County: Barry (08)

Barry County, Michigan was formed in 1829 by the Michigan Territorial legislature. The county was named after William Taylor Barry, who was the United States Postmaster General at the time. Barry County was formally organized in 1839. 

The county was attached to St. Joseph and Kalamazoo Counties until it was organized. In 1843, the state legislature designated Hastings as the county seat.

The first settlers arrived in the early 1930s. Before that, French traders and adventurers frequented the streams and heavily timbered lands. There were also several Indian settlements in the northwestern part of the county. [GGAI]


Created from: Michigan Territory and Lenawee County (1829)

Boundary finalized: 1839

Population: 1900 = 22,514  | 2000 = 61,941


  • 29 Oct 1829 - BARRY created by Michigan Territory from Non-County Area 1 attached to LENAWEE and Non-County Area 2 attached to OAKLAND; BARRY not fully organized, not attached. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:sec. 4/p. 735)

  • 04 Nov 1829 - BARRY attached to ST. JOSEPH for administrative and judicial purposes. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:744-746)

  • 01 Oct 1830 - BARRY detached from ST. JOSEPH, attached to KALAMAZOO "for judicial purposes." (Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:836-837)

  • 02 Mar 1831 - BARRY lost to creation of ALLEGAN. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:sec. 4/p. 871)

  • 15 Mar 1839 - BARRY fully organized, detached from KALAMAZOO. (Mich. Acts 1839, ann. sess., no. 22/p. 17)

Source: [NL]

Bibliography

The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:

  • [AAB| = All Aboard!, by Willis Dunbar, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids ©1969.
  • [AAN] = Alpena Argus newspaper.
  • [AARQJ] = American Association of Railroads Quiz Jr. pamphlet. © 1956
  • [AATHA] = Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association newsletter "The Double A"
  • [AB] = Information provided at Michigan History Conference from Andrew Bailey, Port Huron, MI

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