Ceredo district was named from the town of Ceredo. The town of Ceredo was so named in honor of the goddess "Ceres" because of it farming possibilities. The name Ceredo is equivilant to "plentiful and beautiful crops".
The first settler in Ceredo district was Stephen Kelly who built his cabin at the mouth of Big Sandy River. Mathew H. Bellomy came a little later and settled on the present site of the town of Kenova. In the next few years other pioneers who joined Kelly and Bellomy were the following: Wm. Hatton, Benjamine Maxey, Levi Stodridge, Thos. Cartmill, John Keyser, Leonard Sharp, Samuel Parsley, John Stewart, Jas. McCormick, Jas. Durney, Stephen Wilson, Jno. Toney, Anthony Plymale, Isaiah Perdue, Wm. Haney and others.
The first iron forge to be built in this part of West Virginia was put up at the Mouth of Buffalo Creek in the year 1828. The forge was built by Geo. and Jacob Coons and Stephen Wilson. The building which housed the "county's first factory" was a 70x40 structure made of slab boards. Two tilt hammers, each weighing 700 pounds, were used for forging the metal.
The first school in Ceredo district was taught on the present site of Kenova in 1813. The second was erected near the town of Ceredo ten years later.
The first church in the district is said to have been organized by Rev. Burwell Spurlock in 1833, a Methodist minister. The Washington Baptist church was the second religious organization, and it was begun by the Rev. Wm. Davison. It is thought that neither of these congragations built houses, but held meetings with the various members.
Ceredo district has some of the best farms to be found in the county. Purebred cattle, farm tractors, and better farming methods in general have been adopted in Ceredo during the past few years. The district also boasts one of the best educational systems to be found in any rural community. Small factories in Kenova, Ceredo, and Westmoreland add to the wealth of this section.
Transcription by June White