The township is named after the first white settler in the area, Walter Hume, who arrived and built the first house in the 1850s. He also opened a hotel at the mouth of the Pinnebog River, which was probably the first such structure in this part of the county. Township government was organized in 1860, with the election being held at Hume's store and with Hume being elected the first supervisor. The land was once covered by stands of pine trees, which were long ago cleared and sent to saw mills at Port Crescent on the mouth of the Pinnebog River. The Port Huron Fire of 1871 and Thumb Fire of 1881 also destroyed much remaining timber land.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 801 people, 369 households, and 232 families residing in the township. The population density was 26.7 per square mile. There were 853 housing units at an average density of 28.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the township was 99.50% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.25% Asian, and 0.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.62% of the population. There were 369 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couplesliving together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.76. In the township the population was spread out, with 18.4% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $33,047, and the median income for a family was $42,361. Males had a median income of $31,029 versus $19,886 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,810. About 6.2% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
