The first permanent settler in the township of St. Joseph was Joseph Stayton who moved to the area in 1830. The original survey of the town had been made in 1821, and one man, Nicholas Young, had built a log cabin on a farm just south of St. Joseph in 1828. In the early days, the town had a tavern that was owned by Joseph Kelly, and was frequented by travelers, including an area lawyer named Abraham Lincoln.