Irwin family.

The Irwin family were early settlers of Washtenaw County, Michigan. James Irwin was born in New York in 1810 and removed to Saline, Michigan in 1831. His wife, Sybil Hunter, came to Michigan from New York with her parents in 1832.

James and Sybil (Hunter) Irwin had two sons, John E. and (James) Leman Irwin, who would each enlist as soldiers in the Civil War as volunteers in the 20th Michigan Infantry. (James) Leman Irwin died in combat in the early days of the Siege of Petersburg, 17 June 1864. A daughter, Harriet S. (Hattie) Irwin, became a schoolteacher and lived for some time in Nevada. The veteran John E. Irwin married Amy Rice and lived in Michigan for the remainder of his life. They had two sons: Max H. and Fred C. Irwin. In 1890 and 1891 Max H. and Fred C. Irwin prospected on the Iron Range of Northern Minnesota.