Brooklyn

Brooklyn is a Michigan historical marker in Brooklyn, Jackson County, dedicated 2026.

Jackson County · dedicated 2026 · 121 N. Main Street, Brooklyn

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

The Rev. Calvin Swain (1778-1856) filed the first land claim in what is now Brooklyn on June 16, 1832. A chaplain in the War of 1812, Swain was a Baptist minister and postmaster in Adamsville, New York, before coming to Michigan. By 1833 he had established a settlement and a sawmill here. He was the postmaster until 1841. The town was called Swainsville until a town meeting adopted the name Brooklyn on August 5, 1836. Swain founded Baptist churches in Brooklyn, Woodstock, and Napoleon. He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Napoleon.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker data: Michigan History Center
TreeAlive is an independent project. The State of Michigan and the Michigan History Center are not responsible for maintaining the information on this site.

More markers nearby

Brooklyn Presbyterian Churchunder 1 mi
Walker Tavern/Walker Tavern4 mi
St. Michael and All Angels Church4 mi
St. Joseph's Church / St. Joseph's Shrine5 mi