Washtenaw County was set off from Wayne by the proclamation of Governor Cass, dated September 10, 1822. As erected by this proclamation, Washtenaw included the present county of that name, the southern half of Livingston, the eastern tier of Congressional townships in Jackson, and the four townships in the southeast corner of Ingham. It was attached to Wayne for revenue, election and judicial purposes until such time as its organization as a separate and independent county should be completed. (See Fig. 11.) It was organized by an act of the Legislature, approved on November 20, 1826, since which time there have been no changes in the boundaries or area (626 square miles) of Wayne County. (See Fig. 12.) CHAPTER LVIII TOWNSHIPS AND VILLAGES TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENT WAYNE COUNTY TOWNSHIPS BROWNSTOWN CANTON DEARBORN-ECORSE-GRATIOT-GREENFIELD-GROSSE ILE-GROSSE ILE BY C. M. BURTON-GROSSE POINTE--HAMTRAMCK-HURON NANKIN NORTHVILLE PLYMOUTH REDFORD LIVONIA-MONGUAGON— ROMULUS SPRINGWELLS -SUMPTER-TAYLOR-VAN BUREN-WAYNE COUNTY VILLAGES-BELLEVILLEDEARBORN-DELRAY-ECORSE ELOISE FLAT ROCK-FORD CITY GIBRALTER The early settlers of New England adopted the township as the unit of local government, while in Virginia and some of the other southern colonies the county was made the unit. In the New England States the town meeting is still the popular medium for the expression of opinion on all matters touching the public welfare. Thomas Jefferson stated: Those wards, called townships in New England, are the vital principle of their governments and have proved themselves the wisest invention ever devised by the wit of man for the perfect exercise of self-government, and for its preservation." A little later, when Mr. Jefferson was President of the United States, he learned the power of the New England township, when town meetings were held in all the New England states to protest against the enforcement of the Embargo Act of 1807, and by their concerted action defeated the purpose of Congress in the passage of that measure. In the states erected out of the Northwest Territory-Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin-the county and township systems are combined in such a manner as to leave the latter free to exercise authority in all matters pertaining to local affairs, and yet remain tributary to the county in matters affecting the larger territory. In some of these states the affairs of the township are looked after by an official known as a trustee, and the county business is administered by a board of county commissioners, usually consisting of three members. In other states the most important officer in the township is the supervisor, the supervisors of the several townships constituting a board for the review of and final action on the county business, such as tax levies and appropriations. Michigan followed the former plan until 1827, when the office of county commissioner was abolished by an act of the Legislature. It was revived by law in 1838 and was again abolished in 1842, when the board of supervisors was established. WAYNE COUNTY TOWNSHIPS An act of the Legislature of the Northwest Territory, approved by Governor St. Clair on November 6, 1790, authorized the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace to divide the counties into townships. Wayne County was not established until August 15, 1796. On November 1, 1798, the Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace divided the county into four townships, namely: Detroit, Hamtramck, Mackinaw, and Sargent. At that time the county embraced all the present State of Michigan except the western extremity of the Upper Peninsula, a strip across Northern Indiana and Northwestern Ohio, a little of Northeastern Illinois, including the site of the present City of Chicago, and the eastern part of Wisconsin. Hence, each of these first townships was considerably larger than any of the counties of today. By the proclamation of January 15, 1818, Governor Cass erected the townships of Hamtramck, Huron, Monguagon, St. Clair, and Springwells, within the present limits of Wayne County. The western boundary of these townships was the line of the private claims farthest from the Detroit River. No further change was made until after Wayne County was reduced to its present dimensions. On April 12, 1827, the day Governor Cass approved the act abolishing the board of county commissioners, the county was divided into nine townships, to wit: Brownstown, Bucklin, Detroit, Ecorse, Hamtramck, Huron, Monguagon, Plymouth, and Springwells. Numerous changes have been made since 1827 by the erection of new townships and the alteration of boundary lines. Two of the townships then erected have disappeared. In 1921 there were twenty-one townships in the county, viz: Brownstown, Canton, Dearborn, Ecorse, Gratiot, Greenfield, Grosse Ile, Grosse Pointe, Hamtramck, Huron, Livonia, Monguagon, Nankin, Northville, Plymouth, Redford, Romulus, Springwells, Sumpter, Taylor, and Van Buren. BROWNSTOWN TOWNSHIP This township is situated in the extreme southeast corner of Wayne County. On the north it is bounded by the townships of Taylor and Monguagon; on the east by the Detroit River; on the south it comes to a point between the Detroit and Huron Rivers; and on the west it is bounded by Huron Township and Monroe County. It is one of the nine townships erected in 1827 and is one of the largest in the county. A trading point near the junction of the Detroit and Huron rivers was established at an early date and in 1806 Gen. William Hull, the first territorial governor of Michigan, held an important council with several of the Indian tribes at this place. Among the early settlers were Col. Nathaniel Case, P. T. Clark, John Forbes, Jacob Garrett, Elias James, B. F. Knapp, Dr. John Letour, William Munger, Michael Vreelandt, and Henry Woodruff. It is said that the township was named for Adam Brown, who was captured by the Wyandotte Indians in Virginia in the fall of 1764, when he was only eight years old. He grew up among the savages, was adopted into the tribe and became one of the principal chiefs. His village was on the bank of the Detroit River, not far from the present village of Gibralter, and was known as "Brown's Town." He was still living there at the beginning of the War of 1812. The first election was held in the spring of 1827, soon after the township was erected, and the following officers were chosen: Moses Roberts, supervisor; |