Springfield Township.

and Springfield aforesaid, being very irregular and crooked, and causing considerable difficulty at elections in determining at which township the electors shall be entitled to vote."

The court appointed Jesse J. Maris, Spencer McIlvain, and Edward H. Engle commissioners to adjust the boundary lines, which was done, and on Oct. 13, 1837, they reported, designating the present southern boundary line of Springfield, which report was accepted and confirmed by court.

The following is a list of the justices of Springfield:

Springfield Friends' Meeting-House, Built 1738, Taken Down 1850.
[Drawn by John Sartain in 1837.]

Friends' Meeting-House. - The members of the society of Friends who had settled in Springfield were recognized at the Chester Quarterly Meeting on Third month 3, 1686, when it was agreed that "for y^e ease of such y^t live westerly in y^e woods and y^e rest of friends living y^e other way upon y^e same day (Firstday) to meet at ffrancis Stanfield's until further consideration." The rest of the Friends living the other way were those of Springfield. At the Quarterly Meeting, Sixth month 2, 1686, it was "agreed y^t ye meeting at ffrancis Stanfield's upon fresh consideration be Removed to Bartholomew Coppuck's y^e younger, to begin y^e next first day and y^e 4th day following untill friends see cause to remove it." On Third month 4, 1696, the Quarterly Meeting changed the day of meeting at Coppock's house to "every first and 3d day," and on Third month 2, 1698, consented that the time of meeting should be changed so that "the 3d day be on y^e 5th day." By this time the meeting at Coppock's had waxed so strong that on the Twelfth month 6, 1698/9, the minutes of Chester Quarterly Meeting show that "the friends belonging to Springfield meeting propose their intention of building a meeting-house at their grave-yard, which this quarterly meeting Consents unto." This grave-yard was located at the junction of the Springfield and Darby roads, on the line between Springfield and Marple township. It is said that the first meeting-house was of stone, an assertion which may well be questioned, as the meeting houses and churches in that day were usually constructed of logs, and inasmuch as that in Springfield was quickly erected it would seem to argue that it was a wooden structure. The statement that it was quickly built is based on the minutes of Chester Quarterly Meeting, on Sixth month 26, 1700, where, in the case of several Friends who had violated law in getting intoxicated and had made an acknowledgment of their misdeeds to the meeting in writings, it was ordered that "both the s^d papers bee published by being fixed up att Springfield meeting-house." Tradition has declared that the first meeting-house was erected in 1704, where, as at Springfield meeting-house, on Second month 26, 1703, the following interesting record was made:

"Chester meeting having Layed before this meeting their care and tender dealing with and concerning George Simpson about the disorderly practices of the s^d George in keeping on his hatt when John Simcock was in Prayer and Reflecting on his Testimony Calling itt dead and dry stuff and hee doth not Give friends satisfaction in condemning the same. George Maris, Sen^r, & Robert Vernon are appointed to speak to him to come to next mo. meeting in order to Give friends satisfaction."

From the records of Chester Meeting held on Eighth month 25, 1703, we find that the deed of Springfield meeting-house was lodged with George Maris, Sr., for safe-keeping. The first building on this lot was destroyed by fire in 1737, and the following year, 1738, the society had begun the erection of another meeting-house. At Chester Quarterly Meeting, on Sixth month 13, 1739, it was ordered that eighteen pounds should be paid to Friends of Springfield Meeting, which sum was to be expended in helping them to defray the charges of rebuilding their meeting-house. The amount was the interest on Joseph Need's donation, and was appropriated in the manner designated at his request. The date-stone in the second building had engraved upon it the words and