The history of Erving dates from 1750 when John Erving of Boston received a grant of a tract of land. Erving was one of the most successful merchants in America, but certainly was not a frontiersman. The first settler of the town was Asaph White of Heath, who built a log house on the north side of the Millers River and established a toll gate in 1802. The town incorporated on April 17, 1838 and became the last of the 26 towns in Franklin County to do so.