In conformity with the legislative enactment erecting Madison county, three commissioners were elected on the first Monday in April, 1810, viz.: Joshua Ewing, John Arbuckle and William Gibson, who subdivided the county into townships, to the history of which several townships the reader is referred for their official record and erection. On the 7th of May, 1810, the associate judges of Madison county, viz.: Isaac Miner, Samuel Baskerville and David Mitchell, who had, previously, been elected by the General Assembly, ordered the commissioners of said county to advertise the elections in the dliferent townships throughout the county, for the purpose of electing township officers, said elections to be held at the following places: "In Darby township, at the house of Mrs. Robinson; Jefferson. at the house of Thomas Foster; in Deer Creek, at the house of Thomas Gwynne; in Pleasant. at the house of Forgus Graham; in Stokes, at the house of P. Cutright; in Union, at the house of Elias Langham, and agreed upon by said commissioners that William Gibson does advertise said election at ditferent places."
Up to this time the lines of the county had not been surveyed, the legislative act of creation alone establishing the boundaries thereof. On the 31st of July, 1810, the board of commissioners authorized William Gibson to notify the commissioners of Greene, Champaign and Franklin counties to attend with their surveyors and have the lines established agreeable to law. The board of Madison county, with Patrick McLene the surveyor thereof, were to meet the respective boards and surveyors of the adjoining counties, at the following points, viz.: Those of Greene, at the house of Isaac Hudson. in Stokes township, on the 17th of September, 1810; those of Champaign, at the house of Christopher Lightfoot, near the southeast corner, on the 24th of September; and those of Franklin, at the court house in Franklinton, on the first Monday in October following. The commissioners delivered elaborate instructions to Patrick McLene as to the course he was to pursue. Each county was to defray one half the expense of making the survey, but, in case the surveyors of the other counties did not attend at the place and time appointed, the surveyor of Madison was instructed "to run and mark the lines in the same manner you would consent to do were they or either of them present." These instructions were delivered on September 13, 1810, to Patrick McLene, who at the appointed time began to run and ascertain the boundary lines. It is evident, however, that the work was not completed until early in 1811, and to dispel all doubt on the matter, here is given a verbatim record of the survey as transcribed in Patrick McLene's own handwriting:
COUNTY LINES DEFINED.
"April 10, 1811—Notes of the lines of Madison county as far as I have run them. Beginning at a white elm, red elm and black walnut, northeast corner of Fayette county, in the Pickaway county line, running west by the needle, twenty miles, two hundred and eighteeen poles to an elm, post oak and two red oaks, one marked M. C., crossing Deer creek at sixty poles; at 134 poles, crossing Deer creek road from Chillicothe to Urbana; at two miles and 116 poles. Langham's road; four miles and 76 poles, a branch of North Paint; 5 miles and 62 poles, another branch of North Paint; ten miles and 290 poles, East fork of Paint; eleven miles and 100 poles, a road: fourteen miles and 40 poles. Main Paint; fifteen miles and 70 poles, Springfield road to Chillicothe: sixteen miles and 130 poles, Sugar creek: eighteen miles and 140 poles, Rattlesnake Fork; twenty miles and 58 poles, the corner made by the surveyor of Fayette county; twenty miles and 182 poles, a branch of Massies creek; thence N. 3° W. nine miles and 87 poles, to a stake in Champaign county line, crossing a branch of Massies creek at 100 poles; another at 214 poles; seven miles and 278 poles, the Little Miami; eight miles and 208 poles, a branch of the Little Miami; thence N. 87° E., six miles to a stake, a burr oak, hickory and black oak, bearing trees. Crossing a branch of the Little Miami at 220 poles; at two miles and 284 poles, the state road leading from Xenia to John Graham's; thence N. 3° W., twenty miles and 130 poles, to three white oaks (two from one root), two black oaks and two hickories, supposed to be the southwest corner of Delaware county. Crossing at two miles and 254 poles, the new state road; four miles 116 poles, Wolf run; four miles 160 poles. Urbana road; five miles 25 poles, a branch of Deer creek; six miles 76 poles, state road from Franklinton to Springfield; seven miles 160 poles. Deer creek; nine miles 130 poles, a road by Graham's to Urbana; fourteen miles 254 poles, Little Darby; sixteen miles 180 poles, Little Lake; seventeen miles 260 poles, branch of Little Darby; thence east fourteen miles and 300 poles, to the northwest corner of Franklin county, a stake, burr oak and two ash trees. Crossing a branch of Little Darby at 170 poles; the line made by Champaign surveyor, at one mile 246 poles; main Darby at seven miles 124 poles, etc.
"P. McLENE. S. M. C."
The chain carriers weer Isaac Hudson, Walter Watson, Joseph Brown. Abraham Denton and Samuel Brown, while the markers were Skinner Hudson and Abraham Watson. In ascertaining the center of Madison county, Benjamin Strong and Henry Warner served as chain carriers. Patrick McLene was paid the sum of eighty-two dollars and fifty cents for his services in finding the center of the county and running the boundary lines as described above; while the chain carriers and markers each received one dollar per day. If there has ever been a survey of the line between Madison and Franklin counties, it is not on record in London, the book exhibiting a blank space where each survey was evidently intended to be transcribed.