North and South Otter Townships, Macoupin County IL

North Otter Township T12N R7W

South Otter Township T11N R7W

Towns in North Otter Twp		Cemeteries	Schools
Population in 1870	1875 Atlas	1875 Atlas Names	Google Map

The population in all of North Otter Township in 1870 was 1,250

Union Chapel Methodist Church Records, 1868-1945

There are no existing towns today in North Otter Township.

Towns in North Otter Township were:
(Fulton)

(Elm Grove) "on what is known as "Gopher Hill," There was no post office at Elm Grove. Elm Grove was located at the north edge of Section 3 in North Otter.
Place Names by James Adams reads See 1879 hist. 258
1879 Macoupin History, p 258
"When near Elm Grove, in this township, and on what is known as "Gopher Hill," they stopped to rest, and Aaron came up behind him....."

(Stirrup Grove, called Pleasant Grove by a few, and later called Chapman's Point)

From Illinois Place Names by James Adams, Stirrup Grove was established 22 Sep 1858 and disbanded 29 Nov 1895. Stirrup Grove Post Office was located in the west part of Section 7 of North Otter Township. Then called Pleasant Grove by a few and later named Chapman's Point.
Stirrup Grove was still listed as a having a Post Office on the 1893-94 plat map. I don't know much about Stirrup Grove except that it was probably a community of farmers. I don't know of a town as such located in the area. You will see Stirrup Grove Post Office listed in the 1850, 1860, 1870,... Federal Censuses for citizens living in the area.

Towns in South Otter Twp		Cemeteries	Schools
Population in 1870	1875 Atlas	1875 Atlas Names	Google Map

The population in all of South Otter Township in 1870 was 695.

There are no existing towns today in South Otter Township.
Towns in South Otter Township were:

(Buford) formerly (Hoover's Point), (Elroy), and (Standard)
(Greasey)
Part of Nilwood - is listed under Nilwood Township.

(Buford) Information (Elroy) (Hoover's Point) (Standard)

I don't know the location of Buford. It may belong in South Palmyra Township or it may have been located in the southwestern part of South Otter Township?

Taken from the book Illinois Place Names, compiled by James Adams (1911-1965) published by the Illinois State Historical Society, 1989.
Hoover's Point (Macoupin County) Post Office established 05/30/1849; changed to Elroy 06/18/1861. Later Buford.
Hoover's Point Post Office was used on the 1860 Federal Census.
Elroy (Macoupin) Post Office established 06/18/1861. Changed to Hoover's Point. Changed to Buford 02/26/1862.
Buford (Macoupin) Post Office established (changed from Elroy) 02/26/1862. Discontinued 12/22/1887. Formerly, Elroy, Hoover's Point, Standard.
Standard (Macoupin) later Buford. (State Atlas, 1876)

(Greasey) Information

Illinois Place Names book:
GREASY (Macoupin). PO est. 8/28/1862; dis. 2/9/1871

contributed by Carolynn Jones Bettis
I believe the Greasey Post Office may have been located in the southwest quarter of Section 8 in South Otter Township near the Pleasant Dale Church (in 1997), and the mail route for Greasey Post Office extended from this location into the southwest quarter of Section 36 in North Palmyra Township.

Most people who lived in Greasey wouldn't admit it. They would always say, "It's just a little bit west of here."

Anyone who might admit to being born in Greasey laughed when they would tell that they were born in Greasey. It is said that there are a few stories about how Greasey got its name. One story is that someone stole a whole ham and took it home. They hid it by burying it at the top of a hill. The sun came out and caused grease to ooze from the place the ham was buried giving away the identity of the thief, thus the name Greasey.

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