0-2 Michael Plymale I is thought to have been born in Botetourt County, Virginia (now Bedford County) about 1760, and later moved with his parents to what is now Giles County, Virginia. Here in Giles County, Michael Plymale lived with his father, three brothers, 0-1 Anthony, 0-3 John and 0-6 James, and two sisters, 0-4 Elizabeth and 0-5 Anne. Their old home was a log cabin located on Spruce Run, a tributary of the New River, and 25 miles from Pearisburg, which is now the county seat of Giles County.   

On January 19, 1785, 0-2 Michael Plymale I married Amey Hudson of Bedford County, Virginia. (Recorded in Deed Book 7 Page 500 in Bedford County Courthouse.) To this union at least 4 children were born. As the story goes About 1800, Michael Plymale I left his home in Virginia one morning before breakfast with a side of bacon under his arm, and according to the oldest living Plymale's in Bedford County, Virginia in the 1960’s, he was never heard from again. Exactly why he left home is not known and probably never will be.

After leaving the state of Virginia, Michael Plymale I settled in Lexington County, South Carolina. Shortly after his arrival there, he married a girl by the name of Susanah Morona, who came to America from Holland. According to the Census, they were the parents of eight children. They owned a large plantation of some 700 to 800 acres located on Rocky Creek, a tributary to the Salanda River, and in the Lexington and Edgefield Districts.

0-2 Michael Plymale I died about 1818 or 1819, shortly after the birth of his youngest son 0-2-12 Michael Plymale II, and is buried on the old home place in the 0-2 Michael Plymale cemetery(Old). This farm is located approximately 18 miles west of Lexington, South Carolina and just to the north side of Route #378 on a cross road named Holly Ferry Road. The grave lot has an iron picket fence around the plot which is about 16 ft. by 12 ft. There are two graves marked by native stone, and possibly one other grave unmarked.