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Cass
At the time of early Euro-American settlement, present day Cass County was home to Potawatomi settlements including those near Sumnerville where burial mounds have survived. Upon being set off in 1829, the newly formed county was named after Lewis Cass, Territorial Governor of Michigan from 1813-1829. While U.S. federal policy forced the relocation of Native Americans from their homelands, the band led by Leopold Pokagon peacefully resisted by purchasing their land in Silver Creek Township. Cass County was also a haven for people fleeing slave holders in the southern United States due to a large population of abolitionists residing in the county. Although the Sauk Trail, which ran from Detroit to Chicago, passed through the southern part of the county, a large portion of early settlers came from Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and Tennessee. While land further west was still significantly unsettled, maps noted the good farmland in southwest Michigan and the migrants would have been aware of the impending issue of slavery and the advantages of residing in areas covered by the Ordinance of 1787 which addressed the issue of slavery and land for schools.
Selected general works
Cass County, Michigan sourcebook. 1941.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 C377 1941z
Corwin, Nancy.
Early marriages Cass County, Michigan, 1830-1858. 1995.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 C675 1995
Historical Reflections of Cass County. 1981.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 H58
Rogers, Howard S.
History of Cass county, from 1825 to 1875. 1999.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 R7 1999
Schoetzow, Mae R. Streeter.
Brief history of Cass County. 1935.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 S35 1935
Selected newspapers
Cassopolis.
Cassopolis vigilant. 1872 - 2016.
LIB OF MICH MICROFILM NEWSPAPERS 2S
Dowagiac.
Dowagiac times. 1887 - 1906.
LIB OF MICH MICROFILM NEWSPAPERS 2S
Edwardsburg.
Edwardsburg argus. 1879 - 2016
LIB OF MICH MICROFILM NEWSPAPERS 2S
Marcellus.
Marcellus miscellaneous newspapers. 1886 - 1978.
LIB OF MICH MICROFILM NEWSPAPERS 2S
Marcellus.
Marcellus news. 1887 - 2015.
LIB OF MICH MICROFILM NEWSPAPERS 2S
Selected plats, maps, and atlases
Cass County, Mich. 1955
LIB OF MICH Flat File 2N Undersize G4113.C3P2 1955
C.O. Titus.
Atlas of Cass County, Michigan. 1872.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N Folio G1413.C3 L3 1977
Miller Management Services, Inc.
Cass County, Michigan, 1993 computerized ownership directory. 1993.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N G 1413 .C3 M7 1993
Rockford Map Publishers.
Land atlas and plat book, Cass County Michigan. 1997.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N G 1413 .C R6
Selected records, indexes, and transcriptions
Capt. Samuel Felt Chapter, NSDAR.
Cass County, Michigan cemetery records. 1976.
LIB OF MICH Microfilm 2S F574.O847 C4 1980a
Cass County, Michigan marriages, 1830 - 1850. 1950.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2S F572.I7 I8 1900a
Castle, Amelia B.
1888 assessment roll for Cass County, Michigan. 1997.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 C36 1990z
Chamberlin, L. F.
Cass County business guide and historical review. 1933.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F 572 .C3 C53z 1933
Corwin, Nancy.
Index to 1872 land owners, Cass County, Michigan.1990.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N F572.C3 C6734 1990z
Selected government publications
Cassopolis area school study: a study conducted through the cooperation of fifty-four citizens in the Cassopolis service area. 1958.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N LA 309 .C37 C37z 1958
Community profile: Cassopolis. 1986.
LIB OF MICH MICH DOCS OFFICIAL HC108.C377 C66 1986
Extract: a concentrate of fundamental information for Southwestern Michigan, Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties. 1992.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N HC107.M52 B551 1992
Inland lakes sediment trends: Mercury sediment analysis results for 27 Michigan Lakes. 2006.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN DOCUMENTS 2S TD224.M5 S8-06/090
Southwestern Michigan fact book: Berrien, Cass, Van Buren. 1985.
LIB OF MICH MICHIGAN 2N HC107.M52 B5 1985
Updated 11-23-2022