Fairfield Township

Fairfield Township

Fairfield township, owing to its location in the extreme northwestern corner of the county, was the last of the first townships to become settled. Fairfield is bounded on the north by Salem township, Steuben county; on the east by Smithfield township; on the south by Richland, and on the west by Wayne township, Noble county. Indian Lake,, on section 29, and Story lake, on section 4, besides several small creeks, supply the water for the land, and act as drainage. The nearest communication with a railroad of this county is with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, along the southern border in Richland township. The surface of the township is somewhat broken, there being a great many hills dotted over the surface. The beauty of the country was unnoticed by the early settlers, as the locality was the last in the line of emigration. Also, much of the land was purchased by speculators in an early day, and this fact served to retard the natural growth. A man by the name of Dedrick entered eleven hundred acres; a Pennsylvania bank held a tract; and other agencies held ground, all of which were sold through the aid of Wesley Park.

Organization

On the date of March 7, 1844, the board of commissioners of the county received a petition reading: "We, the undersigned, inhabitants of the unorganized township of DeKalb county, in consequence of the distance we have to go to elections and the inconvenience of having to go into another township to do township business, do most humbly pray your Honorable Body that you would organize said township at your March session, and order an election for a justice of peace, and other officers for the said township ; and your petitioners will ever pray." This was dated February 2."/, 1844, and signed by Rufus R. Lounsberry. George W. Story, A. Ball, Oran B. Story, Miles Allen, C. Allen, George Powell, Benjamin Hunt and Nathan W. Powell, who were all voters in the township.

This petition received a favorable reception, and the board of commissioners ordered that township 35 north, range 12 east, be organized for civil purposes as a separate township, to be known by the name of Fairfield; and the first election was ordered held on the first Monday in April, 1844, at the house of Rufus R. Lounsberry, to choose one justice of the peace. An election was held on the last Saturday in August for three trustees.

Early Settlement

The Story family, five in numbers, were the pioneer settlers of Fairfield township, and they settled along the northern border. There were Augustus, Frederick, Willard, George and Samuel Story.

Willard Childs, one of the prominent early settlers, started on foot from his home in Onondaga county. New York, and walked through to Fort Wayne, thence to Kendallville, where there were but two cabins, and taking a guide came into DeKalb county, March 4, 1837, the day Martin Van Buren was inaugurated President of the United States. He selected one hundred and twenty acres on section 27, paid for it, and then set to work at Fort Wayne to earn enough to take him home. When the land was entered the Storys were the sole occupants of the territory of Fairfield township. Mr. Childs returned in October, 1844, to pay taxes, and to review his purchase, to decide on making the place his home. Settlers had moved in, and in the southeast was David McNabb and family. Farther east was Wilbur Powell, and on the north adjoining was the cabin and clearing of George Powell, the first justice of the peace in the township afterward. In 1846 Childs moved in, and made his home temporarily with Benjamin Chaffee, who sold his place to Childs and made another settlement in the north part of the township. He afterward became postmaster at Corunna. Rufus R. Lounsberry, of Wilmington, William and Isaac Wilsey, D. Rager, Hiram Thomas, Phillip Gushwa, John Shook, Henry and Leonard Hartman, and Miles Allen were also early settlers in Faii-field township.

After this came a lull in the settlement, which extended until 1850, at which time a new influx of settlers came, and building and clearing started with a rush. Log rolling and raising took up much of the time.

First Officers

Prior to i860 the justices of peace in Fairfield were: D. Rager, R. Worrell, Jesse Brumback, Job C. Smith, S. Greenamyer, George Powell and William Harper. -The constables for the same period were : Samuel Story, J. Hatch, George Rowe, D. D. Powless, J. Gushwa, D. C. Shipe, W. Short, John Gonser and Daniel Gonser. Trustees in this early time were : R. Worrell, D. Rager, W. Childs, S. Miser, J. C. Smith, G. W. Smith, D. Gonser, D. N. Nidick, B. Hunt, John Long, E. Wright, J. Short, W. H. Wilsey, Moses Gonser, D. Kimbell, B. A. Chaffee, H. Thomas.

The census of 1880 gave Fairfield township a population of one thousand five hundred and fifty-eight people; in 1890, there were one thousand three hundred and sixty-one people: in 1900, the same: and in 1910, one thousand one hundred and ninety- four.