THIS eighteenth and last township of the county was set off and organized in the spring of 1830, by its present boundaries. It was taken from Norwich, Prairie and Washington, and had originally been part of Franklin Township. A few improvements were made along Darby Creek about 1808 or '10.

Amongst the first settlers were James Boyd, John Hayden, John Patterson, and Mr. Rinier. Though there were but few settlers back from the creek until from 1825 to 1830, when the Welch commenced settling in this township, and it has of late years been filling up fast, and bids fair to make a rich and flourishing township.

There is as yet, however, no grist mill in the township. There have been two saw mills, one erected on Darby Creek by Isaac Hayden in 1837; the other a

steam power mill, erected when the Urbana Railroad was being made. But they have both gone down.

There is no town or village in this township, buth there was a post office established in it in July, 1848, and named "Darby post office." Joseph O'Harra, Esq., the present incumbent was appointed the first postmaster.

About the year 1847 or '48, an association of colored colored people having purchased a tract of land in this township, with a view of establishing a seminary for the education of colored children, erected their building for that purpose, and opened their school, which has generally been kept in operation since. There are some four or five families of blacks residing there, and they generally have a few pupils from a distance.

There is but one church building in the township, and it belongs to the Methodist denomination. Religious meetings, however, are held occasionally by the Presbyterians and Baptists, and also by the Methodists, in the school houses.

In 1840, the population of this township was 425. In 1850, it was 681. In 1853, it comprised six school districts, and an aggregate of 310 youth between the ages of five and twenty-one years. In 1857, the aggregate of such youth was 334.

SUCCESSIVE JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.