USA > Michigan > Berrien County > A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan > Part 5
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The subject of the earliest settlements will be resumed in subsequent chapters, em- bracing first Niles, Berrien township, St. Joseph, Oronoka and Bertrand.
CHAPTER IV
ORGANIZATION-GENERAL INTERESTS AND INSTITUTIONS
"What constitutes a State? Not high-raised battlement or laboured mound, Thick wall or moated gate; Not cities proud with spires and turrets crowned ; No :- men, high minded men, Men, who their duties know, But know their rights, and knowing, dare main- tain."
SIR WILLIAM JONES.
The famous ordinance of 1787 created the "North West Territory" out of which were subsequently organized the five great Sister states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. By the congres- sional act of 1800 that part of the North- west Territory now included in Ohio was set off under a distinct territorial govern- ment and the remainder was organized as the territory of Indiana. In 1805, Michigan was erected into a separate territory. For many years the territory now included in the county of Berrien was part of the county of Wayne. In 1827 the township of St. Jo- seph was organized as a part of that county and included all lands acquired from the Indians by the treaty of 1821. September 22, 1829, all lands acquired by the Carey mission treaty were attached to Lenawee county. October 29, 1829, the county of Berrien was organized with its present limits, but on November 5, 1829, it was
erected into the township of Niles and at- tached to Cass county. In 1831, Berrien county was detached from Cass county and made a separate county. In 1832, the coun- ty was divided into three townships, viz. : Berrien, Niles and St. Joseph. The town of Berrien then embraced the territory now included in the townships of Berrien, Oronoko and Lake, with a two mile strip immediately north of that territory. The town of St. Joseph embraced all of Berrien county, north of Berrien township, and the town of Niles embraced all south of Ber- rien township.
Subsequently new townships were or- ganized and portions of territory detached from the three original townships of Ber- rien, St. Joseph and Niles. The dates of the organization of these townships, in their chronological order appear in the following table :
25
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
Royalton, 1835, embracing also the pres- ent territory of Pipestone and Lincoln.
New Buffalo, 1836, embracing also pres- ent territory of Three Oaks and Chikaming.
Bertrand, 1836, embracing also present territory of Galien.
Bainbridge, 1837.
Buchanan, 1837.
Benton, 1837.
Oronko, 1837, embracing also present territory of Lake.
WVeesaw, 1837.
Pipestone, 1842, embracing also present territory of Sodus.
Galien, 1844.
Hagar, 1846.
Watervliet, 1846.
Lake, 1846.
Three Oaks, 1856.
Chikaming, 1856.
The following table shows the popula- tion of Berrien county at different dates :
1837
1840
1845
1850
1854
1860
1864
4863
5011
7365
11417
13595
22578
25704
1870
1874
1880
1884
1890
1900
1904
35104 35029
36785
37776
41285
49165
49390
The following table shows the popula- tion of the different townships and cities at different dates :
1840
18.45
1854
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1904
Bainbridge
251
613
574
938
1337
1378
1519
1803
1759
Benton. .
....
237
641
1028
3116
2139
2377
3234
3043
Benton Harbor
...
1305
1084
1540
1522
1308
1093
932
933
Berrien
543
566
999
1253
1405
1392
1584
1490
1530
Buchanan
264
630
1202
1728
2973
2898
2849
2575
2672
Chikaming
993
996
964
920
893
Galien .
141
404
528
856
1238
1239
1205
Hagar
834
946
953
1105
1127
Lake. .
....
227
557
1006
1247
1518
2694
2733
Lincoln ..
1181
1408
2112
1877
1783
New Buffalo.
123
416
873
834
1389
1191
1192
1240
1245
Niles.
1420
1935
3174
2722
1910
1663
1364
1131
1059
Niles City
2788
4648
4197
4197
4287
4641
Oronoko.
335
664
874
1252
1617
1812
1815
1951
1997
Pipestone
277
875
1052
1379
1495
1446
1386
1366
Royalton
246
284
452
964
2190
906
960
953
1165
1182
St. Joseph.
489
628
703
1358
2994
3550
574
1070
1008
City of St. Joseph.
3733
5155
5322
Three Oaks.
...
....
539
1328
1393
1754
1844
1800
Watervliet
...
....
545
1328
1897
2016
3009
2915
Weesaw
142
155
401
753
1243
1369
1178
1349
1331
. .
. ..
....
. .
674
Sodus ..
...
....
....
...
Bertrand township as originally organ- ized, extended to the west line of Cass coun- ty, and was twelve miles long, but subse- quently that portion of the township east of the St. Joseph river was detached and annexed to the township of Niles.
The township of Buchanan, as originally constituted, embraced no lands north and east of the St. Joseph river. Several years since, however, all that territory in Niles township lying west of the range line No. 18, was detached and annexed to Buchanan township, consisting of nearly four sections of land. Some small changes have been made with regard to other townships, but not of sufficient importance to mention.
The city of Niles was incorporated in 1859. The village of Niles was incor- porated in 1838.
The city of St. Joseph was incorporated in 1891. The village was incorporated in 1834.
The city of Benton Harbor was incor- porated in 1891. The village in 1869.
Sodus, 1860.
Lincoln, 1867.
3692
6562
6702
Bertrand
1298
....
269
438
1164
1147
1144
310
26
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
It will be seen from the foregoing table that in the early history of the county the bulk of the population for a considerable period occupied the southeastern portion of the county. At the close of the Civil war, however, immigration set in rapidly toward other portions of the county. The most rapid increase of population during its whole history was between the years 1864 and 1870. During a period of only six years the population increased by 9,400, or about 35 per cent. During this period the build- ing of the C. & W. M. railroad along the shore of Lake Michigan, and the attractions of the fruit industry just beginning to de- velop, led to the resurrection of St. Joseph from its decline and to the birth of a new metropolis on the eastern shore of the St. Joseph river, hitherto undreamed of, but destined to take the lead in Berrien county, in commercial industry, enterprise and popu- lation.
Berrien county was named after John M. Berrien, attorney general in the first cabinet of President Jackson.
The population of the incorporated vil- lages according to the State census of 1904 was as follows :
Berrien Springs . 780, incorporated 1867 Buchanan 1832, 1863
..
Eau Claire 318, 1891
Galien 414, " 1879
Coloma 558. 1893
New Buffalo 640, 1836
Three Oaks 1000, 1867
Stevensville 237
1893
Watervliet 816, .. 1891
The population of the county is not homogeneous, but composed of several ele- ments.
The earliest settlers came from Virginia, Ohio and Indiana, by the way of the Fort Wayne highway. A large portion of them were of southern or Virginia origin, by birth or descent, although a considerable element originated in Pennsylvania. It is worthy
of note that a majority of those of southern origin were strongly anti-slavery in their convictions.
About the year 1834, however, the most important stream of immigration into the state of Michigan commenced. It came from the state of New York. also embrac- ing New England. Whole townships and counties were populated with immigrants from New York. The county of Berrien was not so exclusively settled by eastern people as other counties east of us, but it is probable that the number of settlers of Berrien county who came from New York between the years 1834 and 1855, exceeded that from all the other states put together. These people from New York were almost wholly descendants of pioneers who had emigrated from New England and cleared up the forests of the Empire State in the eighteenth century.
A considerable number of our pioneers came from Pennsylvania to this county, es- pecially to the townships of Bertrand, Oronoko and Berrien.
An important element of the Pennsyl- vania immigration was the "Pennsylvania Dutch." A description of this thrifty peo- ple is given in another chapter. Their set- tlements in Bertrand and Oronoko were quite extensive.
A considerable portion of the Pennsyl- vania and Virginia settlers belonged to the so-called "Scotch-Irish" race. They were the descendants of Scotchmen who had set- tled in the northern part of Ireland in the seventeenth century. Being exasperated by an excessive tariff of the English govern- ment on their linen industries, they com- menced coming to America about the year 1720 and poured over in vast numbers. At least one-third of the population of Pennsyl- vania and of Virginia at the close of the Revolution consisted of this element. Their descendants now number many millions and the race has formed one of the most powerful factors in national development.
.
27
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
The foreign population or those who were born abroad numbers about 7,000. The townships of Lincoln, New Buffalo, Lake, and the city of St. Joseph are the only lo- calities where the percentage of foreign population seems to be comparatively large. Lincoln township has a foreign population of over 700. St. Joseph about 1,200 and New Buffalo about 300. The prevailing element of foreign population is German.
The native population, where one or both of the parents were born abroad, num- bers about 4,400. Bainbridge at an early day was settled largely by Germans, but foreign immigration into the township ceased many years since and the number of people now living there, who were born abroad, is small. The German immigra- tion into Bainbridge was at a very early day and much in advance of the general stream of German emigration to this country.
The townships of Lake and Lincoln, within a few years, have been settled largely by people of various foreign birth or de- scent, the German element, however, pre- dominating. The township of Three Oaks has a large population of German origin, but the great majority were born in this country.
BLACK HAWK WAR.
1
In 1832 the famous Black Hawk war occurred. Black Hawk, a savage of un- common ability, was a Pottawatomie by birth, but became identified with the Sacs and Fox of Wisconsin and the chief, eventu- ally, of both tribes. He opposed the re- moval of the Indians west of the Mississippi in 1831, and headed an organized conspiracy against the whites which was attended with several frightful massacres. A report came in the spring of 1832 that Black Hawk was marching upon Chicago with a large force and that all the western settlements were in danger. The presence of several thou- sand Pottawatomies on the Reserve who had
not yet removed to the west tended to in- crease the anxiety. A regiment consisting of four or five companies of Michigan volun- teers made their rendezvous at the hotel of Thos. K. Green afterwards known as the "Old Diggins," in April. This was increased subsequently to a brigade under the com- mand of General Williams and in May the brigade departed as was supposed for the seat of war. When the brigade arrived at LaPorte, Indiana, news was received that Black Hawk had been defeated, that his forces had been obliged to retreat west of the Mississippi and that the troops would not be needed.
Among the old settlers who joined the brigade were A. M. Huston, David Wilson, Dr. E. Winslow, Wm. B. Beeson, Geo. Hoff- man, Jacob K. Brown, A. L. Burke, G. H. Claypool, Daniel Johnson, Wm. Kinzie, Henry Drew and Samuel Rogers. Mr. Hus- ton was first chosen colonel, Hoffman as major, Dr. E. Winslow as surgeon and Wm. B. Beeson as assistant surgeon. Some of the volunteers went as far as Chicago and a few as far as the Mississippi. None of them, however, saw active service, as Black Hawk was not only defeated but his forces practically annihilated and he himself taken prisoner within thirty days after he crossed the Mississippi.
It is to be noted that the Pottawatomies during all the excitement of this war, re- mained faithful to the whites, actuated no doubt to a considerable extent by their hatred toward their old-time enemies, the Sacs.
For a year at least, immigration was re- tarded by the alarm created by Black Hawk's invasion of the western settlements.
"WILD CAT BANKS."
An event occurred in 1838 and 1839 which seriously retarded immigration and operated disastrously to the growth of the state for several years. It especially affected
28
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
Berrien county which bid fair as early as 1836 to develop rapidly into a thickly set- tled and prosperous locality. The un- fortunate event referred to was the organiza- tion and collapse of the so-called "Wild Cat Banks." In March, 1837, the state legisla- ture enacted a general law, under which any ten or more freeholders of any county might organize themselves into a bank, on furnish- ing certain securities in bonds and mort- gages, approved by the county treasurer and clerk. A mania for establishing banks rapidly developed, which spread through the whole state. The banks established in Ber- rien county, were the Commercial Bank at St. Joseph, and the Bank of Niles and the Berrien County Bank at Niles. Wild specu- lation, especially in lands, followed the crea- tion of these banks. Money soon com- manded exhorbitant rates of interest, com- manding from two per cent. to four per cent. per month. The securities furnished by the banks generally consisted of mort- gages on real estate appraised at speculative prices. Wild lands which had been recently purchased of the government at $1,25 per acre, were now rated as high as $25 per acre, and lots in villages which only existed as yet on paper brought enormous prices. Banks in this condition of things were often established at inaccessible places. Bank paper was issued to the amount of $4,000,- 000, an amount out of all proportion to the real needs of the people. A financial col- lapse soon came. By the close of 1839 forty- two of the banks of the state were in the hands of receivers, and only two of the chartered banks and four of those organized under the general banking law were able to do business. Most of the currency of the state had become utterly worthless, and the loss to the people was immense. The banks of Berrien county collapsed with the rest, and an issue of about $300,000, a large amount for one county at that time, became for the most part worthless. These bank bills were handsomely embossed and for
some time after the collapse, were often used to decorate walls. A period of extreme de- pression and distress ensued, values of all kinds of property declined and lands be- came unsalable. For several years immigra- tion and progress were practically sus- pended.
"MICHIGAN AGUE." 1
Another peculiar cause retarded some- what the rapid growth of the new territory. This was the "Michigan Ague." Other new countries in the west were subject to it, but nowhere was it more prevalent than in Michigan, and reports of the prevalence of this peculiar disease, often exaggerated, deterred people of the east from emigration to the new territory.
This "Ague" was an intemittent and malarial fever, which assumed three stages. The first was a cold sensation causing the patient to shiver, his teeth to chatter and his knees to knock together. It was a chill of diabolical severity. This was succeeded by a high fever, and a headache, the tempera- ture ranging from 103 degrees to 105 de- grees Fahrenheit. The third stage was a return of the pulse to its normal condition, and a copious sweat from every pore of the body followed by a sleepy condition.
These paroxysms of the disease occurred at regular intervals, sometimes each day, and sometimes intermittently every other day. The disease was seldom fatal, although attended with distressing symptoms. It oc- curred most frequently in the autumn. Nearly everybody had it in the early days and the physicians in certain seasons of the year reaped an abundant harvest in the treatment of ague patients. The method of treatment adopted by most of the early phy- sicians was of doubtful efficiency. It con- sisted of big doses of calomel with other in- gredients. The patient often emerged from the disease salivated, and in a skeleton con- dition with his teeth rapidly disappearing.
20
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
The fact that nearly all of the old settlers recovered from the effects of both disease and treatment can only be ascribed to the Darwin doctrine of "the survival of the fittest." The early settler of Michigan must have been "the salt of the earth."
The origin of this disease is naturally ascribed to malaria arising from abundant richness of vegetation, causing immense vegetable decomposition, and the existence of a large area of marshy soil undrained. About 1845 a new school of physicians be- gan administering quinine and other tonics and discarding large doses of calomel and were successful. The original form of Michigan ague long since disappeared ow- ing mainly to the draining of the marshes and the cultivation and drying of the soil.
The equalized valuation of the various townships and cities of Berrien county for the designated years, made by the board of supervisors, was as follows :
1901, the state board of equalization equal- ized the valuation at $30,000,000. It is to be observed that this board meets once in every five years, and that both in 1901 and 1906, it disregarded the work of the state board of tax commissioners. The com- missioners in 1906 fixed the valuation of Berrien county at over $36,000,000. The state board diminished this amount by over $4,000,000.
As surveyed and organized, a township in Michigan generally was six miles square, consisting of thirty-six sections of land, On account of the meandering course of the St. Joseph river, the bend of the shore of Lake Michigan, and the state line on the southern boundary of Berrien county, the townships are of unequal size and generally contain many fractional sections. Only the townships of Watervliet, Bainbridge, Pipe- stone, and Buchanan are exactly six miles square. The sections on the State line be-
1870
1880
1889
1900
1905
Bainbridge
208,750
480,153
478,815
518,640
724,610
Bertrand
615,190
1,002,246
1,014,560
926.404
957,190
Berrien .
379,500
770,338
856,110
933,248
978,100
Benton.
492,845
910,418
1,208,410
1;186,780
1,922,265
Benton Harbor.
4,530,580
Buchanan
605,615
1,082,501
1,098,040
1,291,382
1,365,110
Chikaming
126,114
236,458
210,220
244,089
322,463
Galien
144,948
314,241
317,263
411,094
490,140
Hagar
83,200
188,883
203,180
265,310
374,400
Lake.
155,404
346,343
355,280
524,249
746,680
Lincoln
161,475
333,244
318,760
371,784
553,115
New Buffalo.
134,730
267,557
230,911
323,418
413,365
Niles .
541,010
1,092,927
1,015,522
980,254
1,064,427
Niles City
918,981
1,747,308
1,688,132
1,657,308
1,954,205
Oronoko
406,990
911,221
887,295
1,133,904
1,374,760
Pipestone
238,530
514,530
574,220
621,686
818,100
Royalton
156,535
334,159
345,940
418,277
619,160
St. Joseph
426,051
S03,781
833,335
377,400
582,900
St. Joseph City
1,876,937
2,993,075
Sodus. .
129,607
301,798
294,790
420,743
574,940
Three Oaks
187,274
437,600
429,430
639,366
579.500
Watervliet
181,274
560,600
520,340
792,195
1,053,725
Weesaw. ..
195,895
455,565
448,528
522,605
640,410
6,569,918
13,061.871
13,228,981
18,810,236
26,733,020
The valuation given above is that fixed by out board of supervisors.
The state board of equalization which met in September last, equalized the valua- tion of Berrien county at $32,000,000. In
tween Michigan and Indiana are fractional. containing only about three-fifth of a sec- tion.
The plan of local government adopted by the Michigan pioneers was that of New
2,373,163
30
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
England and New York, in preference to that in vogue in Pennsylvania and Virginia. In the south the county was the political unit. In New England and New York the township was the political unit. In the lat- ter, power was conferred upon the people of the township, at their annual town meet- ing, to enact such laws as they deemed best for their local needs, and not upon a county board. This is the theory of local govern- ment reduced to its simplest and most demo- cratic form. County legislation was car- ried on by a general meeting of the super- visors of the respective townships at cer- tain stated times each year.
The adoption of this system of local government, arose from the fact that before the admission of Michigan into the Union, an immense immigration had set in from the Empire State, which exceeded that from all the other states put together, and made Michigan in her laws, institutions, customs and traditions the child of New York.
While Michigan belonged to the terri- tory of Indiana, Wayne county embraced the whole of the lower peninsula lying north of Ohio and Indiana. At this time the southern boundary of Wayne county was understood to be a line running due east from the southernmost point of Lake Mich- igan to Lake Erie. This embraced the pres- ent site of the cities of South Bend, Misha- waka, Elkhart and Toledo. The north- western portion of Indiana was not settled till about 1829, but Toledo and the sur- rounding country were settled as early as 1800. The enabling act of Congress pro- viding for the admission of Ohio as a state, described the northern boundary as the pro- longation of a line running due east from the southernmost point of Lake Michigan. The people of Ohio were not then aware that this line would exclude Toledo. Upon as- certaining that it did, they demanded a new line to be drawn, and a new survey was made under the direction of the Ohio State government by which the southern boundary
of Michigan ran from the southernmost point of Lake Michigan to the northernmost cape of Maumee Bay. This line placed Toledo south of the boundary line, but left the present site of South Bend, Elkhart, and Mishawaka within the boundaries of Mich- igan. In 1816 the enabling act of Congress, providing for the admission of Indiana, fixed the northern boundary of Indiana on a line drawn due east and west ten miles north of the southern extreme of Lake Mich- igan. No particular attention was paid by the people of Michigan to this change sub- tracting a strip of territory ten miles wide, as northern Indiana had not then been set- tled and was regarded of little account. The controversy, however, between the people of Ohio and Michigan over the boundary line continued with great bitterness for several years, and almost led to a civil war. Con- gress finally granted the claims of Ohio, and recompensed the state of Michigan by annexing to it the territory covered by the Upper Peninsula.
Michigan lost a valuable strip of terri- tory on our southwestern borders to which she was undoubtedely entitled, whatever may have been the merits of the controversy between Ohio and Michigan. If the people of Michigan in 1816 could have anticipated the value and future importance of this ten mile strip, the southern boundary of Berrien county would probably without serious con- troversy, have been located ten miles farther south than at present, and would have em- braced within its limits nearly 300 sections, largely of the choicest prairie and timbered lands, and the flourishing city of South Bend.
The survey of Berrien county by the United States government was not com- pleted till 1829 and until that year no con- veyances were made by the government.
The first white man who owned land in Berrien county was Davis Mckinstry of Detroit. By the treaty of Chicago in 1821, there was reserved to certain Indians and
31
HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY
Indian traders who had married into Indian families, ten sections of land on the east bank of the St. Joseph river, commencing within the present limits of the city of Ben- ton Harbor and running southerly into Sodus township. Jean B. Chandonai re- ceived two of these sections. In 1822 Chandonai made a deed of one section to Mckinstry. The treaty having provided that no lands could be sold without the con- sent of the President, the deed was invalid, but a petition was presented to the President asking his approval which was granted by President Monroe. In 1829, Mckinstry lo- cated the S. 12 of Sec. 3 and the E. 12 of Sec. 4, in Sodus township. The deed was not recorded till 1834.
The first entries of land were made June 20, 1829, by the following named persons. In Berrien township, Squire Thompson, Isaac Smith, Eli Ford, Shadrick Ford, George Claypole, William Garwood, John, Samuel and Daniel Johnson, and Jesse Toney.
In Niles township by William Justice, Elijah Lacey, Ephraim Lacey, Stephen and Samuel Salee, Joseph Stephens, John Rit- ter, Alex. Rogers, Jacob Miller, Joseph Bertrand, Jr., and Leon Bourasas.
In 1830, Hugh Marrs, Baldwin Jenkins, Andrew L. Burke, William Lemon, John Snyder and John Lybrook entered land in Berrien township; Calvin Britain, A. B. Newell and William Huff at St. Joseph ; George Kimmel and John Pike at Berrien Springs, and Edward Smith at Royalton.
The first deed actually recorded in Ber- rien county after its organization was dated November 29, 1831, and executed by Eber Griswold and Marinda, his wife, to Wm. Liston. It conveyed lot No. 23, Wm. Jus- tice's plat of Niles, and was recorded the day of date by Obed P. Lacey, register of deeds.
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