According to "History of Fayette Co. WV" by J.T. Peters and H.B. Carden, 1926 Jarrett Printing Co., Charleston, WV.:
"The first settler at Pax was William Humphrey, who came here from Monroe Co. about the year 1840. He bought a large tract of land and built his log cabin at what is now known as the Burgess Place. He cleared land and engaged in farming, cattle raising, and hunting. He reared a large family of boys and girls and when they became of age he gave each a large farm. Jarrell, his son, settled at what is now Wierwood, Louis on the present site of Pax, Elijah and Dick settled up Packs Branch. One of the girls married a Davis and settled where the Willis Branch coal town is now located. One married a Burgess and fell heir to the home place. They all raised large families and were hard working sturdy people. They cleared their lands, raised grain and cattle and the posterity of William Humphrey, constitute some of the leading citizens of this part of the county."

WILLIAM HUMPHREY WAS FIRST PAX SETTLER

"The first settler of Pax was William Humphrey who came here from Monroe
county in 1840. He bought a large tract of land and built his log cabin.
The place is located across from what is known as the Okey Payne property at
lower Willis Branch, and known for many years as the Burgess property.

"Humphrey raised a large family, some of his children settling at Weirwood,
Packs Branch, Willis Branch and Pax.

"Pax, at one time a thriving town, is located in the county of Fayette and at
one time was known to the early settlers as Paintsville, so named because of
trees painted by the Indians. About 55 years later it was named Packs,
because of a man by that name from Monroe county passing through, and when
the railroad was completed and a station built it was shortened to Pax.

"Pax at one time had the best of schools of any town of its size. It still
has the large eight room brick school, but at the time it was built it was a
junior and senior high school.

"When Pax was first founded it had only two churches, a Methodist and a
Christian Baptist. A Baptist church for Negroes was located at Long Branch.
Pax now has five churches.

"Pax was never the home of Indian tribes, yet many signs in the section led
early settlers to believe it the hunting ground and also a battle field.
When this section was first settled by white people they had many experiences
with Indians.

"The Paintsville Development company was organized with P. M. Snyder of Mount
Hope as one of the principal promoters. They purchased the Lewis Humphrey
property, one of William Humphrey's son's tract of land, from the heirs and
laid it off in lots and sold them at public auction.

"Pax was incorporated in 1920, and the first mayors to serve were W.G. Ayers,
H.E. Woolwine and J.E. Williams, others serving were Frank Wriston, Charley
Blake, Dempsey Vass, Frank Tyree, Lacy Aliff and the present mayor, Enoch
Moore.

"Coal mining in the area has receded to only strip and punch mines. In the
beginning large mines were Weirwood shaft, Willis Branch and Long Branch
drift mouth and employed several hundreds of men.

"Pax at the beginning had two dry goods stores, two grocery stores, four
general stores, one general feed store, two barber shops, two hotels, one
bank, one depot, post office, and garage, two doctors Dr. J. W. Hunter and
son, Dr. A. L. Hunter, both now deceased, one drug store, one theatre, and a
telephone office and a population of around 600 people. Today there are two
grocery and general stores, one barber shop, two garages and a population of
approximately 300 people.

"Factory building land lies in the surrounding areas of Pax, but because the
coal mines are worked out, passenger train service has been discontinued.
The depot has been torn down, the wonderful land lies idle, but hard surface
roads provide an outlet for the small population now there."

(The Fayette Tribune; September 26, 1963; Section 3, Pages 3 and 4.)

In Greenbrier Co., WV, will book no. 1, pages 458-9 a will for Richard Humphrey lists his sons: James, William, Richard Jr., and Samuel. It also lists his daughters: Nancy Taylor, Polly, Betsy, Isabella, and Sally. John Humphreys is listed as a relative. He bequeathed to his sons, Richard and Samuel, the "land on which I live containing about two hundred and sixty acres". It is possible that this Richard Humphrey is the father of William Humphrey who settled at Pax. William Humphrey did have a granddaughter named Mary Isabella, who married Alexander Craddock.

William Humphre(y) is shown in the 1850 Fayette Co., (West)VA census, age 63 with his wife Mary, 55. It shows a daughter Elizabeth, 29, and 2 sons, Elijah Humphre 23 and Lewis Humphre 20. His occupation is farmer and value of real estate owned is $4,000.00

In Neil Darlington's book "Cabins on the Loup" he states that William Humphrey probably lived on Coal River before coming to Paint Creek. In 1819 he was on a committee with John Harvey, Gibson Jarrel, and Martin Petry to view a road from John Harvey's place down Coal River. He probably came to Paint when he bought the lower half of the Pearis-Christian Survey of 930 acres from William Christian, the tract on which his cabin was built. The date of this transaction is unavailable, presumably because it was made during the period 1824-1831 when this are was in the jurisdiction of Logan County, whose early records were destroyed. The upper half of the same tract he purchased in 1832 for $250.00, from George Pearis after Fayette succeeded Logan in that area. William Humphrey's cabin was located beside the road where it crossed a low ridge near the mouth of Willis Branch. Louis Humphrey, a son of William, was born at the cabin on Paint Creek in 1826 according to testimony of members of his family. If correct, it narrows the date of William Humphrey's arrival to 1824-1826.

Besides extensive farming operations made possible by the help of a large family, Humphrey operated a gristmill located on Willis Branch below his cabin. Humphrey also served at various times as road viewer and road surveyor after the formation of Fayette County. In the 1830's he had charge of the entire length of the Coal River Road from Coal River at the mouth of Toney Fork to the Bluestone Road at present Oak Hill.

1. Richard HUMPHREY
2. Elizabeth HUMPHREY b: 1821
3. Jane HUMPHREY b: 1824
4. Jarrel HUMPHREY b: 1825 in Roseville, Fayette Co., Virginia
5. Elisha HUMPHREY b: 1827
6. Lewis HUMPHREY b: 1830
7. Mary HUMPHREY b: 1834

1. Title: 1850 Fayette Co., VA census