Village of Union City
The first permanent settler in the area was Justin Goodwin in 1833.
He called the settlement Goodwinville. There was a post office by this name for awhile.
By the end of the Civil War the community had become large enough to think of formal
organization. The name Union was popular at the time and place, and since the location
was also the union of the Coldwater and Saint Joseph Rivers, the name Union City
seemed the only choice. In the fall of 1865, a petition was submitted to the County Board
of Supervisors asking formal incorporation of the Village of Union City. So inacted by the
Board, it was ordered that George W. Buell, David R. Cooley, and James T. Leonard be
appointed inspectors to hold the first corporation election at the township hall in the
village. This election was duly held January 25, 1866, and a slate of officers were elected
for a very short period since the regular election day came on March 6, 1866, at which
time the whole process was redone.
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