Crawford County, Pennsylvania
History
Historical Township Boundaries
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP
| Date | Event | |
| 9 July 1800 | Created from part of Mead Twp. 1 | |
Boundaries: Beginning at the northwest corner of a tract of Land surveyed in the name of Mathew Wilson thence by the north line of a tract of land surveyed in the name of Robert Wilson to French Creek thence down the diffrent windings of the same to the southern boundary of Crawford County thence by the same westwardly to the southeast corner of Fallowfield Township thence by the same northwardly to the place of begining. | ||
| 28 March 1808 | Territory gained from Sandy Creek Twp., Mercer County2 | |
The following described territory was attached to Fairfield, Fallowfield, and Shenango Twps. Beginning at the northwest corner of a certain tract of donation land, known by its No. 1078, situate on the northwest corner of a section of the fifth donation district, thence southwardly by a tract of land on which Joseph Burson now resides, one hundred fifty-four perches, to a birch-tree on the south-east corner of the said tract, thence by the same westwardly to an ironwood-tree, the southeast corner of a tract of land on which Alexander Caldwell now resides, and thence continuing the same direction from the southeast corner of one tract to the southeast corner of the next, to the western boundary of the state. | ||
| ca. March 1829 | Boundaries redefined: western part lost to creation of Greenwood Twp. and Vernon Twp.; territory exchanged with Wayne Twp. 3 | |
Beginning at the S. E. corner of [Greenwood Twp.], being the S. W. corner of a tract in the name of A. Caldwell; thence east and north by the line of Mercer county to the S. E. corner of a tract in the name of Wm. Thompson; thence north to the N. E. corner of donation tract No. 59; thence west to the S. E. corner of tract No. 60; thence north to the N. E. corner of said tract; thence east to the S. E. corner of tract No. 108; thence north to the N. E. corner of tract No. 119; thence westward by the line of tracts to the N. W. corner of a tract in the name of Samuel B. Magaw's heirs; thence across French Creek and along the north line of a tract in the name of D. Lennox to the N. W. corner thereof; thence southwardly by the line of tracts to the place of beginning. | ||
| around 1843 | Approximately 411 acres along French Creek at the northwest corner of East Fairfield Twp. (shown on the 1876 Atlas as T. Smith 100 acres, I. Smith Hrs. 204 acres, and W Cooley 107 acres) lost to Mead Township. This 411 acres and 64 perches, then part of Wayne Twp., was purchased by Rufus Smith by deed dated and recorded 22 February 1828 (DB M[-1]:18). Rufus Smith sold the lower 311 acres, more or less, being part of Fairfield Twp., to Increase Smith by deed dated 30 October 1839 and recorded 7 September 1839 (DB L-2:401). Increase Smith was taxed in Fairfield Twp. until 1844, when his real estate began to be taxed in Mead Twp. He also appears in the 1840 U.S. Census in Fairfield Twp.(household '98), and in the 1850 U.S. Census in Mead Twp. (p. 16/217, family & hh '98). The Nelson Independent School District created 29 April 1856 included the Smith tract with the “Fairfield Line” shown as its southern boundary (QS #41 Nov. Session 1855). The change was not effected by an act of the state legislature, and nothing was found in the Court of Quarter Sessions papers [the dockets from prior to 1855, however, are apparently missing]. | |
| by 1850 | About 163 acres from the northern and western part of Holland Land Company Tract 232 started being described as part of Mead Twp. (although still shown as Fairfield Twp. on the 1865 county map). John Brooks and Henry Laughry purchased this 163 acres, 120 perches of Tract 232 from the Holland Land Company by deed dated and recorded on 27 April 1816 (DB G[-1]:40); Laughry assigned his interest to Brooks on 30 October 1818, recorded 1 December 1818 (DB G[-1]:69). The Executors of John Brooks’s estate sold 129 acres of this land as part of Mead Twp. to Henry B. Brooks by deed dated 18 October 1850 and recorded 8 September 1851 (DB E-2:43); this deed makes reference to the “Mumford Survey of saddle bag tract part above described May 7th 1850,” which has not been located. Subsequent conveyances continue to refer to this land as being in Mead Twp. (e.g., DB N-2:192, dated and recorded 31 July 1856), and it is shown on the 1876 Atlas as being part of Mead Twp. No formal proceedings have been located. On the other other hand, this parcel could have been included in Mead Twp. in the 1829 division, which (as reported in the Crawford Messenger) was described simply as along “the line of several tracts.” The eastern portion of Tract 232, consisting of 155 acre and 4 perches, was conveyed by the Holland Land Company to the Heirs of John W. McClelland, by deed dated and recorded 27 January 1808 (DB C[-1]:258), and remained part of Fairfield Twp. (see, e.g., DB Y[-1]:356, dated 21 October 1843 and recorded 24 December 1845), and remained so on the 1876 Atlas. | |
| 5 April 1855 | Portion incorporated as the borough of Cochranton [q.v.] | |
| Oct. 1867 | Northern part lost to creation of Union Twp. [q.v.] | |
| 13 April 1868 | Part east of French Creek lost to creation of East Fairfield Twp. [q.v.] |
