Editing Union County, Indiana (section)

==History==
Prior to cession to the United States government, this area belonged to and was inhabited by peoples of the [[Chippewa]], [[Delaware tribe|Delaware]], [[Eel River Tribe|Eel River]], [[Kaskaskia]], [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]], [[Miami people|Miami]], [[Odawa|Ottawa]], [[Piankeshaw|Piankishaw]], [[Potawatomi]], [[Shawnee]], [[Wea]], and [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]] tribes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digitreaties.org/treaties/treaty/170281462/ | title=Treaty: Ratified Indian Treaty 23: Wyandot, Delaware, Shawnee, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi, Eel River, Wea, Kickapoo, Piankashaw, and Kaskaskia - Greenville, August 3, 1795 }}</ref>

The future state of Indiana was first regulated by passage of the [[Northwest Ordinance]] in 1787. In 1790 the [[northwest Territory|Territory]] was divided into two counties, with [[Knox County, Indiana|Knox]] covering much of present-day Indiana. The area later known as Union County was included in lands ceded to the U.S. government in two treaties: in 1795 with the [[Treaty of Greenville]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digitreaties.org/treaties/treaty/170281462/ | title=Treaty: Ratified Indian Treaty 23: Wyandot, Delaware, Shawnee, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi, Eel River, Wea, Kickapoo, Piankashaw, and Kaskaskia - Greenville, August 3, 1795 }}</ref> and in 1809 with the [[Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809)|Treaty of Fort Wayne]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digitreaties.org/treaties/treaty/12013184/ | title=Treaty: Ratified Indian Treaty 57: Delaware, Potawatomi, Miami, and Eel River - Fort Wayne, September 30, 1809 }}</ref>

In 1810, a portion of Knox was partitioned to create [[Wayne County, Indiana|Wayne County]]; in 1811 a portion further south was partitioned to create [[Franklin County, Indiana|Franklin]]. The area between those two counties was partitioned in 1818 to create [[Fayette County, Indiana|Fayette]]; by the 1820s the eastern part of Fayette County was sufficiently populated to warrant separate representation. Thus on January 5, 1821, the state legislature authorized the creation of Union County, with areas ceded from Wayne County, Fayette County and Franklin County. The organization of the new county's governing structure began on February 1, 1821.<ref>[https://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/counties/indiana/union.html ''Union County History'' (ReferenceDesk.com, accessed 8 August 2020)]</ref>

[[Image:Liberty-indiana-from-above.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Liberty, Indiana|Liberty]] from the air, looking east]]
It was so named because it united parts of Fayette, Franklin and Wayne counties. The first non-native settlers were from Laurens District, South Carolina. John Templeton was the first settler to enter land at the Cincinnati land office in what would become Harmony Township, Union County, Indiana. The first county seat was Brownsville, a small community on the East Fork of the [[Whitewater River (Great Miami River tributary)|Whitewater River]]. The seat was moved in 1824 to [[Liberty, Indiana|Liberty]], a central location. The primary industry of Union County was and is farming.