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