Wayne County was formed in 1842 from Cabell County and was named for General Anthony Wayne, whose victory over the Native Americans at Fallen Timbers in 1794 broke the Western Confederacy and removed the threat of further attacks into western Virginia. Cabell County was formed in 1809 from Kanawha, originally included several of the present counties of West Virginia, and was named for William H. Cabell, Virginia governor from 1805 to 1808. The Big Sandy River was the western end of the James River and Kanawha Turnpike.