthony Wayne. His grandfather, Anthony........ The first white men who were within the present limits of Wayne county, were those composing what is known in western annals as the Big Sandy Expedition of 1758....... Belonging to this expedition were many whose names were afterward known to fame. Colonel Andrew Lewis commanded the Virginia army at Point Pleasant in 1774 ...........

The year 1772 witnessed the first appearance of the claimants and patentees on the banks of the Ohio. In that year Colonel George Washington............ "George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland king, defender of the faith, &c.: To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Know ye, that for divers good causes and considerations, * * * * we have given, granted, and confirmed * * * * unto John Savage.........

For generations the story of the captivity of Mrs. Jenny Wiley has been transmitted by father and mother to son and daughter............. No sooner had the news of the horrid butchery spread among the inhabitants of the Walkers creek settlement than a party, among whom were Lazarus Damron....... As they were ascending the bank, the old chief who had claimed Jenny as his property, preceded by the dog, appeared upon the opposite bank, and striking his hands upon his breast, exclaimed in broken English: "Honor, Jenny, honor!"...........

Among those who first sought and found homes within the present limits of Wayne county, were Samuel Hatton, William Adams......... It was on the 31st day of July, 1863, that a bill entitled "An act to provide for the division into townships of the various counties comprising this State," was passed by the legislature......... The first settler within the present limits of Ceredo district was Stephen Kelly, who came........ The first sermon was most probably preached in 1803, by the Rev. William Steele......... The first white children born within the present limits of the district were Nancy Bowen and Mary Bloss......... The first building designed for school purposes appears to have been erected on Mill creek, about one_half mile from where Cassville now stands.......

Hezekiah Wiley, mentioned above, was a son of the celebrated Jenny Wiley........ The only civil execution that has ever taken place in the county was that of Laban Walker...... The first newspaper ever published in Wayne county was the Ceredo Crescent...... Soon after the press at Cassville was purchased by Byron C. Howell........ WAYNE LODGE NO. 18, A. F. AND A. M. Located at the county seat, was chartered January 24, A. D. 1867. The charter members and first officers were........ COMPANY F. 5TH WEST VIRGINIA INFANTRY ... Joseph M. Kirk was the first captain...... Wayne county lies in the Fourth Congressional district, at present represented by the Hon. Eustace Gibson, of Cabell...... According to the census of 1880 the entire population of the county was 14,698, divided among the districts as follows......

REV. WILLIAM TUNNEL BALL - was born in Butler district, Wayne county, January 26....... ROSWELL F. CYRUS _ is a grandson of one of the pioneers of what is now Wayne county...... HIRAM FULLER - was nine years old when his parents, John and Selie...... LACE MARCUM _ son of Stephen M. and Jane Marcum, was born in Wayne county...... JOSEPH RUTHERFORD _ son of Hiram and Mary (Workman) Rutherford, of Wayne county, was born...... MATTHEW THACKER _ owns seventy acres of valuable land, with good improvements...... DAVID H. WELLMAN’S _ father is one of the oldest and most prominent...... RICHARD ADKINS _ constable and farmer of Union district, Wayne county, was born..... LAMECH ADKINS _ is a son of William Adkins, who settled near...... JOHN BLOSS - deceased - was born June 15, 1812, in what is now Wayne county. He...... CHAPMAN FRY - son of Johnson and Mary Magdalena (Ferguson) Fry, was born in...... WILLIAM SMITH NAPIER _ was born in Wayne county, January 24, 1847, a son of ...... SAMUEL OSBURN - is a son of John Osburn, who was born in Lee county...... JOHN E. STEPHENS _ son of John B. and Bidsy (Jackson) Stephens, was born...... JOHN W. TROUT _ was born January 4, 1834, in what is now......

Read the stories of these and hundreds of other men of Wayne County, along with their families. This volume is packed with genealogical data of the early families of present Wayne County, West Virginia. You will treasure this book always !!