Vigo County, Indiana - Chapter 40: Civil Townships, 1891

THE original townships in Yigo county were laid off by the board of commissioners March 11, 1819, and were four in number. The first one defined in the record is Honey Creek township, bounded as follows: " Commencing and running with the south line of the county from the river to the east line of the county to the line dividing Townships 11 and 12 north, thence with the said line to where the main branch of the Honey creek crosses the same, thence down said creek, where it empties into the Wabash river, and down the stream to the place of beginning."

Wabash township, on the north part of the county was formed as follows: " A line commencing at the mouth of Otter creek, follow¬ ing up said creek to where the middle or main branch crosses the line dividing Ranges 6 and 7, thence north on said line to the ' Indian Boundary Line,' then following this boundary line to the Wabash river, and thence down said stream to the place of begin¬ ning."

Harrison was all that territory m Yigo county lying east of the Wabash river, and bounded on the north by Wabash township, and on the south by Honey Creek township.

Elections in Honey Creek township were to be held at the house of Stephen Campbell; in Harrison township, at Henry Bed¬ ford's; in Wabash township, at Samuel Adams'; in Independence, at John Durkee's. John Britton was appointed constable of Har¬ rison; John Harris, Honey Creek; James Cunningham, Wabash, and Solomon Lusk, Independence.

May 15, 1819, Prairie Creek township was formed " Out of that portion of Sullivan county that had been added to Yigo county." [This was on the south line of the county. See preceding chapter giving account of the formation of county lines.] Elections in this new township were to be held at the house of Joseph Liston, who was appointed election inspector, and Thomas Pounds was ap¬ pointed road inspector.

as follows: " All that part of the county included in Township 11 north, and lying east of the Wabash river, shall hereafter form Honey Creek township. Elections were to be held at the house of Joseph Lockwood, near Lambert & Dickson's mill."

At the same time Harrison was newly defined as " All that part of the county lying east of the Wabash river, and bounded as fol¬ lows: On the west by the Wabash river; on the north by Otter creek as far up the main branch as Section 27, where the same forks; thence with the south fork to the east line of the county; thence south to the line dividing Townships 11 and 12; thence west with said township line to the Wabash river."

At the same time Otter Creek township was reformed in its boundaries as follows: "Commencing at the mouth of Otter creek; thence north with the Wabash river to the line dividing Sections 22 and 27, Township 11 north, Range 9 west; thence east to the northwest corner of Section 28, Township 11, Range 8 west; thence to the southwest corner of Section 4, Township 13, Range 8; thence east to the eastern line of the county ; thence south to the main branch of Otter creek; thence down said creek to the place of beginning." Gersliam Tuttle was appointed inspector of elections.

On the same date Raccoon township wras created as follows: " Commencing at the Indian boundary line at the dividing line between Sections 20 and 21, Township 15 north, Range 8 west; thence south to the southwest corner of Section 5, Township 13, Range 8; thence east to Indian boundary line; thence northerly to the place of beginning." All of this, except the north tier of sec¬ tions of what is now Vigo county was taken off Vigo county and given to the new county of Parke.

Wabash Township was reorganized at the same time as follows: " Commencing at the southeast corner of Section 20 [no township or range given in the record - Ed. ] ; thence north to the Indian boundary line; thence northerly with said line to the Wabash river to the line dividing Sections 22 and 27, Township 14 north ; thence to the place of beginning." John Blair's house was the place for holding elections.

Paris Township was formed at the May term, 1820, by the county commissioners as follows: " All that part of the county north of the line dividing Townships 12 and 13, and west of the Wabash river." Elections were held at the house of Isaac Chambers. John Durkee was appointed inspector of elections.

The commissioners in February, 1824, changed the name of Paris to Fayette, its present name. Thus the name of that part of the county now in its civil divisions, is known as Fayette was first called Independence, then Paris and, as now, Fayette township.

Sugar Creek Township was formed at the May term (1820) of the commissioners1 court, as follows: "All that part of Vigo county bounded on the north by the line dividing Townships 13 and 12 on the west side of the river, and bounded on the west side by the State line and on the south and east by the Wabash river." Elections to be held at the house of William Rays, who was ap¬ pointed inspector of elections.

Nevins Township was formed at the May term, 1822, at the peti¬ tion of the citizens of Otter Creek township, for the formation of a new township on the east side of Otter Creek township, as follows: " All that part of Otter Creek township lying east of the center of Range 8 to be Nevins township."

Riley Toivnship> was formed at the May term, 1822, as follows: " All that part of Vigo county lying east of Range nine (9) in Town¬ ship 11." Elections to be held at the house of John Jackson.

Pierson Township was formed at the May term, 1829, as fol¬ lows: "All that part of the county of Vigo lying in Township 10, east of the center of Range 9, shall hereafter be designated and known as Pierson township."

Linton Township was formed March 2, 1841, as follows: "All that part of the county of Vigo known and designated as Congres¬ sional Township No. 10 north, 8 west." William L. Weeks ap¬ pointed inspector of elections ; elections at the house of Philip Ran¬ dolph.

Prairieton Township was formed June 7, 1857. One hundred and twenty-five citizens of Honey Creek township petitioned for a new township. It was ordered laid off, called Prairieton and de¬ fined as follows: "That portion of Honey Creek township lying in Congressional Township 11 north, Range 10 west" be separated and called Prairieton. Lindley Durham, Jacob Hess and Moses Reynolds were appointed trustees.

May 31, 1855, the county commissioners ordered "that that por¬ tion of Township 10 north, Range 8 west, in Vigo county, which lies north and east of the Wabash and Erie canal, and has heretofore constituted a part of the civil township of Pierson, be divided from the same and attached to the civil township of Riley."

This order has never been changed so far as the records show. The old canal line cuts through Sections 1 and 2 diagonally and transfers nearly 250 acres. There is a farm improvement on it, and the man, probably, has been paying taxes for years, in the wrong township.