Townships of Jefferson County Illinois

   The first settlers of Farrington township were more disposed to hunt than farm, for there was sure to be captured by hunting more than by farming; but while they had all the fresh meat they could eat and then some, they had to hunt for bread-stuff to go with it. Farrington is in the northeast corner of the county, bordering on Marion county north and Wayne county east mostly woodland, but some of the richest earth in the whole county. Adam's Fork and Horse creek are its principal watercourses.
   Its people are farmers and stock raisers. Among its first settlers were the Wells, the Gregorys, Haynes, W. B. Johnson, Joseph Norman, and others. Some of these families accumulated large bodies of land and the Gregorys owned at one time nearly two thousand acres of as good land as could be found. Doctor Gregory was a typical pioneer character and we have heard him tell of collecting the taxes in Farrington when the coon skins and deer hides were a legal tender and how the people paid these in for taxes. The first citizens were of the home spun, rugged, out spoken order, and there has no very great change in this respect in the township even to this day..
   Of course, they were favorable to school and churches, but they didn't stop their other avocations at their expense. The first roads through the township were the Mount Vernon and Maysville and Xenia roads. The first Supervisor was M. A. Morrison. The villiage of Farrington was laid out in 1856, on Jehu J. Maxey's land and Lear, Abe Casey, Drs. Johnson and Bradford, Munsell, Ingalls, some more of the Maxeys, W. L. Young and others helped boost it along, but notwithstanding the good men and the beautiful location, the town finally went down. Loganville was laid out, but never materialized.
   The Johnsons, Morrisons, Greens, Wilsons, Youngs, Burks, Brookmans, Donahoos, and a class of substantial citizens are now holding up the interests of Farrington township. It is about evenly divided politically. It is certainly a good township.

Submitted By: Cindy Ford