From the introduction:

My main objective when I undertook this project was to honor as many of the early settlers as possible. I wanted to include photographs, if available, as well as personal information, and recognize them for their contribution to the settlement and devolpment of this country. More importantly, they would not be forgotten. Those included in this work are by no means all that played important roles, or were the only residents of Fayette County. These were all that I could obtain information or photographs of. There were many, many others who played just as important part in the early settlements within our county.

Prior to the formation of this county in 1831, our ancestors were listed in varios county records. Many of these early records were in Giles, Logan, Kanawha, Greenbrioer and Nicholas counties. The population of this county when the first census was taken in 1840 listed 614 households and 3,924 individuals. This had increased in 1850 to 806 houseolds, but only 3,799 individuals. To include each family member would be inous and a monumental undertaking for any one person.

Many of the early photographs came from family members or from genealogical research sources, such as Ancestry.com. My good friend Rev. David Sneed graciously supplied me with hundreds of photographs that he had collected over the years and encouraged me to undertake this project. Little did In know at the time what a huge project it would be, but one that I feel was well worth the effort and time involved. During the compilation of this work I have strived to be as accuarate as possible, however, if errors are discovered, I beg your forgiveness.