Union Township

Early settlements were made in what is now Union Township. In that small portion of the county east of the second principal meridian, Joel Suttles entered a tract on Section 17, in 1810 ; John Heddon and Joshua Richardson on Sections 20 and 29, in 1810 ; Jacob Davis on Section 30, in 1810; Joseph Springer on Section 18, in 1811; Valentine Borer, Daniel Heddon and Elias Heddon on Section 19, in 1811 ; Jesse Morgan on Section 18 in 1812 ; Ignatius Thompson on Section 18, in 1813 ; John Dunn and August Heddon on Section 18, in 1816. Then in Township 5 south, Range 1 west (Union Township), were the following: Section 11, Stephen Dean, 1817; Section 13, William Sherley, 1817, Jesse Shacklett, 1813 ; Section 21, John Davis, 1811; Daniel McLaughlin, 1818; Section 23, Riley Main, 1818; Section 25, Abraham Rounder, 1810 ; Section 26, John Stephenson, 1808; Section 27, Samuel Elder, 1817; Section 33, (Derby) William Mitchell, 1818. Township 4 south, Range 1 west, Section 33, Abraham Murphy, 1817, Benjamin Murphy, 1817, Anthony Horton, 1817. The above were the only entries of land in Union Township prior to 1820. The following is an additional list of early residents : At an election held at the house of John Stephenson in Union Township, the first Monday in August, 1818, the following men polled their votes: Henry Pulingwider, Jesse Martin, Samuel Main, John Dodson, John Stephenson, Abraham Barger, Daniel McLaughlin, William Taylor,  Ignatius Campbell, Jesse Beasley, Benjamin Trenary, Martin Mattingly, George Wales, Richard Dean, Jr., Harvey Gerber, Richard Dean, Henry Willard, Elias Sapp, Moses Barker, William Sherley, Elias Heddon, Peter Borer, Valentine Borer, Nehemiah Main, Dade Connor, John Cooper and Robert Gilliland. Among the early industries were the following : John Stephenson, who was probably the first permanent settler in the county, operated an early horse-mill. North of Derby, several miles, was a well-known tanyard, owned and conducted by Mr. Rosecrans.