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Pioneers of Marion County Union Township Union Township Histories - Page 272 Chapter XXII. Union Township - Geography and Early History - Township Officers - Names of First Settlers - Simeon Reynolds - A One-man Garrison - A Family Council - Andrew Startz - Hill Milling Adventure - A Dog Trial and a Big Drunk - Samuel Teters - Sickness and Privation - A Long Walk - A Successful Wolf Hunt - Saving the Corn - Borrowing - The First School Teacher. On the 7th of October, 1850, in compliance with a petition, it was ordered by the Commissioners that all of town. 76, range 20, south of the river, and all of 77, same range, south of the river, be called Union township, from and after the first Monday of April, 1851. This township is bounded on the north by Red Rock, with the Des Moines river as its boundary line; on the east by Polk, on the south by Knoxville, and on the west by Pleasant Grove and Swan. There is no stream of any considerable size coursing through this township, but many small creeks, the largest of which is Camp creek. That portion lying contiguous to the river is somewhat hilly, but well timbered. The strip margining the river is mostly flat bottom land, partly prairie, the most noted of which is Butcher's prairie. In some places the uplands terminate in abrupt rocky cliffs. The southern portion of the township is mostly upland prairie, and is a good farming district. The first election in this township was held at the house of William Ballard, April 2, 1851. After the appointment of Wm. Ballard, Geo. Teters and Simeon Reynolds, as judges of the election, and Westley Teters and Wm. M. Norris, as Union Township Histories - Page 273 clerks, the following named officers were elected: Wm. M. Norris and Samuel E. Teters, Justices of the Peace; Andrew Startz, Wm. Ballard and Alfred Reese, Trustees; James Amos, Treasurer; John W. Broadess, and Robert Gusten, Constables; Andrew Startz and Samuel Ballard, Road Supervisors; and Simeon Reynolds, Clerk. No record of the number of votes cast. The names of a majority of those who settled in the township at an early date are, Simeon and Geo. Reynolds, Wm. Richard and John Butcher, Hiram Steel, Duncan Neil, --- Vandenford, John Flanders, Robert Gusten, Andrew Startz, Samuel, Geo. and Westly Teters, and Wm. Luty. John Flanders now lives in Red Rock township, having sold his claim to William Ballard at an early date.
Union Township Histories - Page 277 here. At one time a man came down from the Fort to the Butcher farm for corn. But there was nothing to measure the grain in, and the purchaser paddled down to Red Rock, borrowed a half bushel measure, and returned the same day, making a trip of sixteen miles. And it was not an uncommon occurrence for persons to go eight or ten miles to grind their axes. Many stories are related of the depredations of those intolerable pests of every new country, the wolves. The winter of 1848 and 1849 will long be remembered on account of the depth of snow that fell and the severity of the cold. And the wolves, should any that experienced that winter yet survive, may have the most sorrowful occasion to remember it on account of their numbers that were slaughtered by their natural enemies. Weakened by starvation, and impeded by the deep snow, they were easily run down by men on horseback. Mr. William Ballard relates that he and his two sons thus killed nine in one day, and his exploit is but one in many instances. Among the first persons that taught school in Union was Nancy Beckwith. This was in 1848, in the western part of the township, and in a cabin owned by Jacob Haynes. Population of Union township by the U. S. census of 1870: Native - 755 Index of names mentioned in Union Township History section Amos, James - Union Township page 273 Ballard, Samuel
- Union Township page 273 Flanders, John - Union Township page 273 Gusten, Robert - Union Township page 273 Haynes, Jacob - Union Township page 273 Luty., Wm. - Union Township page 273 Neil, Duncan - Union
Township page 273 Reese, Alfred -
Union Township page 273 Startz, Andrew -
Union Township page 273 Teters, Geo. - Union
Township page 272, 273 Vandenford - Union Township page 273
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