Thanks to Anne Muffley of South Carolina for providing hundreds of files to this project.

SECTION:

 

A Section is a tract of land one mile square and contains 640 acres. Commonly used quarter section  contains 160 acres....a good size farm.

TOWNSHIP:

A Township contains 36 sections ranged in an array six miles square. 

Sections are numbered from the northeast corner and numbering west from 1 to 6, then down one tier, then east numbering up to 12, then down one tier and repeat the process of numbering until you reach section number 36 in the lower right corner of the array.

 

6	5	4	3	2	1
7	8	9	10	11	12
18	17	16	15	14	13
19	20	21	22	23	24
30	29	28	27	26	25
31	32	33	34	35	36

NOTE: Churches and schools were traditionally built near the center of each section.

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HISTORICAL RECORD: (how Franklin County grew)

1830 Crawford County consisted of seven townships; Big Creek, Horsehead, Lee's Creek, Lower,  Mulberry, Richland and Upper. 

1837 Franklin County was created from Crawford and Logan Counties.

Townships which stayed with Crawford County were Big Creek, Lee's Creek, Richland, Upper and Horsehead was discontinued. 

1837 Townlands Lower and Mulberry became part of Franklin County.

1838 Franklin County added townships, Boston, Prairie and White Oak.

COURT RECORDS 1838: Note there was no courthouse yet.

Border lines for White Oak Township were set.

Township Boston was added on the northern boundary of White Oak.

Voting would take place at the home of Edwin Marsh.

Robert Hodges of Boston township and George Russell of Upper Township were named as Election Judges for the districts. 

Half of range 29, all of range 28 and two miles of the west end of range 27 were set aside for a new Township known as Prairie (old Indian land). Polling place for these elections was the home of John Quesenberry, Marston Pool and Seibert Scott.

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 GROWTH PATTERN:

White Rock

Miller created about 1890-95 from part of White Rock. 

Part of Miller annexed to Crawford County in 1895.

Part of Shores annexed to Crawford County in 1895.

Part of White Rock annexed to Shores in 1908.

 

Morgan, Annexed from Madison County 1885.

Mulberry created 1838. 

Part of Mulberry annexed to Ivy in 1874.

Part of Mulberry and Ivy annexed to Maxey in 1877.

Part of Mulberry annexed to Wallace in 1882.

Cravens was formed from parts of Mulberry, Walker and White Oak around 1890.

Maxey was annexed to Crawford County in 1895.

 

Boston created in 1838. 

Part of Boston to Limestone in 1860. 

Part of Boston to Walker, White Rock and White Oak in 1875. 

Part of Boston to Watalula and White Oak in 1882.

Part of Boston and White Oak to Watalula in 1882.

Part of Boston to Cravens about 1890.

Part of Boston to McIlroy around 1910.

 

Ivy (1874) and  White Oak (1838)

Parts of Ivy and White Oak to Hogan 1875.

Parts of Ivy and White Oak to Wallace in 1882.

Part of Hogan to Alix in 1908.

 

Lower formerly Crawford County annexed by Franklin County in 1838.

Middle created about 1841. 

Part of Middle to Six Mile in 1860. 

Part of Middle to Wittich about 1874. 

Part of Middle and Wittich to Barham in 1906.

Barham was annexed to Logan County in 1871.

 

Mill Creek created about 1850. 

Part of Mill Creek to Grover about 1890.

Part of Mill Creek and Prairie to Hurricane 1877. 

Part of Mill Creek to Grover about 1890.

 

Hurricane created from parts of Mill Creek and Prairie 1877. 

Part of Hurricane to Weaver about 1890.

 

Limestone 1838

Part of Limestone to Cobb and Black Oak about 1890.

 

Prairie 1838 (Old Indian Settlement now a National Park)

Part of Prairie to Donald about 1890.

 

Short Mountain created 1858. 

Short Mountain Annexed to Logan County in 1871.

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Working to make this easier to understand. From the record above, it looks like the original townships were founded in 1838

TOWNSHIPS IN 1840: Prarie, Limestone, Hurricane, Lower ( part of Crawford until 1871), Boston, Mulberry.

TOWNSHIPS IN 1850: Boston, White Rock, Mulberry, White Oak, Mill Creek, Middle, Prarie, Lower, Middle, Wittich.

TOWNSHIPS OF 1860-1870: Boston, Limestone, White Rock, Mulberry, White Oak, Mill Creek, Middle, Praire, Lower, Six Mile, Wittich.

TOWNSHIPS OF 1880 - 1890:  Boston, White Rock, Walker, Limestone, Maxey, Mulberry, Ivey, White Oak, Hogan, Mill Creek, Middle, Hurricane, Wittich, Prarie, Short Mountain, Cobb.

Several Townships were formed from other townships after 1900. Several were annexed to Logan or Crawford counties in exchange for land and new townships.

Barham from Middle and Wittich 1906,

Shores from White Rock 1908.

Alex from Hogan 1908.

McElroy from Boston 1910.

Black Oak from Limestone about 1910-1920. (checking on it)

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NOTE: Researchers tracing land records made between 1838 and 1888 may have a hard time trying to keep township names separated. Remember also that townships as legislative districts have nothing to do with land located by townships depicted on the grid:

For more information visit these two files.

Original land grants.