Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2025 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== USGenNet Data Repository Notice: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ============================================================================= Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. ============================================================================= Allegan County was set off from Kalamzoo County on March 2, 1831, amended Mar. 29, 1833, but was still attached to it for all legal purposes whatsoever until the final separation Sept. 1, 1835. At first Allegan Township included the whole of Allegan Co. but on Mar. 23, 1836 Plainfield, Otsego and Newark townships were set off from it. On Mar. 19, 1845 the name of Plainfield was changed to GunPlains. In 1861 Newark became Saugatuck, and at a later date Pine Plains became Valley. Other townships were set off as follows: Manlius - from Newark Mar. 6, 1838 Martin - from Plainfield, Mar. 22, 1839 Trowbridge - from Allegan, Feb. 16, 1842 Watson - from Otsego, Feb. 16, 1842 Wayland - from Martin, Mar. 9, 1843 Ganges - from Newark, Mar. 16, 1847 Dorr - from Watson, Mar. 16, 1847 Monterey - from Allegan, Mar. 16, 1847 Leighton - from Wayland, Mar. 9, 1848 Fillmore - from Manlius, Mar. 15, 1849 Pine Plains - from Allegan & Newark, Mar. 28, 1850 Heath - from Allegan, March 18, 1851 Cheshire - from Trowbridge, Apr. 2, 1851 Hopkins - from Dorr, Dec. 29, 1852 Casco - from Ganges, Nov. 27, 1854 Salem - from Monterey, Oct. 10, 1855 Overisel - from Fillmore, Oct. 14, 1856 Laketown - from Newark, Oct. 3, 1858 Lee - from Pine Plains, Jan. 4, 1859 Clyde - from Pine Plains, Oct 12, 1859 The earliest marriage in the Allegan County records os that of John W. Watson & Betsy G. Ives preformed in Allegan Dec. 17, 1835 by John Anderson, J. of P. On Dec. 25, 1835 the Rev. W. Jones united in marriage Alexander R. Ely & Mary A. Weare and also George G. Warner & Priscilla F. Williams. The first wedding in what is now Allegan County was a double one, when Col. Isaac Barnes, J.P. of Kalamazoo Co. in Dec. 1832 united in marriages A. L. Cotton & Mary Sherwood each of Otsego and Erastus Jackson of Comstock, Kalamazoo Co. & Ann Sherwood, a sister of Mary, of Otsego. The next wedding was that of Oka Town of Kalamazoo Co. & Martha Sherwood of Otsego in Oct. 1833 by Rev. Wm. Jones, a Presbyterian minister of Gull Prairie. In the spring of 1830 the first settler, Wm. G. Butler of Hartford, Conn., came to Saugatuck bringing his wife and two children with him. In the fall of 1830 Giles Scott, his wife and two children all of Rochester, N.Y. came to Pine Creek in Otsego Twp. They were accompanied by Uri Baker, Sloan Eaton, John B. Yeomans and Mr. Hill. Turner Aldrich and his two daughters of Lodi, Erie Co., N.Y., also came in the fall of 1830. ===========================================================================