Fayette County Census of 1860
West Union Township
The first settlers came in 1848. Originally set up as Union Township, it became the county seat.

....1875 Map, by this time the railroads were crossing Fayette County and there was significant population growth an development. In 1860, although there was several thousands settlers in the County there was still a large amount of unclaimed, uncleared, unbroken land. This was a time of rapid movement into the county and the claiming of new farms for many settlers, however nearly all manufactured commodities and supplies were still being brought in from the Mississippi River port of Dubuque, with a small amount from McGregor and up from the Cedar Rapids area to the south. By the time of the above map in 1875 all areas had been settled and developed, major communities were developing and the rapid rail movement of human commodities was revolutionizing the culture of the area.

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....By the spring of 1848 nearly all of the Winnebago's have been forced out of area north of the Neutral Ground which was below the land that would become West Union Township of Fayette County, Iowa, and into Minnesota. Three white settlers had been on the move from New York state with their families and looking for new land to claim. They were in the area of what would be the center of Union Township of the new county of Fayette, in Iowa. They had just traveled by ox pulled wagons out of Clayton County on old animal and Indian trails coming up along the Turkey River from Elkader, they cut over the big hills to the west. The terrain had been big rough hills from the unglaciated area running through mid-Fayette County to the Mississippi. Some of the timber had been cleared by this time in Clayton County for small farm field, but their travels through Fayette County was through deep virgin Oak-Hickory timber. As they moved west into mid-Fayette County they came to the edge communities between the hill timber and the thick tall-wet grass prairie in the western glaciated area of Fayette County. At this interface of forest and prairie, they saw a big rolling hill area of prairie grass sticking out of the landscape. The three families of Lorenzo Dutton, Henry Jones and Charles Jones would settle at or near Knob Prairie, later to become the town of West Union.

....The first grist mill was built by Cyrus Gurdy on Otter Creek, where today's Echo Valley Park is located. Other mills would be erected on small streams later.
....William Wells came from Wisconsin in 1849, to become on of the first successful settlers in Union Township. Wells, along with J. W. Rogers and Jacob LyBrand would plot the town to be called Knob Prairie. A brother-in-law several miles to the east, living in Shin Bone Valley (Elgin) would address the first letter into the area to William Wells at Know Prairie. William Wells would shortly rename Knob Prairie, West Union.
....By 1851, only three years after whites moved north of the Neutral Ground line in the northern half of Fayette County, the voting males of the county elected West Union the county seat. A courthouse was erected in 1856, but would be destroyed by fire in 1872, then in 1874 the second courthouse would be erected.
....By 1850, there was a functioning log school house in West Union and others being built in the surrounding area as it was settled enough to warrant a school.
....The 1860 census of West Union Township lists many of the original pioneer families into the area. By 1860 some of the first settlers had moved on but the ones remaining were becoming established farmers, craftsman, merchants. Almost everyone farmed, even if they had other occupations, food resources for the family had to be raised personally in pioneer communities.

Fam #, Surname, Given Name, Age, Sex, Occupation ,Real Vallue, Personal Value, Birthplace
892 Stafford Margret 16 F Ohio X