The first Englishman to explore the Kanawha Valley was Captain Thomas Batts of Virginia, who went so far west as the Falls in 1671, but permanent settlement did not begin until just over 100 years later. This history deals primarily with the upper valley from its origin near Gauley Bridge west past Charleston to Davis Creek. It provides a wealth of historical and genealogical information on dozens of early families, and is very attractively illustrated with over a dozen drawings. An appendix gives additional genealogies, and military and other lists. A bibliography and a full-name index complete this work.