Berrien County Poor House
aka
Poor Farm -- or -- County Infirmary,
Berrien County,
Michigan

© Copyrighted by Deanna B West for the
MIGenWeb on June 12, 2010

County poor farms were set up through out the US as a humanitarian effort to aid the homeless for many reasons. Some residents , also known as inmates in the census, found themselves there because of failing heath and mind. With health and life insurance policies almost non-existent in those days, many had not put aside funds for old age and could not care for their needs. And many were forgotten by those who they brought into this world and who did not care to make accommodations for them. In some cases the needs of the disabled were beyond the physical capabilities of the family. Others had come from lives of luxury and through poor investments or being swindled, found themselves in this unenviable position. One of the saddest noted were the children with perhaps one parent surviving or none and being helpless; making it necessary to seek shelter here.

Brief History:
The first official action of supervisors to support a County Poor-House and Farm is recorded and dated Oct 27, 1837. There must have been some sort of temporary arrangements made for the poor until the next major resolution was passed.

In 1847 the County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to purchase land in Berrien Township for the establishment of a poor farm. They purchased this property from Richard McOmber who had settled in this area in about 1835. It was located in the Northeast , section 17 and at that time had only 160 acres with buildings and land.  After sale of the property he moved to Buchanan, in the same county.
Additional acreage about 32 acres, was added later. The original house built in 1847 was about 18 X 26 feet.   John Tate had the contract for taking care of the home and inmates from May 28, 1847 to Apr 1, 1848 for $295.00.   In 1851 a new system for caring for the poor and financially helpless of Berrien County to house them came into being.  Mr. H. W. Hawley took charge of the farm.

The Poor Farm was totally destroyed by fire on December 8, 1868 (Ref: St. Joseph Herald Dec 12, 1868.) It was thought that the fire might have caught from the kitchen chimney. The keeper and inmates attempted in vain to save the building but it burnt to the ground. When saving the building proved futile the inmates heroically concentrated on saving as much as they could of the furnishings, bedding etc.. There were approximately 32 pauper residents living there at that time. In the interim for being rebuilt they were given lodging in the village of Berrien where a building was rented for temporary housing. The County Home was rebuilt in 1869-1870. St. Joseph Herald (Saint Joseph, Michigan) states in the January 22, 1870 edition that the poor-farm buildings are completed. The newer home was that of brick and ran well over budget.

It should be noted that S. C. Wheeler was the Superintendent of the Poor Farm in the late 1870's and was replaced by Capt. Bradley in about 1879. There are quite a few news articles about salaries and the replacement of Mr. Wheeler much to the chagrin of many of those who respected him.

In referencing the history books, for the year ending Sept. 30, 1879, there were fifty-nine males and thirty-eight females for a total of ninety-seven and an average of fifty-six that found refuge at the home at point or another during that year.   On April 1, 1880 the smoke house at the Poor Farm burned. No other buildings were affected and contents were partially saved but in damaged condition.

What happened to the Orphans of the county? In 1891 Dr. Amos Barlow was made Superintendent of the Michigan Children's Home Society and the society was Incorporated and called the Michigan Children's Home Society in 1893. Dr. Barlow was considered one of the founders of the home in the St. Joseph area and remained until January 12, 1908. Mrs. Cora Lamping replaced him. Within a few years the home found families to adopt or foster several hundred Orphans. For more history on the Michigan Children's Home Society, look here,

Through the years the farm became a colony within itself with orchards, vegetable gardens, corn and grain fields, barns, cows, chickens and pigs. Everyone who was physically capable did chores that they could manage. One couple that managed the farm in 1924 and several years after, were Mr. & Mrs. Edward Israel, who became very well known in the area. Before that Mr. and Mrs. Daniel N. Haviland were the executives. Also in the 1920's it should be noted that Charles Miller was the Superintendent for over 16 years.

In 1926 it was realized that the old structure was in desperate need of renovation and repair as some of it had become a "tinder box". Things had been stretched as far as they could be stretched and even an old out building was turned into living quarters. Conditions were unacceptable with over crowding of the inmates at these county funded buildings. When toured by county officials it was noted that there were two rooms set up as a hospital ward and another two fitted with heavy screening on the windows and set up for the mentally insane to keep them from harming themselves.  It was voted on and in June of 1928 there was a new $50,000 addition was added to the existing home. The new structure was made of brick and was a fine two story building with two Men's dormitories, a lounging room, general dining room and kitchen.

1936 brought more change and a new structure was built and completed in 1937. In addition to housing the unfortunate it also was operated as a hospital for local residents and renamed, Berrien County Hospital and Infirmary located near Berrien Center. It would later evolve into the Berrien General Hospital Center and from there Lakeland Medical Center. The 200 acres continued to be used by different county facilities.

Special Notes & Census Reports:   This farm housed hundreds of needy and disabled individuals over the decades. The census reports listed below most certainly does NOT suggest that those listed were the only ones that took shelter there. Because the majority of graves in the County Poor Farm Cemetery are unmarked, I felt we needed to honor as many of the people that lived there in some manner. This was done by offering the following census reports and seeking different newspaper articles about the folks there.

Many of the inmates listed below in the census, were laid to rest in the Poor House Cemetery aka, Berrien County Infirmary Cemetery. Many of the names that were transcribed and listed below from the census reports were very difficult to read. I did my best to transcribe them.

County Poor House - 1850 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Page 237B

County Poor House - 1860 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Township Page 115

County Poor House - 1870 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Twp page  237B

County Poor House - 1880 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Twp pages 98 A & B

County Poor House - 1900 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Twp page  244A

County Poor House - 1910 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Twp page  185A
Note on top of page states" "Copied from Jan Sched. & Feb. Report in office

County Poor House - 1920 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Twp page 139 sheet A
Enumerated on the 4th of Feb 1920

County Poor House - 1930 Federal Census, Berrien Co., MI - Berrien Twp page 266 A & B
Enumerated on the 22nd of April 1930

Additional Inmates found through newspaper articles and other various sources.

A local St. Joseph newspaper for May 9, 1907 states that Samuel Ray, eighty years, an inmate at the county poor farm, wandered away and was later found and returned to the home. Samuel was slightly demented but survived the ordeal quite readily.

In July of 1880 an article appeared in the local newspaper. James Hewett 63 years of age had a severe form of cancer which had eaten away his nose and severely disfigured his face. At this same time a Mrs. Simpson, who had been employed at the farm, went to work at a knitting factory in St. Joseph and had made an acquaintance with a Miss Stewart. They conversed about the poor house and Simpson told Hewett that there was an old man with her same last name of Hewett and related his condition to Miss. Hewett. Miss Hewett relayed the story that when her father had left their home in Pennsylvania 13 years before, he had a small cancer on his nose. He had left the family home to sell a span of horses and had not been heard from since.   His wife and seven children spent a large amount of money trying to find him but to no avail. They came to think he had probably been robbed and murdered for his money. About eleven years ago, by shear coincidence, the family had moved to nearby Coloma, Michigan. As providence would have it, the daughter and father met.

January 30, 1913, per death certificate, John Dempsey died at the infirmary. He was approximately 49 years old. Body sent to Ann Arbor, Michigan for burial.

News Palladium, Benton Harbor, November 5, 1929 - Civil War Veteran, Patrick Egen, who enlisted and served with the 16th Regiment of the Iowa Infantry on May 3, 1864, as a Private; had long been forgotten and placed in the County Poor farm. That is until Lewis E. Kephart, postmaster at Berrien Springs and Congressman John. C. Ketchum, found out about his plight and also service to his county. Patrick Egen, was 83 years of age in 1926 and through the determination of these two men, received $5,000 in back pension and awarded $65 in a monthly pension from Uncle Sam.

Rawleigh W. Long "shorty" admitted to the infirmary on Dec 22, 1929 and died at 78 yrs of age January 14, 1930.