The first white men who became residents of what is now Argentine township were James H. Murray and William Lobdell, in 1836. Mr. Murray, who formerly lived near Rochester, new York, came from Cayuga county, in that state, with his family, and first settled in Washtenaw county. His purchase of land in section 35 of Argentine township, was made to secure a water privilege, and as soon as he moved his family thither, in March, 1836, he built the dam now standing at the village and erected a saw-mill. Two or three years later he built a frame grist-mill, from which flour was drawn to Detroit in wagons. Mr. Murray also built the first store in the village, opposite of grist-mill. He also built the second hotel in the place, the first having been built by Abram Middlesworth. Argentine soon became a village center of considerable importance.

Among the earliest settlers who contributed to the growth of the township may be mentioned William Lobdell, William Alger, William Jennings, William and Henry Pratt, Ira Murray, Israel Crow, Calvin W. Ellis, Benjamin Taylor, Amos Sturgis, David Brooks, Solomon Sutherland, Halsey Whitehead, Asa Atherton, David Brooks and others.

A post office was established at the village at an early day and called Booton; but, owing to the act that there was another office in the state with a similar name, it was finally changed to Argentine. James H. Murray was the first postmaster and to him is given the credit for naming the township. Mail was carried on horseback over a route which extended from Pontiac to Ionia. William Hubbard and Brown Hyatt were among the earliest mail carriers.

A village plat for Argentine was laid out in 1844, but the building of the Detroit & Milwaukee railway through Fenton left Argentine so far to one side as to destroy its prospects of growth as a village.

As in the case of Flint township, the earliest records of Argentine township cannot be found. No records exist earlier than 1850.