Greer Township

    As elsewhere stated, Greer Township was organized at the June session of the County Commissioners in the year 1858. It was named in honor of an old, highly-respected citizen of the township. This was Richard Greer, a native of Philadelphia, born in 1780, and whence, three years later, he moved to North Carolina with his parents. At the age of twenty-five years he located in what is now Orange County, Indiana. After living there for several years he came to Warrick County. Like all the earliest settlers, he lived for some time on Congress land. Other of the early settlers here were William Taylor, John Barton, John Hornet, George Taylor, James Keel, Joseph Fields, Seth Thompson, Larkin Burchfield, James Flack, Elijah Barton, Abraham Reed and Enoch Taylor.

    Greer Township contains but thirty sections of land. It is watered by Big Creek and Big Pigeon, and contains some of the best farming land in the county. At the organization of the township Eli Loper, David Barnett and R. M. Archer were appointed Township Trustees; David W. Beeson, Township Treasurer, and George W. Haywood, Township Clerk. At first it was divided into two election precincts, but in December, 1854, this was changed -it was made into one.

    Up to the year 1820 there were but two land entries in the whole of what now constitutes the township. These were made by Robert Cardwell in 1810, and by Jonathan Harned in 1818. The fact is patent that up to the year 1830 there was but a small portion of the land in Warrick County owned by the people then living in it. About that year, however, an impetus was given in that direction, and it became the ambition of the citizens to own land form which no power could drive them. For twenty years, up to 1850, a large amount of land was purchased of the Government, and Warrick County was then receiving its greatest immigration. But even after that date there was yet considerable of the land in the county unsold. Greer Township was taken from the two townships of Hart and Campbell, and since its first formation has never been changed.