Hillsdale County, Michigan
county in Michigan, United States
Hillsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 45,746. The county seat is Hillsdale. Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan to border both Indiana and Ohio. Due to an angle in the state's border with Ohio, Hillsdale County has the southernmost point in Michigan. Hillsdale County is conterminous with the Hillsdale, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal-arts college. The Hillsdale County Courthouse was designed by Claire Allen, a prominent southern Michigan architect.
History
The county is named for its rolling terrain. It was described by action of the Michigan Territorial legislature in 1829, and was organized six years later.
The public source identifies “Hillsdale County, Michigan” as county in Michigan, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Hillsdale, County and Michigan.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Hillsdale County, Michigan”, the useful work is to connect “county in Michigan, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q490656. VIAF identifies the subject as 138372026. The Library of Congress control number is n80060427. Authority coordinates are 41.890, -84.590. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 1829.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hillsdale County, Michigan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hillsdale County, Michigan primary sources, Hillsdale County, Michigan archive and Hillsdale research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hillsdale County, Michigan”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hillsdale County, Michigan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.