Historical question about banjo strings

[Jody Stecher]

I'm finding that my recollection of the sequence and circumstances of the early use of metal strings on banjo is murky. Maybe the historians here can help.   In the 19th and early 20th century it was recommend that 5-string banjo players use violin strings. At some point the metal 1st string (E) became an option for violin and became more common than gut E.  Is this the origin of  the use by some banjo players—Joe Morley comes to mind – of the first banjo string being metal while the others were soft material?

My impression is that 4 string banjos (plectrum, tenor, and the tango banjo) were strung only with wire from the start.  Is the use of metal strings on plectrum banjos the precedent for their use of an entirely metal set of strings on 5-string banjo?