Homer Township, Calhoun County, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Homer Township is a civil township
of Calhoun County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,010 at the 2000 census
.
. Powell Grover, William Wintersteen, Richard McMutrie, and Henry McMurtrie walked from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
arriving in the Homer area in April 1832. Powell Grover's group lived their first year in an abandoned log cabin located in Section 11 of present-day Homer Township said to be the former residence of Potawatomi
native Chief Ne-au-to-beer-saw while the settlers built their own cabins. Grover also built a saw mill on the north bank of the Kalamazoo River in Section 11. The plains where Grover and his friends homesteaded was known as the Pennsylvania Settlement.
Milton Barney arrived from Lyons, New York
the summer of 1832 to scout the area and returned that September with his family and workmen to settle on the south bank of the Kalamazoo River in Section 5. Soon after Barney hired Osha Wilder to layout the plat for the village of Barneyville on the SW corner of Section 5, SE corner of Section 6, NE corner of Section 7, and NW corner of Section 8. This was the beginning of the village of Homer, Michigan
.
In 1834, the Territorial Legislature divided the area into townships of 12 mile squares (144 sq. miles). The township in lower Calhoun County was named Homer due to the influence of James Hopkins and many other settlers from Homer
, Cortland County, New York
. This first township was later divided into the townships of Albion, Clarendon, Eckford, and Homer—each 6 mile squares.
natives were friendly and the children of settlers and natives often played together. Chief Ne-au-to-beer-saw, called Leather-nose, and Chief Wopkezike, lesser chiefs of the Baw Beese
band of Potawatomi, are mentioned in many stories of the founding era. The native population was numerous until the U.S. Government forcibly removed the Indians to reserves west of the Mississippi under Authority of the Indian Removal Act
and Treaty of Chicago
. Because of the peacefulness of the Potawatomi, they continued to co-exist with the settlers for many years after the Removal Act, until the autumn of 1840 when General Hugh Brady
removed about 250 Indians of Hillsdale County
and Homer to Miami County, Kansas
in reaction to homesteader complaints to the Van Buren
Administration. Chief Ne-au-to-beer-saw drowned while crossing the Detroit River returning from his escape to Canada.
is within the township. The Homer ZIP code
, 49245, serves the entire township as well as portions of Clarendon Township
to the west, Eckford Township
to the northwest and Albion Township
to the north.
, the township has a total area of 36.2 square miles (93.8 km²), of which, 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (1.22%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,010 people, 1,117 households, and 797 families residing in the township. The population density
was 84.3 per square mile (32.5/km²). There were 1,182 housing units at an average density of 33.1 per square mile (12.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.77% White, 0.20% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.10% from other races
, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 1,117 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the township the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $42,159. Males had a median income of $31,649 versus $22,788 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $16,686. About 9.5% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
of Calhoun County
Calhoun County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-69* I-94* I-194* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Albion.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Battle Creek.* I-94 Business Loop serves the city of Marshall.-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-37* M-60* M-66* M-78* M-89* M-96* M-99...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,010 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
The First European Settlers
The first permanent settlers were from Luzerne County, PennsylvaniaLuzerne County, Pennsylvania
- Demographics :As of the 2010 census, the county was 90.7% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 3.3% were of some other race, and 1.5% were two or more races. 6.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry...
. Powell Grover, William Wintersteen, Richard McMutrie, and Henry McMurtrie walked from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state, approximately five miles from the Delaware Water Gap, at the confluence of the Brodhead and Pocono Creeks. It is the county seat of Monroe County. Stroudsburg is part of the...
arriving in the Homer area in April 1832. Powell Grover's group lived their first year in an abandoned log cabin located in Section 11 of present-day Homer Township said to be the former residence of Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
native Chief Ne-au-to-beer-saw while the settlers built their own cabins. Grover also built a saw mill on the north bank of the Kalamazoo River in Section 11. The plains where Grover and his friends homesteaded was known as the Pennsylvania Settlement.
Milton Barney arrived from Lyons, New York
Lyons, New York
Lyons, New York may refer to either of two places in Wayne County, New York, USA:* Lyons , New York* Lyons , New York...
the summer of 1832 to scout the area and returned that September with his family and workmen to settle on the south bank of the Kalamazoo River in Section 5. Soon after Barney hired Osha Wilder to layout the plat for the village of Barneyville on the SW corner of Section 5, SE corner of Section 6, NE corner of Section 7, and NW corner of Section 8. This was the beginning of the village of Homer, Michigan
Homer, Michigan
Homer is a village in Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,851 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
In 1834, the Territorial Legislature divided the area into townships of 12 mile squares (144 sq. miles). The township in lower Calhoun County was named Homer due to the influence of James Hopkins and many other settlers from Homer
Homer (town), New York
Homer is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 6,363 at the 2000 census. The name is from the Greek poet Homer.The Town of Homer contains a village called Homer...
, Cortland County, New York
Cortland County, New York
Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, named after Federico Van Cortlandt, president of the convention at Kingston that wrote the first New York State Constitution in 1777, and first lieutenant governor of the state. The county seat is Cortland...
. This first township was later divided into the townships of Albion, Clarendon, Eckford, and Homer—each 6 mile squares.
The Native Americans
According to Dr William Lane, the PotawatomiPotawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
natives were friendly and the children of settlers and natives often played together. Chief Ne-au-to-beer-saw, called Leather-nose, and Chief Wopkezike, lesser chiefs of the Baw Beese
Baw Beese
Baw Beese was a Potawatomi Indian chief in the area of Hillsdale, Michigan until November of 1840. At this time he and his band were forcibly removed to a reservation in Miami County, Kansas by the U.S. Government under authority of the Indian Removal Act signed into law by Andrew Jackson in 1830...
band of Potawatomi, are mentioned in many stories of the founding era. The native population was numerous until the U.S. Government forcibly removed the Indians to reserves west of the Mississippi under Authority of the Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
and Treaty of Chicago
Treaty of Chicago
The Treaty of Chicago may refer to either of two treaties made and signed in Chicago, Illinois between the United States and the Ottawa, Ojibwe , and Potawatomi Native American peoples.-1821 Treaty of Chicago:...
. Because of the peacefulness of the Potawatomi, they continued to co-exist with the settlers for many years after the Removal Act, until the autumn of 1840 when General Hugh Brady
Hugh Brady
Hugh Brady was an American general from Pennsylvania. He served in the Northwest Indian War under General Anthony Wayne, and during the War of 1812. Following the War of 1812, Brady remained in the military, eventually rising to the rank of major general and taking command of the garrison at Detroit...
removed about 250 Indians of Hillsdale County
Hillsdale County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 46,527 people, 17,335 households, and 12,550 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile . There were 20,189 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
and Homer to Miami County, Kansas
Miami County, Kansas
Miami County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 32,787. Its county seat and most populous city is Paola...
in reaction to homesteader complaints to the Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
Administration. Chief Ne-au-to-beer-saw drowned while crossing the Detroit River returning from his escape to Canada.
Communities
The Village of HomerHomer, Michigan
Homer is a village in Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,851 at the 2000 census.-History:...
is within the township. The Homer ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, 49245, serves the entire township as well as portions of Clarendon Township
Clarendon Township, Michigan
Clarendon Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,114 at the 2000 census. The township is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Communities :...
to the west, Eckford Township
Eckford Township, Michigan
Eckford Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to the northwest and Albion Township
Albion Township, Michigan
Albion Township is a civil township of Calhoun County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to the north.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 36.2 square miles (93.8 km²), of which, 35.7 square miles (92.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (1.22%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,010 people, 1,117 households, and 797 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 84.3 per square mile (32.5/km²). There were 1,182 housing units at an average density of 33.1 per square mile (12.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.77% White, 0.20% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.
There were 1,117 households out of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the township the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $36,250, and the median income for a family was $42,159. Males had a median income of $31,649 versus $22,788 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $16,686. About 9.5% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.