Fayette County Township Map

TOWNSHIPS:

Eden, Auburn, Dover, Clermont, Bethel, Windsor,
Union, Pleasant Valley, Banks, Center, Westfield,
Illyria, Fremont, Harlan, Smithfield, Fairfield,
Oran, Jefferson, Scott, and Putnam

"The Surveys of Fayette County"

From the 1878 History of Fayette County Iowa

"As previously stated, only four townships in Fayette County embraced in the Black Hawk Purchase were surveyed prior to 1841. The date of the several surveys and names of surveyors of the several townships, as exhibited by the original plats of Government Surveys on deposit in the State Land Office of Iowa are as follows:

Township 91, Range 7 (Putnam): Township 91, Range 8 (Scott); Township 92, Range 7 (Fairfield); Township 92, Range 8 (Smithfield.) Township lines established by Orson LYON, in the summer of 1837; subdivisions by Jas. VIDETO, in third and fourth quarters of 1837.

Township 91, Range 9 (Jefferson), east and north township line by Orson LYON, in the summer of 1837; and west township line by George W. HARRISON, second quarter of 1841. Subdivisions by William P. HALL, third quarter of 1841. Re-survey of northern boundary by William P. HALL, third quarter of 1841.

Township 91, Range 10 (Oran). South, west and north township lines by Isaac N. HIGBEE, August and September, 1845; east township line, George W. HARRISON, May 1841. Subdivided by Thomas HURLEY, December 1846.

Township 92, Range 9 (Harlan). South township line by William P. HALLl, Aug 1841; east township line by Orson LYON, May 1837; west township line, re-survey, John BALL, Oct 1848; north township line, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by William H. MERRITT, Oct 1848.

Township 92, Range 10 (Fremont). South township line, Isaac N. HIGBEE, Sep 1845; west, north and re-survey east township lines, John BALL, Aug and Nov 1848. Subdivided by John PARKER, May 1849.

Township 93, Range 7 (Illyria). South and part of east township lines, Orson LYON, June 1837; west, north and part of east township lines, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by William H. MERRITT, Nov 1848.

Township 93, Range 8 (Westfield); South township line, Orson LYON, June 1837; east, north, and west township lines, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by William H. MERRITT, Nov 1848.

Township 93, Range 9 (Center); Township lines, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by William H. MERRITT, Oct 1848.

Township 93, Range 10 (Banks); East township line, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848; south, west and north township lines, John BALL, Aug and Sep 1848. Subdivided by John PARKER, Nov 1848.

Township 94, Range 10 (Bethel); East township line, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848; south, west and north township lines, John BALL, Sep 1848. Subdivided by John PARKER, 1849.

Township 95, Range 10 (Eden); South, west and north township lines, John BALL, Sep 1848; east township line, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by John PARKER, Aug and Sep 1849.

Township 94, Range 9 (Windsor); Township lines, Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by Wm. H. MERRITT, Oct 1848.

Township 95, Range 9 (Auburn); Township lines by Guy H. CARLETON, Aug and Sep 1848. Subdivisions by Hugh TRENOR, Mar and Apr 1849.

Township 94, Range 8 (West Union); Township lines by Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivided by Hugh Trenor, Apr 1849.

Township 95, Range 8 (Dover); Township lines by Guy H. CARLETON, Aug and Sep 1848. Subdivided by Hugh TRENOR, Apr 1849.

Township 94, Range 7 (Pleasant Valley); Township lines by Guy H. CARLETON, Aug 1848. Subdivisions by John FITZPATRICK, Apr and May 1849.

Township 95, Range 7 (Clermont); Township lines by Guy H. CARLETON, Aug and Sep 1848. Subdivisions by John FITZPATRICK, May 1849.

First Entries

The first entry of lands in Fayette County, as recorded, was made by Horace BEMIS, who entered the northwest quarter of ne quarter of Section 5, Twp 92, Range 8 (Smithfield Twp) Jan 17, 1847. The was the claim of William ORREAR and James BEATTY, and was the extreme northern limit of the surveyed lands in the county. William Anderson and Chauncey BROOKS entered land in the twp in 1848.

John P. MOYNE made the next entry, of east half of southwest quarter of Section 17, Twp 92, Range 7 (Fairfield Township). Horace BEMIS, Hiram BROOKS and John BROOKS entered land in Fairfield in 1848 and Jared TAYLOR, Palmer F. NEWTON, Jesse BROOKS and Martha HUNT in 1849.

Robert ALEXANDER entered the southwest quarter of of Section 26, Township 93, Range 8, July 9, 1849. Several other entries were made on the same date. John W. LANE and Horace ANDRUS entered during 1849.

John W. LANE entered part of Section 30, Township 93, Range 7 (Illyria Twp) July 16, 1849. George CULVER entered parts of Sections 22, 26, and 27, by land warrant, June 25, 1849. Andrew HENSLEY entered Section 19, Oct 13, 1849.

David DOWNS entered the northeast quarter of Section 5, Twp 94, Range 9 (Windsor Twp) Sep 8, 1849, and J. R. EDDY entered land in the same township, Nov 21, 1849.

William WELLS made the first entry in Township 94, Range 8 (West Union Township) of the northeast quarter of Section 17, Dec 5, 1849.

Thomas WOODLE entered part of Section 13, Twp 93, Range 9 (Center Twp) Jan 16, 1850. Philip HERZOG made an entry in the same township shortly after.

Samuel CONNER entered part of Section 14, Twp 94, Range 7 (Pleasant Valley Township), Nov 26, 1849.

Gardner WATERS, Sep 23, 1850, entered parts of Sections 4 and 5, Township 95, Range 9 (Auburn Twp).

Francis P. ROSIER, L. ROSIER, Jacob K. ROSIER, George N. ROSIER and Thomas TURNER made first entries in Township 95, Range 8 (Dover Township) Sep 28, 1850.

Henry D. EVANS entered part of Section 27, Township 95, Range 7 (Clermont Twp) Dec 27, 1850.

James AUSTIN entered part of Section 35, Township 95, Range 10 (Eden Twp) Jan 27, 1851; and on the same date the same man entered the north half of the northwest quarter of Section 2, Twp 94, Range 10 (Bethel Township)

Henry MAYNARD entered the southwest quarter of Section 14, Twp 92, Range 9 (Harlan), Mar 18, 1851.

William A. SIMS entered the southeast quarter of Section 21, Twp 91, Range 10 (Oran Twp) Nov 3, 1851.

James Nelson PITKIN entered part of Section 35, Twp 91, Range 9 (Jefferson Twp) May 9, 1851.

John C. FOLSOM entered the west half of northwest quarter of Section 25, Twp 91, Range 7 (Putnam Twp) Nov 4, 1850.

Theodore WILSON entered part of Section 30, Twp 93, Range 10 (Banks Twp) Jan 6, 1852.

Thomas RAND entered parts of Sections 31 and 32, Twp 92, Range 10 (Fremont Twp) Jan 16, 1853.

Peter L. MOE entered the south half of northeast quarter of Section 1, Twp 91, Range 8 (Scott Township) Oct 10 1854.

In November, 1848, snow fell to the depth of eighteen inches, and remained until April, 1849. It was a cold, hard winter for the settlers of Fayette as well as other sections of the state. In 1848-49, before the surveys were completed, and before the lands were in market, the settlers organized a Claim Society for the purpose of mutual protection against claim jumpers.

April 23, 1849, William WELLS, from Monroe, Greene County, Wisconsin, came to Knob Prairie and purchased the claim and cabin of David SMITH, near the southwest corner of Section 17, occupied the premises and built a substantial log house. . . . In May, Henry F. SMITH and Stephen BAILEY settled near "Knob Prairie." Smith built a cabin on the sw corner of Section 9. In July, Gabriel LONG and Joshua WELLS located in the vicinity. Oliver A. BROWN settled in Township 94, Range 9, in May of the same year. Thomas WOODLE, Thomas DOUGLASS and Thomas B. STURGIS came and selected claims near the geographical center of the county, on and near Section 13, Twp 93, Range 9, in 1849, and near "Gamble's Grove," and returned for permanent settlement in the spring of 1850, when M. V. BURDICK, Peter OSBORN, John HANNA and Phineas F. STURGIS settled near them. In the spring of 1849 Harvey LIGHT and Erastus A. LIGHT made a settlement on Section 13, Twp 93, Range 8, where Lima now stands, and built a saw-mill that year, also a sort of grist-mill or corn-cracker, and commenced grinding corn the next year."

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