Editing Branch County, Michigan (section)

==History==
Branch County was a [[New England]] settlement. The original founders of [[Coldwater, Michigan|Coldwater]] were settlers from the northern coastal colonies – "[[Yankee]]s", descended from the [[English American|English]] [[Puritans]] who came from the Old World in the 1600s and who brought their culture. During the early 1800s, there was a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the untamed [[Northwest Territory]]. Many traveled through New York State via the [[Erie Canal]]; the threat of Native Americans had been reduced by the end of the [[Black Hawk War]].

These early settlers laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings, and established post routes. They brought a passion for education, and established many schools. Many were supporters of [[abolitionism]]. They were mostly members of the [[Congregationalist Church]] though some were [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]]. Culturally Branch County, like much of [[Michigan]], developed as part of the [[Northern Tier (United States)|Northern Tier]], continuous with New England culture, during its early history.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Crisfield |title=History of Branch County MI |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dsOHRkCh4IIC&q=%22New+England%22&pg=PA42 |work=google.com |year=1879}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Crisfield |title=History of Branch County MI |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TxgVAAAAYAAJ&q=%22New+England%22&pg=PA42 |work=google.com |year=1879}}</ref> The county still depends on agriculture as the basis of its economy.