From Michigan Place Names
Shiawassee County: Hosea Baker came here in 1835 and bought so much of the land that he is regarded as the founder of the village. He built a sawmill here on the Shiawassee River in 1836. It was named by another 1836 settler, Dr. Nicholas P. Harder who had formerly lived near Newburgh-on-Hudson, N.Y. John Grumley became the first postmaster, with the office named North Newburg, on Aug. 4, 1863, and it operated until Aug. 26, 1893 [Ellis; Campbell; PO Archives]