County: Berrien (11)

Berrien County, Michigan was founded in 1829 and organized in 1831. The county was named after John M. Berrien, a Georgia lawyer who served as U.S. Attorney General under President Andrew Jackson from 1829–1831. The county was separated from Lenawee County in 1829. The county seat was originally in Newberryport, which is now St. Joseph City. 

The county was populated by settlers who moved to Berrien in the 1830s. The Berrien County Courthouse, built in 1839, is the oldest existing county courthouse in Michigan. [GGAI]


Created from: Michigan Territory and Lenawee County (1829)

Boundary finalized: 1831

Hundred Year Population Change: 1900 = 19,440  | 2000 = 162,453


  • 29 Oct 1829 - BERRIEN created by Michigan Territory from Non-County Area 3 and Non-County Area 1 attached to LENAWEE; BERRIEN not fully organized, not attached. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 2:sec. 13/p. 737)

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

  • 01 Sep 1831 - BERRIEN fully organized, detached from CASS. (Mich. Terr. Laws, 3:902-903)

Source: [NL]


Notes


Time Line

1880. There are 48 saloons in the county as follows: Niles 17; St. Joseph 12; Benton Harbor 5; New Buffalo 4, Buchanan 2; Berrien Springs 2; Three Oaks 2, Watervliet 2; Galien 1 and Lake township 1. These sevent3een saloons pay an annual tax of $8,017.09. [NDEM-1880-`1`8]

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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