This town is located in the north tier of townships. It is one-half the size of a congressional township, being six miles from east to west and three miles from north to south. It originally formed a part of' Bradford township. The surface is for the most part undulating. Stone suitable for building purposes abounds in considerable quantities.

The finest quarry is just north of the village of Ashton, which is said to be equal in quality to any in northern Illinois for building.

The first person to locate in the township was Erastus Anderson, in 1848. He was followed in a few weeks after by his brother Timothy, their father coming in December of the same year. At that time there were only four houses to be seen, and part of these were twenty miles distant. In 1849 a man by the name of Hubbard settled in the west part of the township. In 1852 Daniel Suter located near the site of the German Baptist Church, and H. Saunders farther to the west. These comprised most of the settlers of what is now Ashton Township prior to the location of the Northwestern railroad in 1854.

The first settlers of Ashton township say not a tree was to be seen nearer than the grove, at what is now Franklin; that game was plenty, that ducks, geese and sandhill cranes reared their young here in the swamps, and that chasing the prairie wolf was of frequent occurrence. Sheep had to be closely guarded. Prairie fires sometimes broke out, sweeping the grass, which was very abundant, and sometimes the buildings and crops of the pioneers, leaving behind a black and desolate waste.

The land of Ashton Township was bought principally by speculators about the time the first settlers made their appearance. They rated it from $5 to $10 per acre. Those with small means settled farther from the railroads, where land could be had for less money. Ashton Township is yet owned largely in large farms.

In 1854 emigrants began to come in from every quarter and located in Ashton township. In that year the first house was built by James L. Bates, where the village of Ashton now is. The town was laid out in 1855. J. L. Bates kept the first store here. The first warehouse was erected in the latter part of 1854, and in this was kept the first post office. The first blacksmith shop was erected in 1855, by S. M. Kifnes.

The first church erected was the Methodist Episcopal in 1863. A lot was offered, free of charge, to the church society which would erect the first building in the village. The Methodist Episcopal people, not feeling themselves able to build a durable church, erected a temporary structure to secure the lot until such time as they were able to build a durable church. The second church was erected by the Free Methodists in 1864. This is said to have been the first church of the kind in the state. The society was first organized in Ogle county, four miles north of Ashton, by J. G. Terrol, in 1860, but for convenience the society was divided and a church built in Ashton. Among the prominent members at the time of its organization were Charles Butolpk, Jonathan Dake, Sidney and Melville Beach, Sylvester Forbes, Isaac Martin, Samuel Walker, James Reed, William Martin, their wives and others. Rev. Terrol was followed by Rev. W. Underwood. The society at one time, shortly after its organization, numbered ninety active members. The society had kept in good running order a Sunday-school most of the time. It later united its Sunday-school with that of the Presbyterians. Its church principles at the time were absolute freedom and strong opposition to all secret societies.

The third church erected here was by the Catholics, in 1866. Its members were for the most part Germans, and numbered about fifty active communicants.

The Christian church was built in 1868. The prime leaders were F. Nettleton, J. P. Taylor, and Peter Plantz. It was organized with fifteen members. It first held its meetings in the school-house. The society flourished with the other societies of the town until the late 1870s, when misfortunes beyond its control befell it. But it quickly recovered its former standing.

The German Baptists built their church house one fourth of a mile south of town, in 1866. Its membership was listed at something more than forty, and was in a flourishing condition. The cemetery connected with this church sat on a beautiful rising ground.

The Presbyterian church was erected in 1877. The building committee were Messrs. Mills, Petrie and Polluck. At the time of organization its membership was fourteen. The leading members were Griffith, Hutsen, and Brewer. The first minister was Rev. S. Vale.

In the 1880s, Rev. Jordan was the pastor. The elders at that time were S. F. Mills and J. Brewer. The Lutheran society held its meetings in the Presbyterian Church.

The Masons and Odd-Fellows each had a society there. The former was organized in 1869, and was prosperous. The latter was organized in 1867, and though not so numerous in members still enjoyed a good degree of prosperity. Temperance orders of various kinds had sprung up at various intervals, only to be lost sight of and suffered to die.

Ashton could boast of the finest school building in the county. It was a stone edifice erected at a cost of $28,000. The school employed six teachers.

The Ashton Bank was opened by Mills & Petrie in 1867. During its existence it had never closed its doors. During the month of June, 1881, it received checks amounting to over $80,000, the greater part of which was for produce shipped from this point.

Ashton had at several times been visited with very destructive fires for a town of its size. The first fire of note was in 1863. The grain elevator was burned, and the loss was estimated at $2,000. Next, the Ashton flouring mill burned in 1863; the 1oss amounting to $60,000. In 1871 the railroad property, which consisted of two tanks, the depot and a coal-house, in which were stored 1,200 tons of coal; in addition to the railroad property, a lumber yard and four dwelling houses were burned, the estimated loss being $75,000. This fire originated in the coal-house.

In 1874 the hay-press and elevator were burned; a loss of $30,000. Besides these fires named there have been numerous smaller ones.

During the 1880s, Ashton had three elevators, two hotels, and flouring mill, six churches and seven congregations, one bank, of which Mills & Petrie were the sole proprietors, and several very good stores for a country town. The Masons and Odd-Fellows were the only secret societies.

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