APRIL 30, 1810, "Ordered, that the following boundaries compose a township, to be known by the name of Union, and is bounded as follows, viz.: Beginning at the mouth of Oak Run, thence east to the Franklin County line; thence north four miles; thence west to the line of Deer Creek Township; thence west with said line to the Champaign County line; thence with said line to the southwest corner of Champaign County and the north corner of Stokes Township; thence with the north line of Stokes three miles; thence eastwardly to the southwest corner of Judge Baskerville's survey; thence direct to the beginning. December 7, 1812. At a meeting of the Commissioners, it was ordered, that "the line of Union Township, between Union and Pleasant, running from the mouth of Oak Run to the county line be vacated: and it shall run northeastwardly to the State road leading from London to Dyer's Mill, so as to leave all the inhabitants on main Deer Creek in Union, and all those on Opossum Run in Pleasant Township; said line to continue with the State road to the county line.'" June 2, 1829, "Ordered by the Commissioners, that the following lines as run by Henry Warner, be established as township lines between the townships of Union, Pleasant, Range and Stokes: Beginning at the northwest corner of Samuel Baskerville's survey, running south 24° west about 50 poles; thence south 22° west to the line between the counties of Madison and Fayette, a short distance east of McIntosh's farm, for the line between Stokes and Range Townships. The line between Pleasant. Range and Union, running from Baskerville's said corner north 70° east to Langham's road, near Samuel Kingern's; continue the same course 220 poles; thence north 20° west 40 poles; thence south 70° east to the Chillicothe road; thence north 33° east to Deer Creek; thence up the creek to the mouth of Oak Run; thence north 52° east to the line between the counties of Madison and Franklin." June 6, 1836, "at a meeting of the Commissioners of Madison County, on petition being presented, ordered that the line between Deer Creek Township and Union Township be altered to run as follows, to wit: Beginning at the northwest corner of Jefferson Melvin's land, and southwest corner of John Adair's land, and to run westerly to strike the La Fayette road 10 poles south of the Glade, between B. Bowdry's and D. J. Ross; thence the same course continued until it strikes the present line, which divides said townships so as to include D. J. Loss into Union Township." March 2, 1840, "Ordered, by the Commissioners of Madison County, that the line between the townships of Union and Somerford be so altered as to include Daniel Wilson and the land on which he lives into Union Township." Thus, it can be seen, the boundaries of Union Township passed through several changes prior to 1841; and our readers can also observe that its present boundaries are still different from the above, as Fairfield Township has since been erected, and, with other changes which have from time to time been made, have constituted its boundaries as they now exist. The township is now bounded as follows: On the north, by Somerford and Deer Creek Townships; on the east, by Fairfield and Oak Run Townships; on the south, by Paint and Oak Run Townships; and on the west by Paint Township and Clark County. It is about eleven miles long from east to west, and from two to six miles wide from north to south, and has the honor of containing London, the county seat of Madison County.
This township was not as early settled as the eastern townships of the county. As the settlements were formed from the Ohio River up the Scioto and its tributaries branching off westward up Deer Creek, the Darbys and their tributaries, and thus penetrating the eastern townships first, before reaching the central and western townships of the county, it would be a natural consequence that the eastern townships would receive the first permanent settlements. And this was necessary from the fact that Chillicothe became the base of supplies for the first settlers of this county; they at first obtaining their groceries and agricultural implements, and all the equipments for farming, and the necessities for their families and homes from that place. And as settlements were made up these streams, northward and westward, and roads opened and communications established, so the settlers pushed on in advance, and after settlements were made in these eastern townships it took but a few years till we find them penetrating the territory which is now embraced in the boundaries of Union Township, and soon after 1800, we find permanent settlers in this township.
From Atlas of Madison County by J.A. Caldwell, Condit, Ohio (1875)
This township extends from the county line on the west nearly across the county towards the east, Oak Run and part of Paint townships formerly belonged to this, London the county seat, is near the center. This township is bounded on the south by Paint and Oak Run, east by Fairfield, north by Deer Creek and Somerford townships, west by Clarke county. It is watered by the streams of Deer Creek, Oak Run and their tributaries. This township like the rest of the county, was composed of oak openings and prairies, and covered with sedge grass, when the first settlers came here, and this grass furnished feed for their cattle. The Little Maimi [sic] rail way and the Springfield Short Line passes through its territory; it has the Jefferson, South Charleston and Xenia, the California, the Madison and Fayette, the Somerford, the Plain City by way of Lafayette and the Georgesville turnpikes within its borders. There was land surveyed as early as 1802 in this part of the county. The farms are under a good state of cultivation and fine improvements, and the chief occupation of the farmers are the cultivation of corn, hay and grass, and the growing of fine cattle, sheep and hogs. Some of the early settlers were Messrs. Peter P. Helphenstine and James Withrow, the part that they first settled I understand now belongs to Paint, they are represented in the Paint list of pioneers, there was David and Samuel Watson, Philip Cryder, David Groves, James Rankin, Stephen Maxey, Henry Warner, Thomas Jones the father of Dr. Toland Jones, who emigrated here from the eastern shores of Maryland, Worcester County in 1816, and brought a colony of twenty-one young men with him, and settled in the western part of this township.
Union township is situated in the west central portion of Madison county and is bounded on the north by Somerford and Deer Creek townships; on the east by Fairfield and Oak Run townships, on the south by Oak Run and Paint townships, while on the west the border is the Clark county line.
The surface of the township is generally level, and considerable portions of it were originally oak openings and prairies. The surface is rolling along the streams and creeks, and inclined to be somewhat hilly in a few localities. The principal streams are Glade run, Deer creek, Oak run and Walnut run. Glade run and Deer creek cross the eastern portion of the township, flowing from north to south. Oak run rises in the northwest part of the township, flows southeastward through London and the central part of the township, and on through Oak Run township and is a branch of Walnut run, which rises a little south of the headwaters of Oak run and flows in a southeast direction into Paint township. It enters the township again to cross the southern neck from west to east, a distance of about two and one-half miles. In the southwest and western portions of the township the surface is quite level. On the tributary of Walnut run and the headwaters of Oak run, the surface is rolling. Between said tributary and Oak run is a large extent of very level and beautiful country, and also the same condition exists between Oak run and Deer creek. The most uneven and hilly locality, and in fact about the only portion which can with propriety be called hilly, is the southern portion, along Oak run and Walnut. The entire township possesses a rich, strong and productive soil. The more level portions generally consist of a black loam, with here and there a small admixture of clay. Almost the entire township is especially well adapted for grazing and the raising of stock, which has ever been one of the foremost occupations of the farmers of the township. The western portions of the township have the highest elevations. The township is well watered, and good wells, with lasting water, are obtained from fifteen to forty feet below the surface. In some parts of the western portion of the township there are flowing wells, the water being impregnated very strongly with iron, and perhaps with other minerals. Therefore, there must be extensive subterranean courses, which are supplied with water from some distant source of very high elevation, and this source, or somewhere along the subterranean course, before it reaches the surface, must be abundantly supplied with iron.
The variety of timber is about the same as in other portions of the county. On the more level portions, and in the oak openings, burr oak predominates, with some hickory and elm; in some wet portions, elm rather predominates. In some places, and along the creek bottoms, was formerly found considerable walnut timber. On the more elevated lands, with clay soil, were white, black and red oak, hickory and ash, as the prevailing species. The prairies, as first occupied by the pioneers, were found with an exuberant growth of grass, which formed excellent pasture range for their stock, the grass often growing seven and eight feet high. But late in the season, when it became very dry, it became as dangerous an element as it was beneficial to the settler in the early part of the season, for often the grass would be set on fire, and burn and destroy everything of a destructible nature which lay in its course. When once started, with a brisk wind, it would travel at railroad speed, and many a farmer had his buildings, grain and everything swept away in a few minutes of time. Sometimes, by a combination of neighbors making a hard and continued fight with the fire before it got too near their homes, they would succeed in saving their property. But in the fall of the year it required continued watchfulness on the part of the settlers to guard against these destructive fires.