Van Buren County, Michigan
Paw Paw, Michigan its history, in the record
County Van BurenFounded 1832County seat
Paw Paw, the seat of Van Buren County, takes its name from the Paw Paw River and the pawpaw trees that grew along it. Rodney Hinckley took up a farm on the river in 1832, a sawmill followed in 1833, and the village was incorporated in 1837; the Van Buren County Courthouse on Paw Paw Street is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The town at a glance
- Founded: settled 1832–33; incorporated 1837; the county seat.
- Name: from the Paw Paw River, itself named for the pawpaw tree.
- In the record: Ellis’s history of Berrien and Van Buren counties (1880) and Rowland’s of Van Buren (1912); the Paw Paw True Northerner, from the 1850s.
- On the map: the 1860 Geil & Harley county map carries a plan of Paw Paw; lay it over today’s streets.
- Wine country: grapes are the district’s crop; St. Julian and Warner Vineyards both began in Paw Paw, and the village holds a Wine and Harvest Festival each autumn.
On old postcards
From public-domain postcards and photographs, each linked to the library that holds it. See them all.
Where to look
The county seat’s records — probate, deeds and the True Northerner — are the first stop for Van Buren families; the 1912 Rowland history is the fullest for the townships. The records page links each source where it is held, and the glossary explains the words the old records use.
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