From Atlas of Madison County by J.A. Caldwell, Condit, Ohio (1875)
Oak Run Township formerly belonged to Union Township till 1818, and bounded on the west and north by Union, east by Fairfield, south by Pleasant and Range Townships, and is watered by Deer Creek, Oak Run and Bradford's Fork; and it has choice lands. The productions are grass, corn and oats, cattle, wool and pork are the principal staples. it has no village or town in it. The London and Mt. Sterling, the London and California Turnpikes passes through its territory, and the Rea's were the pioneers of this Township.
From History of Madison County, W. H. Beers & Co, Chicago, 1883
This was the last township erected in Madison County, and is one of the smallest in territory and the most irregular in its contour and boundary lines, and another peculiarity it has is in not possessing a single town or village within its limits; hence it is purely a rural township. On March 5, 1856, a petition was presented to the Commissioners of Madison County, signed by Robert C. Amos and others, asking for the erection of a new township to be composed of parts of the townships of Range, Pleasant, Fairfield and Union: "Beginning at the southeast corner of the land of John Dun, in Pleasant Township; thence northeasterly with his line crossing Deer Creek to his corner; thence with his northerly boundaries to the James Innis Surveys, thence with the James Innis Surveys to Deer Creek; thence up Deer Creek with the Fairfield Township line to the north line of the land formerly owned by John Harrison, deceased; thence westerly with the line of said Harrison to the John Jones road; thence westerly with said road to the La Fayette road; from thence a southwesterly course to northwesterly corner of Jesse Rea's land and corner with Maxwell Murray; from thence southwesterly with Jesse Rea's line crossing the land of Robert Armstrong to Levi Springer's northeast corner; thence with Springer's southeast line to the Yankeetown road; thence southeasterly with said road to the southeast line of the lands of David and Isaac McClimans, and with the west line of Joseph Morgan's; from thence to the beginning. Wherefore, it is hereby ordered by the Commissioners of Madison County that the foregoing described territory be and is hereby established a township, which shall be known by the name of Oak Run Township; and be it further ordered that Henry Alder, Surveyor of the county of Madison, and Edward Fitzgerald, meet at said Fitzgerald's on March 24. 1856, and proceed to survey and establish the lines and boundaries of said township, erecting monuments at the several corners thereof. Ordered by the Commissioners that the legal voters within the territory heretofore described, meet at Harvey's Mills on Monday, the 7th day of April next, that being the first Monday of said month, and then and there proceed as provided by the statutes in such cases to elect all necessary officers for such township.
On June 2, 1856, a petition by citizens of Oak Run Township was presented to and granted by the Commissioners, changing the west line of Oak Run Township as follows: "Down the London & Yankeetown road to the line of William Johnson, Sr., and William Johnson, Jr.; thence with their line to a branch of Bradford's; thence with the meanderings of said branch to the line of Thomas Foster, and thence with the line of him and James McClimans to the west line of John Foster, bounding with I. and D. McClimans; thence with their line to John Foster's southwest corner, being two black oaks; thence in a direct line to tho northwest corner of James W. Robinson and corner to land bought of said Robinson by I. and D. McClimans, near Bradford's Run; thence with the line of said Robinson and I. and D. McClimans to their corner in the line of Joseph Morgan."
Oak Run Township, April 17, 1856: "In pursuance of notice the qualified electors of Oak Run Township, Madison County, Ohio, met and organized by calling Jonathan Harvey to the chair, and Jeremiah Rea as Secretary, and then viva voce declaring Jeremiah Thomas, Jonathan Harvey and Robert C. Amos, Judges of Election; Jeremiah Rea and Mitchel Lane, Clerks of Election. The above officers being qualified according to law, the poll-book was then opened, and the electors of said township proceeded to elect by ballot the following officers, to wit: John Foster, Jonathan Harvey and Robert C. Amos, Trustees; Jeremiah Thomas, Treasurer; Jeremiah Rea, Clerk; David Lewis, Constable; Mitchell Lane and Jonathan Farrar, Supervisors, and Dr. D. Warner, Justice of the Peace. The township was now in complete working order; the boundary lines of its territory definitely and satisfactorily established, and all necessary officers duly elected and qualified for the duties that might devolve upon them during the year 1856. The above election was, in accordance with the orders of the Commissioners, held at Harvey's Mills. From the record books of the township we find elections have been regularly held each year since 1850, at Harvey's Mills, until 1881, when they had erected a good township house at the corner of Robert Rea's land, where the Harvey Mill road strikes the London & Mt. Sterling pike, since which the elections have been held at the township house.
The following is a record of the officers who have been elected and served in the various offices respectively since 1856, commencing with the office of Township Trustees: 1857, John Foster, Jonathan Harvey and R. C. Amos; 1858-59, Robert C. Amos, Mitchell Lane and Jeremiah Thomas; 1860, Jesse Rea, Jeremiah Thomas and Joseph Bell; 1861-62, Jeremiah Thomas, Matthew Rea and Mitchell Lane; 1863-66, William Bell, B. D. Thomas and Joseph Rea; 1867, Mitchell Lane, A. C. Moorman and Joseph Rea; 1868, Mitchell Lane, Cephas Pancake and A. C. Moorman; 1869, J. C. Smith, Cephas Pancake and Joseph Bell; 1870, Joseph Bell, J. C. Smith and Daniel B. Foster; 1871, J. C. Smith, D. B. Foster and Joseph Bell; 1872, D. B. Foster, J. C. Smith and Joseph Bell; 1873, Jeremiah Rea, Cephas Pancake and Thomas Wheeler; 1874, Elijah Chenoweth, Jeremiah Rea and John Farrar; 1875, D. B. Foster, Andrew S. Bell and Jeremiah Rea; 1876, Andrew S. Bell, John Pancake and Thomas Wheeler; 1877, John Martin, John Pancake and Thomas Rea; 1878, M. S. Roby, Joseph Bell and A. C. Moorman; 1879, A. C. Moorman, M. S. Roby and Thomas Wheeler; 1880, A. C. Moorman, A. S. Bell and John T. Walters; 1881, C. E. Gregg, M. S. Roby and A. S. Bell, and 1882, M. L. Rea, Joseph Pancake and James Wall.
Treasurers—1857, Jeremiah Thomas; 1858, Owen Thomas; 1859, Jeremiah Thomas; 1860-66, W. W. Fellows; 1867, William Bell; 1868, William Bell; 1869, Henry Farrar; 1870, Robert Rea; 1871-73, Henry Farrar; 1874-77, Jeremiah Rea; 1878, J. C. Smith; 1879, John Pancake; 1880, F. M. Harvey, and 1881-82, John Pancake.
Clerks—1857-68, Jeremiah Rea; 1869-70, William Bell; 1871, John Foster was elected, but gave no bond, and William Bell continued to act; 1872-80, William Bell; 1881, Joseph Bell, and 1882, Joseph M. Lewis.
Assessors—1857-58, Henry Farrar; 1859-60, E. Chenoweth; 1861, Joseph Bell; 1862, Henry Farrar; 1863, Robert Rea; 1864, F. M. Chenoweth; 1865, B. D. Thomas; 1866-71, F. M. Harvey; 1872, John Foster; 1873, F. M. Harvey; 1871, John Pancake; 1875, F. M. Harvey; 1876, Wallace Peddicord; 1877, F. M. Harvey; 1878. F. M. Harvey; 1879, Joseph Pancake; 1880, Wallace Peddicord; 1881, Joseph Pancake, and 1882, Joseph Bell.
Justices of the Peace—1857, David Lewis and William Bell; 1858, A. V. Chrisman; 1859, William Douglass; 1860, J. C. Smith; 1861, Rosell M. Thomas; 1866, B. D. Thomas. During the years of 1864-65, there was no Justice in office, and, since 1867, there has been no Justice elected.
Supervisors—1857, M. Rea; 1858, Benjamin Bell and Jeremiah Rea; 1859, Jeremiah Rea and Mitchell Lane; 1860, Owen Thomas and Jeremiah Rea; 1861, J. C. Smith and Robert Rea; 1862, Elijah Chenoweth and Jeremiah Thomas; 1863, William Bell and Jeremiah Rea; 1864, Jeremiah Rea and Benjamin Bell; 1865, William Bell and Jeremiah Rea; 1866, C. E. Gregg and Jeremiah Rea; 1868, C. Pancake and Robert Rea; 1869, Abraham Miller and C. Pancake; 1870, Elijah Chenoweth and Thomas H. Roby; 1871, M. Lane and William Deffenbaugh; 1872, J. C. Smith and Thomas Wheeler; 1873, John Van Skoy and C. E. Gregg; 1874, M. Lane and John Van Skoy; 1875, A. S. Bell and John Fleming: 1876, John Macken and J. C. Smith; 1877, John Van Skoy and J. C. Smith; 1878, William Vandyke and C. E. Gregg; 1879, William H. Laird and Thomas Higgins; 1880, A. J Harvey, William King and John Macken; 1881, A. J. Harvey, T. H. Roby and Thomas Higgins, and, 1882, Thomas Roby, J. W. Harvey and Thomas Morrissey.
Constables—1857, Mitchell Lane and F. M. Chenoweth; 1858, Thomas Peddicord and Robert Rea; 1859-60, Martin Parker and Mitchell Lane; 1861, Joseph Rea and F. M. Harvey; 1862, there were none sworn into office; 1863-67, Joseph Rea; 1868, Abraham Busick; 1869. Abraham Busick, but did not give bond and consequently did not serve, and since that date they have elected no Constables. This township thus gives an illustration of getting through several years without a Constable or a Justice of the Peace; and, as far as is apparent, suffers very little inconvenience from the want of them. There is no town or village within the township, and no saloons, stores or other places to attract or keep loafers or idlers, and is a farming community, settled up with a class of industrious, law-abiding citizens, whose quiet and peaceable lives may well stand forth as beacon lights among the townships of Madison County.
From History of Madison County, Ohio, Chester E. Bryan, Supervising Editor, B.F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis (1915)
Oak Run was the last township erected in Madison county, and is also one of the smallest in the territory. It is the most irregular in its contour and boundary lines and is one of the three townships that is bounded wholly by other townships in the county. It is purely a rural township, as Chrisman, the only town within the limits of the township, was never platted and is at present only a small hamlet. A petition was presented to the commissioners of Madison county on March 5, 1856, signed by Robert C. Amos and others, asking for the erection of a new township, to be composed of parts of the townships of Range, Pleasant, Fairfield and Union. The boundaries were erected as follow: "Beginning at the southeast corner of the land of John Dun, in Pleasant township; thence northeasterly with his line crossing Deer creek to his corner; thence with his northerly boundaries to the James Innis surveys; thence with the James Innis surveys to Deer creek; thence up Deer creek with the Fairfleld township line to the north line of the land formerly owned by John Harrison, deceased; thence westerly with the line of said Harrison to the John Jones road; thence westerly with said road to the Lafayette road; from thence a southwesterly course to the northwesterly corner of Jesse Rea's land and corner with Maxwell Murry; from thence southwesterly with Jesse Rea's line crossing the land of Robert Armstrong to Levi Springer's northeast corner; thence with Springer's southeast line to the Yankeetown road; thence southeasterly with said road to the southeast line of the lands of David and Isaac McClimans, and with the west line of Joseph Morgan's; from thence to the beginning. Wherefore, it is hereby ordered by the commissioners of Madison county that the foregoing described territory be and is hereby established a township; and be it further ordered that Henry Alder, surveyor of the county of Madison, and Edward Fitzgerald meet at said Fitzgerald's on March 24, 1856, and proceed to survey and establish the lines and boundaries of said township, erecting monuments at the several corners thereof. Ordered by the commissioners that the legal voters within the territory heretofore described meet at Harvey's mills on Monday, the 7th day of April next, that being the first Monday of said month, and then and there proceed, as provided by the statutes in such cases, to elect all necessary officers for such township."
On June 2, 1856, a petition by citizens of Oak Run township was presented to and granted by the commissioners, changing the west line of Oak Run township, as follows: "Down the London and Yankeetown road to the line of William Johnson, Sr., and William Johnson, Jr.; thence with their line to a branch of Bradford's; thence with the meanderings of said branch to the line of Thomas Foster, and thence with the line of him and James McClimans to the west line of John Foster, bounding with I. and W. McClimans; thence with their line to John Foster's southwest corner, being two black oaks; thence in a direct line to the northwest corner of James W. Robinson and corner to land bought of said Robinson by I. and D. McClimans, near Bradford's run; thence with the line of said Robinson and I. and D. McClimans to their corner in the line of Joseph Morgan."
There is also this record: "Oak Run township, April 17, 1856—In pursuance of notice, the qualified electors of Oak Run township, Madison county, Ohio, met and organized by calling Jonathan Harvey to the chair, and Jeremiah Rea as secretary, and then viva voce declaring Jeremiah Thomas, Jonathan Harvey and Robert C. Amos, judges of election; Jeremiah Rea and Mitchell Lane, clerks of election. The above officers being qualified according to law, the poll book was then opened, and the electors of said township proceeded to elect by ballot the following officers, to wit: John Foster, Jonathan Harvey and Robert C. Amos, trustees; Jeremiah Thomas, treasurer; Jeremiah Rea, clerk; David Lewis, constable; Mitchell Lane and Jonathan Farrar, supervisors, and Dr. D. Warner, justice of the peace." The township was now in complete order, the boundary lines of its territory definitely and satisfactorily, and all necessary officers duly elected and qualified for the duties that might develop upon them during the year 1856. The above election was, in accordance with the orders of the commissioners, held at Harvey's mills. From the record books of this township we find that elections have been regularly held each year since 1856, at Harvey's mills, until 1881, when there was erected a good township house at the corner of Robert Rea's land, where the Harvey mill road strikes the London and Mt. Sterling pike, since which time the elections have been held at the township house.