Formation
Afton
Township was created by act of Board of Supervisors, September 6, 1869
and comprises congressional township 92-39. It is on the eastern l ine
of the county, south of Spring, north of Pitcher, and east of Cherokee
townships.
Early Settlers
The
first to effect a settlement in what is now known as Afton Township
were Daniel R. WHEELER and his two grown daughters, all of whom took up
homesteads on section 32, in 1868. Mr. Wheeler's daughters' names were
Miranda and Mary. The father and two daughters took their clams and
built a dwelling (such as it was) which stood on the corners of the
several pieces.
First settlers
E.D.
COLMAN, John TERWILIGER, William CROUCH, John MAINE, Thomas HOSKKINS,
Josiah ARMSTRONG, Asa ARMSTRONG, George W. BALDWIN, M. SMITH, A.
GIFFORD, S. PLACE, William CLOVER, Solomon CLOVER, William WHIPPLE,
John COLMAN, James RICHARDSON, John D. BLAKE, W.D. LATHROP, George
FUNK, J.A. SANBORN, James. L. LONGACRE, Samuel SUTTON, George SUTTON,
Samuel SEXTON, Daniel STEINHOFF, George W. BENSON, Jacob RICE, Abraham
WARD.
Early County Population Numbers
First Events
Birth: a child born to Mr. and Mrs. NEWMAN in 1869
Death: the father of Daniel STEINHOFF in 1869
School: taught by Miss Mary WHEELER at her claim building in 1869.
Schools
Miss Mary Wheeler, now wife of Luther Phipps, taught part of a term in 1869, hence should be called the first teacher.
The
first fall term in 1870 was taught by Miss Ann Rice, in a
subscription school. As the Afton settlemen increased, more school
houses were erected. By 1889 there were nine school houses within the
limits of the township with 246 pupils enrolled.
Churches
Methodist Episcopal built in 1887.
There
was a Baptist Society in the northern part of the township, made up of
people from both Afton and Spring townships. They did not have a
building in Afton township.
Cemeteries
Afton Cemetery
In 2007, the DAR donated a directory to the Afton cemetery grounds.
Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery
Geographics
Afton Township covers an area of 36.08 square miles (93.4 km2) and contains no incorporated settlements.
Afton Twp - WikiPedia
SOURCES:
The township history was excerpted from Biographical History of
Cherokee County. W. S. Dunbar & Co., 1889. The township map is from
Plat Book of Cherokee County, Iowa, W.W. Hixon & Co.,
Rockford, IL., 1930
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