THIS is one of the more recently-erected townships, occupies a central position on the eastern boundary of the county, and is bounded as follows:  On the north by Lessburg Township, on the east by Delaware County and Mill Creek Township, on the south by Mill Creek Township, and on the West by Paris Township.  The territory composing of Dover originally belonged to Mill creek, and remained in that township, it appears, until December, 1838, when, although the date of the act of the Commissioners is not recorded, it is evident it was constituted into a township to be known by the name of Dover, as follows:  "Beginning at an ash, elm and sugar tree, at the southwest corner of Survey No. 9028, in the name of John Hunt, and most westerly corner to Mill Creek Township, thence north to west, along the east line of Surveys Nos. 2,254, 3,350, 3,352, 4,072 and 3,390 to two hickories and sugar trees at the northwest corner of Survey No. 5,505, in the name of Selby Onions, thence north 80° E. 400 poles to an ash, beech, sugar tree and iron wood; thence north 10° W. 200 poles, to two ash trees and a hickory, the northwest corner of Survey No. 5,869, i the name of William B. Bunting; thence, north 80° east, 400 poles to a stake in the line of Union and Delaware Counties; thence with the line of said counties south to a stake in the line of Survey No. 5,501, and the most northerly corner of Mill Creek Township, thence with the line of Mill Creek Township, as recorded above, to the place of beginning."
     "March 5, 1839, ordered by the County Commissioners, that the boundary line of Mill Creek and Dover Townships be altered, so as to detach from Mill Creek Township, and attach to Dover Township Survey No. 3,007, in the name of John Graham.
     The lands of this township were surveyed as follows:
     Surveyed, June 3, 1797, for John Graham, Assignee, 1,087 acres, Survey No. 3,007.  Nathaniel Massie, D. S.  Surveyed Dec. 14, 1798, for Edward Dawse, Assignee, 372 acres, Survey No. 3,355.  Nathaniel Massie, D. S.  Surveyed Oct. 20, 1801, for John Overton, 1,000 acres, Survey No. 4065.  John Kerr, D. S.  Surveyed, Jan. 22, 1807, for John Pride, heir-at-law to William Pride, deceased, 1,000 acres, Survey No. 5,135.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed, July 27, 1807, for Robert Means, Assignee, 1,358 acres, Survey No. 5,497.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed July 27, 1807, for Roert Means, Assignee, 1,358 acres, Survey No. 5,498.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed July 28, 1807, for Robert Means, Assignee, 1,358 acres, Survey No. 5,499.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.   Surveyed, July 19, 1807, for Robert Means, Assignee, 800 acres. Survey No. 5,501.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed July 29, 1807, for Robert Means, 800 acres, Survey No. 5,502, James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed July 30, 1807, for Robert Means and John Stokely, Assignees, 428 acres, Survey No. 5,504.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed, Nov. 9, 1809, for Robert Means, Assignee, 255 acres, Survey No. 5,505.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed Nov. 8, 1809, for the representatives of Selby Onions, 200 acres, Survey No. 5,505.  James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed June 3, 1808, for the representatives of William B. Bunting, 1,000 acres, Survey No. 5,869.   James Galloway, Jr., D. S.  Surveyed, Feb. 19, 1817, for John Hunt, . 1,000 acres, Survey No. 9,028.  David Collins, D. S.  Surveyed, 1000 acres for John White, Survey No. 3,950.  Surveyed, 1,000 acres for Robert Dandridge, eleven and four-fifths acres in Dover Township, and the balance of Mill Creek Township, Survey No. 1,307.

STREAMS, SURFACE, SOIL, ETC.

EARLY SETTLERS.

     The first locality in this township where the sound of the woodman's ax broke upon the solitude of the vast forest, was on the south or west bank of Mill Creek, in the southwest part of the township.  A few years earlier, EPHRAIM BURROUGHS had settled in the wilderness of Mill Creek Township, near where the village of Watkins now stands, with his family of seven sons and four daughters.  Of these children the second son, Jonathan M. Burroughs, was born in New Jersey, Sept. 15, 1794, and married Mercy Bell, a daughter of Daniel Bell, one of the early settlers of Mill Creek Township. In the fall or winter of 1815, Mr. Burroughts located on Mill Creek, in what is now Dover Township, on 400 acres of land which he leased of Thomas C. Geary, of Virginia, 200 acres of which were situated on the south side of Mill Creek, and 200 acres on the north side.  Here Mr. Burroughs struck the first blow in opening out the mighty forests of Dover Township, and here he made his first financial start in life, beginning with no capital, not even an outfit for housekeeping.  He erected his little log cabin, daubed with mud, and in midwinter moved into it with his young wife and companion.  In one corner of the cabin was erected a frame for the bedstead, consisting of two poles extending from holes bored in the logs of his cabin, and supported by a single corner post, with poles laid across for slats, upon which was laid a straw bed, and for cover they had a feather bed containing about five or six pounds of feathers and one blanket; this was all the bedding they possessed.  Their table consisted of a large slab into which were put legs.  His wife had a broken skillet, the only cooking utensil she possessed.   She had one broken plate, one knife with a part of the handle broken off, and one fork with one tine broken off; these composed their entire outfit of dishes, and served for her use at their meals.  Mr. Burroughs made a wooden fork for his own use, and for a knife to eat with he used his pocket knife, partaking of his food from a wooden plate of his own manufacture.  These constituted their entire outfit of table ware.  Spring and the sugar-making season were near at hand.  The forests were abundantly supplied with sugar trees, and their first effort must be to manufacture all the sugar possible.  But here agin was another difficulty; they had no utensils for making sugar.  Mr. Burroughs from some large quantity of wooden sugar troughs, and tapped about 200 sugar trees.  Now, the work and labor commenced; day and night, "week in and week out," they toiled, gathering the sugar water, boiling it down and making sugar, till the season for such work was past.  Now, they must market their sugar, and purchase some necessary articles for the house.  The nearest store was that of  James Ewing, near Plain City, about ten miles distant.  He had no horse, there were no roads, but mere bridle paths run by blazed trees.  He took upon his back all the sugar he could carry, and traveled the entire distance to the store on foot.  In exchange for his sugar, he purchased one-half dozen plates, one-half dozen knives and forks, one-half dozen cups and saucers, one tin teapot, and one-quarter of a pound of tea, and with these on his back, he trudged his way back to his home.  His wife unpacked and washed the dishes while Mr. Burroughs with his ax split out a large slab, and dressed it up as smooth as possible, and upon pins driven into a log in the cabin he placed his slab, to serve as a shelf, upon which was placed this new supply of table ware.  With hearts full of gratitude, and eyes beaming with delight and satisfaction, on the opposite side of the room of that humble cabin, stood the young pioneer with his trusting and affectionate wife, gazing upon that small, but to them beautiful and bountiful outfit, the result of their first united labors toward obtaining a home and a livelihood.  Who can fully realize the rapture that now filled their souls as they there stood and viewed their entire worldly goods, and knew that their own labor had produced them, under the most adverse circumstances!  And who would be surprised that Mr. Burroughs says, "I tapped my wife on the shoulder, and said to her, 'We'll make it yet!' "  Mr. Burroughs said he felt prouder at that moment, over that success, then in after years he would have done, he had been presented with $10,000 in cash.  Mr. Burroughs remained upon this land he had leased about three years, during which time he had cleared forty acres.  At the expiration of seven years, he owned two horses, a good wagon, a yoke of oxen, five milch cows, nine head of two-year-old steers, and forty head of hogs.  Truly, his assertion to his wife, "we'll make it yet," has verified; he was now on the sure road to wealth and fortune.  He now purchased 187½ acres of land on Blues or Little Mill Creek - land which is now owned by John Robinson - on Survey No. 5,499, and here commenced to open out a home and a farm for himself; and here he resided for thirty years.  In the fall of 1853, he sold his place and removed to Illinois, where he resided till 1875.  The success that crowned his first efforts in his start in life was continued in an increased ratio, commensurate with the increase of his property and advantages to accumulate; and no at his period of his life, after three score years of diligent toil and labor, he finds himself in possession of an ample competency; in amount many thousands of dollars.  At the last-mentioned date - 1875 - he removed to La Fayette, Ind., and in July, 1882, he again returned to Union County, Ohio, and now resides with his son in the village of Dover, in the eighty-ninth year of his age.  Mr. Burroughs has been four times married, and his last and fourth wife he buried several years since, while a resident of Illinois.  His life, while successful financially, has also been characterized by liberality and probity - giving freely of his own means and influence to all worthy objects, improvements and progress  of the communities where he has resided.

     William Badly, it is said, was the second one to locate in the precinct of Dover Township.  He settled on Mill Creek, just below Mr. Burroughs, in  1818.  He was a native of Maryland, where he married Sarah Hurst, by whom he had the following children:  James, Arthur, Tabitha, mahala, Anna, one daughter who married a Mr. Cook, Mercy, William, Nelson, Sallie and Zachariah, most of whom died early in life with consumption.  Mr. Badley was honest, upright and a worthy pioneer.  The year 1818, in which Mr. Badley settled, was the date of several new settlers coming to Dover Township; in    MORE TO COME...........................

     Stephen Dysert, mentioned above as marrying Susanna Hannaman, came from Ross County,   ......... MORE TO COME

     Isaac Dodd

     Lancelot Maze

     William Richey, Sr.

     John Dinwiddie

     Daniel Williams

     John Williams

     Jonathan Bowen

     James B. Clark

     David W. Worley

     In 1824-25, COATS THORNTON settled on Survey No. 5,135, and about the same time GEORGE H. HOUSER settled on Survey No. 9,028.  In 1825, WILLIAM WILMUTH settled on Survey No. 3,348, and perhaps a little earlier RICHARD COLUMBER settled on land now owned by WILLIAM HOWEY, where he resided till his death.  JOHN COLUMBER, near the same time, settled in the same neighborhood, but never married, and died where he first located, June 7, 1857, aged sixty years.

     Amos Spurgeon

     Rev. John Carney

     John Price

     Abner Liggett

     Lewis Filler

     Rev. Ebenezer Mathers

     JOSEPH RUSSELL and ELIJAH BROWN settled here about 1831-32; LEVI and DANIEL LONGBRAKE, in 1832-33.  About 1833 came MATHEW COLUMBER and ALEXANDER ROSS, the latter settled on Survey No. 5,499, the former died Oct. 29, 1853, aged sixty-seven eyars.  Between 1833 and 1835 were settled here JAMES MATHERS, ALEXANDER R. BOWEN, EBENEZER BETHARD, SAMUEL H. DODD, JOSEPH NORTH and JAMES BUXTON, the latter residing on the west bank of MIll creek, and upon his land is the cemetery known as Buxton Cemetery.

     Michael Myers

     Adam Myers

     John Meyers,

     Samuel Bowdre

     Samuel Beck

     Roden Huffman

     MILLS.

SCHOOLS.

CHURCHES.

CEMETERIES.

TOWNS AND VILLAGES.

ROADS AND PIKES.

TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.