County Formation & Statehood

County Formation

• The boundaries of Washtenaw County were established on 10 September 1822 from the parent counties of Wayne and Oakland.
• The first settlements were established in 1823-1824.
• Townships were created starting in 1827.
• Ann Arbor:
  • Founded in 1824
  • Incorporated as a village in 1833
  • Chartered as a city in 1851
• Washtenaw County, Territory of Michigan, was attached to Wayne County for governmental purposes until it completed the legal process of organization on 31 December 1826.
• The county was established on 1 January 1827 with the county seat in Ann Arbor. 
  • Some record-keeping began in 1827.
• Michigan became the 26th state on 26 January 1837.

Toledo Strip & Upper Peninsula

The resolution of a border dispute between Michigan Territory and Ohio, which became a state in 1803, allowed Michigan to achieve statehood in 1837. The decision gave Michigan the Upper Peninsula and Ohio a parcel of land known as the Toledo Strip.

• The Toledo War (1835-1836), Michigan-Ohio border dispute, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
  • Bibliography of historical accounts, maps, correspondence and documents, newspapers, government documents
• Raines, A. (2022, September 1). If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Forget Toledo | Worlds Revealed [Webpage]. The Library of Congress. [accessed 8-Mar-2026]
• Timeline of the Toledo Strip. (2022). In Wikipedia. [accessed 8-Mar-2026]

About Townships

• Michigan has cities and villages, but not towns.
• Whenever the word "town" is used here, such as in census records, it means "township."
• Townships comprise 96% of Michigan lands outside of cities.
• Townships in Michigan, Michigan Townships Association
  • includes a state map
  • describes two types of townships
• Cities, Townships & Villages, Washtenaw County
  • Click on a city, township, or village in the list for a link to their website

GSWC Fact Sheet

• Washtenaw County at a Glance, GSWC Fact Sheet (PDF) (1 page)
  • Early county boundary changes
  • Date of formation of each township

County Government

• History of Washtenaw County Government, Washtenaw County
  • Population
  • Officials
  • Important dates

Wikis

• Washtenaw County, Michigan, Genealogy, FamilySearch Wiki
• Washtenaw County, Michigan, Wikipedia
  • History
  • Geography
  • Demographics
  • Government
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Communities
  • Education
  • References
  • External Links

Township Map

• Washtenaw County Township Map (PDF) (1 page)
  • Scale map showing cities, villages, and townships

Washtenaw County Michigan Census Map

Attribution: Notorious4life (talk) (Uploads), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S. Census Data Map of Washtenaw County, undated, Wikimedia CC0