History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

CHIAPTER XXXV

SI.RINGFIELD AND HIGHLAND
SPRINGFItiUtn TowNs I TP OR(iA \NIZED-]-SPRI NGFIELDII ANI) AIEONSETTLEME —NTS-DA~visB',UR(G-HIGIJLANI)'S P11iysJCA.L FEATURES-FIRST
SETTLE~RS-I hIGIIL.\NDI)POSTOFFICE, AND STATION.~-VILLAGE OF CLYDE
-4METIODISMA IN TIlE- I7oWNSHIP.
Springfield is in the secofl( tier of townships in the northwestern
part of Oakland county, and (lerives its name from the fact that its territory abounds in fine sp)rings', which were wvell known and patronized
lby the Indians and early tradlers. The most notedl of these were Little
Springs. on the old Detroit and Saginaw trail, in section 13.
The name is saidl to hav~e lbeen originally lBestowe(I tulof the township by jeremiahl Clark, of Independence towniship, John J-. MAIerrell and
Akrza C. CrosbyN. The legislative authorities proposed to organize it as
Painsville towinship; but the residents refused to have it so, and it was
finally orgyanized, on A~pril 3, 1837, at the house of David Stanard, under
its app ropriate name. Mfr. Stanard was chosen moderator and John j.
Merrell clerk, the election resulting in the choice of M.\elvin 1)orr forsullervisor and Jonahi Gross for lpermanent towxnship clerk.
S11I~;1I~~oANM) A.NI)L-RSON SrloN
Seven \'ears before. the first land entry, had been made by Daniel
1LeRoy on section 13. [Hus purchase, which was concluded on the i9th
of June, 80 included the famed Little Springs, and soon afterward
A\sahel. Fuller occupied the land for him. M-\r. Fuller later owned much
of the original purchase, lbuilt a hotel, and was the father of a daughter,
A~nn. the first white child horn in the township. Th ulr oe a
the commencement of the little settlement at Springyfield.
Jonahi Gross was the next lpermanent settler. [He was a MLassachusetts man andl, wvith his wife. (lauighter and three sons, made his home
on section io (luring the month of September, 1832. Mr. Gross wvas no
stranger to the country,, having, visited it and made his selection of a
homestead iin the previous spring. File died in 1858. About the time~
of M,~r. Gross' settlement, Gliles fHishop ilocatedl oil section 24, southeast
471