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Michigan Counties

County	County Seat	Date Formed	Notes
Alcona	Harrisville	1 Apr 1840	Originally named Negwegon County, renamed in 1843. Formed from unorganized territory and attached to Mackinac County for administrative purposes until county government was organized in 1869.
Alger	Munising	17 Mar 1885	Formed from parts of Schoolcraft County.
Allegan	Allegan	2 Mar 1831	Formed from unorganized land and a portion of Barry county. County government organized in 1835.
Alpena	Alpena	Apr 1 1840	Originally named Anamickee County, renamed in 1843. Formed from a part of Mackinac County and unorganized territory and attached for administrative purposes first to Mackinac County and then in 1853 to Cheboygan County. County government was organized on February 7, 1857.
Antrim	Bellaire	1840	Grand Traverse
Arena	Standish	1883	Bay, Saginaw
Baraga	L'Anse	1875	Houghton
Barry	Hastings	1829	St. Joseph, Kalamazoo
Bay	Bay City	1857	Saginaw, Midland
Banzie	Beulah	1863	Grand Traverse, Leelanau
Berrien	Saint Joseph	1829	Cass
Branch	Coldwater	1829	St. Joseph, Lenawee
Calhoun	Marshall	1829	St Joseph, Kalamazoo
Cass Cassopolis	1829	Lenawee
Charlevoix	Charlevoix	1869	Emmet
Cheboygan	Cheboygan	1840	Mackinac
Chippewa	Sault Sainte Marie	1826	Mackinac
Clare	Harrison	1840	Isabella, Midland, Mecosta
Clinton	Saint Johns	1818	Shiawassee, Kent
Crawford	Grayling	1818	Cheboygan, Antrim, Kalkaska
Delta	Escanaba	1843	Mackinac
Dickinson	Iron Mountain	1891	Marquette, Menominee
Eaton	Charlotte	1837	St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Calhoun
Emmett	Petoskey	1853	Mackinac
Genesee	Flint	1835	Lapeer
Gladwin	Gladwin	1875	Saginaw, Midland
Gogebic	Bessemer	1881	Ontonagon
Grand Traverse	Traverse City	1851	Mackinac
Gratiot	Ithaca	1855	Saginaw, Clinton
Hillsdale	Hillsdale	1835	Lenawee
Houghton	Houghton	1845	Marquette, Schoolcraft, Ontonagon
Huron	Bad Axe	1840	Saginaw, St. Clair, Sanilac
Ingham	Mason	1838	Washtenaw, Jackson, Eaton
Ionia	Ionia	1831	Kent
Iosco	Tawas City	1857	Saginaw, Cheboygan
Iron	Crystal Falls	1885	Marquette, Menominee
Isabella	Mount Pleasant	1831	Saginaw, Midland
Jackson	Jackson	1832	Washtenaw
Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo	1829	St. Joseph
Kalkaska	Kalkaska	1870	Grand Traverse, Antrim
Kent	Grand Rapids	1831	Kalamazoo
Keweenaw	Eagle River	1861	Houghton
Lake	Baldwin	1870	Oceana, Mason, Newaygo
Lapeer	Lapeer	1835	Oakland
Leelanau	Leland	1840	Grand Traverse
Lenawee	Adrian	1822	Wayne
Livingston	Howell	1836	Shiawassee, Washtenaw
Luce	Newberry	1887	Chippewa, Mackinac
Mackinac	Saint Ignace	1818	Wayne and the French
Macomb	Mount Clemens	1818	Wayne
Manistee	Manistee	1855	Mackinac, Ottawa, Oceana, Grand Traverse
Marquette	Marquette	1851	Chippewa, Houghton
Mason	Ludington	1840	Ottawa, Oceana
Mecosta	Big Rapids	1859	Newaygo
Menominee	Monominee	1863	Marquette
Midland	Midland	1850	Saginaw
Missaukee	Lake City	1840	Antrim, Grand Traverse
Monroe	Monroe	1817	Wayne
Montcalm	Stanton	1831	Ionia
Montmorency	Atlanta	1881	Cheboygan, Alpena
Muskegon	Muskegon	1859	Ottawa
Newaygo	White Cloud	1840	Kent, Muskegon, Oceana
Oakland	Pontiac	1819	Wayne
Oceana	Hart	1831	Ottawa
Ogemaw	West Branch	1880	Saginaw, Branch
Ontonagon	Ontonagon	1848	Chippewa, Houghton
Osceola	Reed City	1840	Mason, Newaygo, Mecosta
Oscoda	Mio	1840	Cheboygan, Alpena, Alcona
Otsego (Originally Okkuddo)	Gaylord	1840	Michilimackinac
Ottawa	Grand Haven	1837	Kent
Presque Isle	Rogers City	1840	Mackinac
Roscommon	Roscommon	1875	Cheboygan, Midland
Saginaw	Saginaw	1835	Oakland
Saint Clair	Port Huron	1822	Wayne
Saint Joseph	Centreville	1829	Wayne
Sanilac	Sandusky	1848	Oakland, St Clair, Lapeer
Schoolcraft	Manistique	1848	Chippewa, Houghton, Marquette
Shiawassee	Corunna	1822	Oakland, Genesee
Tuscola	Caro	1840	Saginaw
Van Buren	Paw Paw	1829	Cass
Washtenaw	Ann Arbor	1826	Wayne, Oakland
Wayne	Detroit	1815	Original County
Wexford	Cadillac	1840	Manistee

January 15, 1818, all of Wayne County lying north of the base-line was erected into the new county of Macomb, embracing all of the present counties of Macomb, Oakland, Livingston, St. Clair, and Lapeer, parts of Sanilac, Tuscola, and Shiawassee, the east half of Ingham, and all of Genesee, excepting a small part in its northwest corner; the boundaries of the newly-erected county being described in the proclamation as "beginning at the southwest corner of township number one, north of the base-line (so called) and in the first range; thence along the Indian boundary-line, north, to the angle formed by the intersection of the line running to White Rock, upon Lake Huron; thence with the last-mentioned line to the boundary-line between the United States and the British province of Upper Canada; thence, with said line, southwardly, to a point in Lake St. Clair due east from the place of beginning; thence, due west, to the eastern extremity of said base-line, and, with the same, to the place of beginning."

    Oakland was taken from Macomb and erected a county by proclamation of Governor Cass, dated January 12, 1819. That county then included, in addition to its present area, the southernmost tier of townships now in Shiawassee County, the two southern towns in Genesee, the east half of Ingham, and all of the present county of Livingston. It was not until March 28, 1820, however, that the organization of Oakland as a county was effected, under executive proclamation.

Washtenaw County was "laid out" by the proclamation of Governor Cass, September 10, 1822, to include the two tiers of townships (Green Oak, Hamburg, Putnam, Unadilla, losco, Marion, Genoa, and Brighton) Which now form the south half of Livingston County, and also four tiers of townships south of the base-line. It was not organized as a county until December 31, 1836.

Shiawassee County was "laid out" by executive proclamation at the same time that Washtenaw was erected, viz., September 10, 1822. Within the bounds of Shiawassee, as then laid out, there were embraced, in addition to its present territory, eight townships on the western side of Genesee, the northeast quarter of Ingham, and the north half of Livingston County, including the townships of Tyrone, Deerfield, Cohoctah, Conway, Handy, Howell, Oceola, and Hartland. Shiawassee was not organized until March 18, 1837. Thus it is shown that the territory which now forms the county of Livingston was first included in Wayne County and so remained until January 15, 1818, when it became a part of Macomb; that it was included in Oakland from the erection of that county, January 12, 1819, until September 10, 1822, when its southern half was given to Washtenaw, and its northern half to Shiawassee.

The territory now Livingston County remained included in Shiawassee and Washtenaw until March 21, 1833, when Governor George B. Porter approved "an act to provide for laying out the county of Livingston," as follows:

    "Be it enacted by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, That so much of the county of Washtenaw as is included within the following limits, viz.: townships one and two north, in ranges three, four, five, and six east of the principal meridian; and so much of the county of Shiawassee as is included within the following limits, viz.: townships three and four north, in ranges three, four, five, and six east of the meridian, be and the same are hereby set off into a separate county, and the name thereof shall be Livingston, which, for the present, shall, for all judicial purposes, remain the same as though this act had not passed. The name of the county was given in honor of Edward Livingston, Secretary of State, under President Jackson. The territory of the new county remained attached for judicial and municipal purposes as before, viz., the south half to Washtenaw, and the north half, to Oakland, -- as Shiawassee, not having been organized, was attached to that county. 

The organization of Livingston County was effected under an act of the Legislature, approved March 24, 1836, by which it was provided "That the county of Livingston shall be organized, and the inhabitants thereof shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges to which, by law, the inhabitants of other counties of this State are entitled."

At its organization the county embraced the townships of Green Oak, Hamburg, Putnam, Unadilla, Howell, and Hartland, Green Oak--erected March 17, 1835 -- included its present area, and also the township of Brighton; Hamburg--erected March 26, 1835 -- included, in addition to its present limits, the township of Genoa; Unadilla -- laid out March 26,1835 -- included the present township of losco; Putnam -- erected March 23, 1836 -- took in what is now the township of Marion; Howell -- erected March 23, 1836 -- included, in addition to its present area, the townships of Oceola, Deerfield, Cohoctah, Conway, and Handy; and Hartland -- laid out at the same time -- was embraced in its present limits. The northeastern (surveyed) township, of the county--now Tyrone -- had not then been laid out by law, but was included in Deerfield, at the erection of that township, by act of March 20, 1837. The subsequent subdivisions of the county are noticed in the several township histories.