"History of Athens County" by Charles M. Walker, 1869. Chapter VIII, Alexander Township, Page 351, states: "Among the residents of Alexander as early as 1805 were Robert Ross, William Gabriel, Amos Thompson, Edward Martin, Isaac Stanley, John, Jonathan, Joseph, Thomas and Isaac Brooks, Matthew Haning, Thomas and John Armstrong, Jared, Israel and Martin Bobo, Caleb Merritt, Joel Lowther, Michael Bowers, William Strond, Esquire Bowman, Abner Smith, Charles and Isaiah Shepherd, Thomas Sharp, and Richard and William Reeves. The population of the township in 1820 was 854; in 1830 it was 882; in 1840 it was 1,451; in 1850 it was 1,735; in 1860 it was 1,675. Hebbardsville, pleasantly situated in the western part of the township, is the principal center of population." [Note: Alexander Township used to be bigger than it is currently, perhaps prior to the separation of Vinton County from Athens County it encompassed what's now Madison Twp., Vinton County; however, if that is true, Hebbardsville would not be in the western part of the township, as it is today. This needs further research. -- CJD]