The township of East Williams was formed in 1860 when the township of Williams was divided into East and West with the division line being what is commonly known as the Centre Road. It filled up very rapidly, for the first settlement took place in the eastern part in 1831, 1832 and 1833. The first church was built by the Presbyterians in 1834 on Lot 15, concession 4, which was Clergy Reserve land and afterwards owned by the McKenzies. The first school was built in 1837 in Nairn where Dan McFarlane's house now stands. At the time of the American Civil War and the Crimean War, prices rose very high and the farmers received good prices for the produce they had to sell but during the 70's, 80's and 90's a depression hit the rural community and the prices received for produce were very low and hundreds of the young people, yes, older ones too, left this district and went first to the United States and later, large numbers of them went to Western Canada. Unfortunately, a lot of the farms which formerly had buildings on them and were growing produce were turned into grassland and were bought up by the farmers who remained. Those who remained built better schools, new churches, and improved roads and built bridges across the Aux Sable river, which in the case of East Williams was a very expensive proposition as the river runs from one corner of the township to the other. Space does not permit the telling of numerous things that have taken place during this last one-hundred years but it is a township of which the inhabitants are justly proud.

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