Set off from the county of Des Moines December 7, 1836; District Court to be held at the town of Wapello. The following were the first boundaries of the county: "Beginning at the Mississippi river, at the northeast corner of Des Moines; thence up said river twelve miles above the mouth of Iowa; thence west to the Indian boundary line; thence with said boundary line, to the north west corner of Henry and with the line of the same to the northwest corner of the county of Des Moines; thence east with the line of the said county of Des Moines to the beginning." The western line therefore extended from about the northwest corner of township 75, range 7, to a point probably somewhere in the north half of section 19, township 73, range 8; and the southern line from the latter point to another, probably in section 18, township 72, range 4 west, and thence east to the Mississippi. The county, therefore, included besides the present county, of the political divisions: of the State, the following: all of the townships of Oregon and Crawford, most of those of Washington and Marion, and parts of those of Franklin and Brighton, in the county of Washington; parts of the townships of Jefferson and Canaan, most of that of Wayne, and nearly all of that of Scott, in the county of Henry; and parts of the townships of Washington, Yellow Springs, and Huron, in the county of Des Moines. January 18, 1838, all of the county west of range 4 was detached to the new county of SLAUGHTER, while the southern line of the remainder of the county was made the same as at present. This left all of the present township of Elm Grove, and most of that of Columbus City, and all of Union and Oakland in Slaughter county, where nearly all of the last named two had been all along. The next change, which took place January 12, 1839, regained townships 74 and 75, in range 5, and gave the county, in addition, township 76, same range, which had not before been in Louisa county. The lines as then fixed remain unaltered to this day. The act of January, 18, 1838, established the seat of Justice at the town of Lower Wapello. In 1839, an election was directed to be held March 5, for the choice of a county seat, at which a majority vote should be required; if no place had a majority another election was to be had the following August between the two points having the highest number of votes at the March election.

ORIGIN OF THE NAME "LOUISA"

Named after Louisa Massey, a young Iady of Dubuque, who, a few months before the passage of the act creating the county, had shot a ruffian named Smith, who had threatened the life of her brother, and was believed to be seeking an opportunity to execute the threat, he having already participated in the murder of another brother. The people of Dubuque and elsewhere, for the fame of Miss Massey's bold action spread throughout the West, were very much gratified thereat, whence followed the naming of the county of Louisa in her honor. Such is the generally accepted, and very probably correct, account of the origin of the name. It is proper to state, however, that Wm. L. Toole, a pioneer of the county attributes the name to the fact that among the members of the first Wisconsin Legislature were some persons who came from the county of Louisa, in the State of Virginia, and who succeeded in giving to this new Iowa county the name of that of their nativity. It is not improbable that this consideration made friends for the proposition to name the county after the Dubuque heroine.

The census table of Louisa county shows the population of the various towns in the county to have been as follows in the years mentioned. Some of the towns were not reported at all enumerations:

In 1850, the first enumeration, Wapello had 336.

In 1854, Wapello had 544, Columbus City 149, Grandview 174, Toolesboro 91, Port Louisa 105.

In 1859, Wapello had 1,027.

In 1860, Wapello had 821, Clifton 46, Columbus Junction 519, Hillsboro 63, Grandview 356, Toolsboro 138, Morning Sun 226, Port Louisa 120.

In 1868, Wapello had 876.

In 1865, Wapello had 880. In 1867, Wapello had 782. In 1869, Wapello had 851, Morning Sun 279.

In 1870, Wapello had 870, Clifton 200, Columbus Junction 850, Hillsboro 46, Fredonia 150, Grandview 422, Lettsville 88, Toolsboro 160, Morning Sun 314, Port Allen 50, Port Louisa 75. In 1873, Wapello had 982, Morning Sun 445.

In 1875, Wapello had 933, Columbus City 605, Columbus Junction 517, Fredonia 123, Morning Sun 785. In 1880, Wapello had 928, Columbus City 605, Columbus Junction 793, Morning Sun 812, Fredonia 157, Grandview 341, Lettsville 300, Toolsboro 105, Cairo 123.

OTHER NOTES.

Concord and Oakland townships were formed out of Fredonia in 1858, which then became extinct.

Union was taken from Columbus City, in 1854. Morning Sun was taken from Columbus City and Wapello in 1841 and was called Florence township until 1854. It then included all of Eliot township.

Eliot, at different times, constituted parts of Florence, Jefferson and Wapello. It was organized in '66 and has since included parts of Wapello and Jefferson. Port Louisa was taken from Wapello, Grandview and Jefferson in '50.

Elm Grove was a part of Columbus City until '67.

Marshall was organized in 1854 and wore the name of Otter Creek two years.