Villages of Israel Township

There are but two villages wholly situated in Israel Township, Fair Haven and Morning Sun, the one in sec­tion nine, and the other in section twenty-six. Fair Haven, the principal town in the township, was laid out in 1832 by Jonathan Caldwell, and the place was re­corded April 2oth, of that same year. There were origi­nally thirty-two lots. It has since become a thriving village of two hundred inhabitants. Captain Bonny of Hamilton called the village Fair Haven, because of its lovely situation in the Four Mile valley, in the midst of one of the richest agricultural regions in the township. The Caldwell residence was the first house. About the time that the town was laid out Jonathan Caldwell built the first tavern in the southwest part of town. At this time the travel between Richmond, Indiana, and Cincin­nati was very extensive. Often in those early times did forty or fifty teamsters stop at the little log tavern. A store was soon put up near it by Captain Bonny, of Ox­ford. The present store is kept by J. C. Henry. The post office was established December 28, 1833, with Richard Sloan, Jr., postmaster. Since then the postmas­ters have been Hiram Evans, Charles Pierce, James Caldwell, T. P. Simmons, I. N. Sliver, John Scott, and the present incumbent, J. C. Henry.

Charles Pierce and son have a broom factory; Joseph Brown runs a saw-mill, and has a tile factory; Dr. J. M. Logan and A. M. Howe are the practicing physicians; Dr. Gilmore resides in the village, but does not practice, on account of poor health. There is a daily hack to and from Hamilton and Richmond, making communication with these cities easy. There are two churches, the United Presbyterian and Methodist.

Morning Sun, situated on the northwest corner of sec­tion twenty-six, is a village of about one hundred and seventy-five inhabitants. The original plat of seventeen in-lots and one out-lot was recorded April 13, 1833, by James McQuiston, and an addition of out-lots two and three was made by James McQuiston, March 30, 1837. The first house in the town is the one now occupied by Alfred Sloan, colored. In this same house the first store was kept by James Pressly, before and after the village was laid out. Israel Hamilton opened his blacksmith shop about the same time that the store was opened. Thomas Little became the first postmaster, May 26, 1836. E. O. Coleman is the present postmaster. The store is kept by Isaiah Brown and E. O. Coleman. The Morning Sun United Presbyterian church is situated in the village. The classical academy is near by. There is a tile factory and a saw-mill close to the village.

The portion of College Corner located in Israel Town­ship was laid out and recorded February 18, 1868, by Frank, Mary Francis, William, David, and Ellis Shidler. Part of the town is in Union county, Indiana, part in Butler County, Ohio, and the rest in the southwest corner of section thirty-one, Israel Township.

March 26, 1833, the hamlet of Claysburgh was laid out by Robert Boyse, William Nickol, Samuel B. Gilmore, and Samuel C. Foster, and the plat was recorded April 13th. The town was to be on the corner of sections nine, ten, fifteen, and sixteen. The only house is that of James Kelly.