The records of Cabell County show that he was appointed Deputy Sheriff and took the oath of office in 1816.  In 1818 Sheriff Hannon appointed him as Deputy Sheriff.  

On December 19th 1819, John Plymale was united in marriage with Rebecca Ferguson, daughter of William and Sarah (Stokes) Ferguson and granddaughter of Samuel Ferguson (1744-1825).  Rebecca was born in 1800.  To this union five children were born. 

On June 25, 1820, he was appointed constable.  In 1821 he was appointed Captain of the 120th. regiment of the Virginia Militia.  He also served on the Jury that year.  

In 1824 he was appointed Chief Justice of Cabell County by the Governor of Virginia, which position he held for many years.  During this early period court was held by the Justices of the Peace, which numbered twelve or less, with a minimum of three.   On Feb. 25th 1828, John Plymale, Elisha McComas (his 2nd. wife's grandfather), Benjamin Drown, John Hannon, William Fullerton, Thomas Kilgore, Levi McCormaic, William Spurlock, Patric Keenen, Frederick Moore, Andrew Barrett, William Brumfield, William Buffington and Abia Rece, who were all Justices, held court.

In July of 1829 Rebecca Plymale died and was the first to be buried in the 0-1-3 John Plymale cemetery on the old plantation.

On December 29th, 1830, a daughter was born to 0-1-3 John Plymale while he was a widower, named Emmasetta.  It is not known who her mother was, or where exactly she was raised.

On September 1st, 1833 John Plymale married Lourana Shelton (1811-1897), daughter of John and Sarah (McComas) Shelton and granddaughter of the Old Revolutionary War soldier, Elisha McComas.  To this union fourteen children were born. 

He was appointed overseer of the poor on March 24, 1835 and took the oath of that office. 

In 1857 John Plymale was elected to represent Wayne County, Virginia (West Virginia) as a member of the House of Delegates for the 1857-58 sessions.**   He rode horseback to and from Richmond, Virginia while serving as a member of the House of Delegates.  He introduced a resolution before the House on December 11th, 1857 to have the committee of roads and internal navigation inquire into the expediency of constructing a graded road from Wayne Courthouse, up the right fork of Twelvepole Creek to Kiers Fork of same, at the time the most practical route, to intersect the road leading from Logan Courthouse, to the Tug Fork of Sandy River.  On Wednesday, January 13th, 1858, Bill #208 was passed for the Wayne and Tug Fork Turnpike (Now West Virginia Route #52), up the right hand fork of Twelvepole Creek.**

On Monday, March 3rd, 1858, Bill #297 was introduced to enlarge the present Corporation limits of the town of "Guyandotte" in Cabell County, Virginia (West Virginia). John Plymale of Wayne County and Thomas Thornburg of Cabell County voted aye (yes)**.

0-1-3 John Plymale was never out of a political position from 1816 until the war broke out between the states.  In this war his sympathy was with the South and the Confederates for the duration.  Two of his sons, 0-1-3-11 Octavian Cromwell Plymale I and 0-1-3-13 Francis Marion Plymale I, served in Company K. 16th Cavalry under Col. Milton Ferguson (a relative of his first wife, Rebecca Ferguson).  After the war ended, he and about twenty other Confederates were named in a damage suit resulting from the war for aiding the Rebels*** and four judgements for $30,000. each were rendered against them.  These judgements were compromised by the selling of the lands of T. J. Jenkins, W. A. Jenkins and Peter Cline Buffington.

0-1-3 John Plymale died August 4th, 1872.  He is buried in the 0-1-3 John Plymale cemetery, along with many of his descendents.

Eighteen of his children, of which there were twenty, lived to raise families. He was the grandfather of at least 121 grandchildren and 384 plus great-grandchildren.