The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 360
Geological Formation / Town of Springport

sive burial place, and where stone and bone implements abound in connection with articles of European origin. Their totem was a calumet or great tobacco pipe, and their chief sachem bore the hereditary title of Sanuu-aweau-towa.

Father Rafeix, who occupied this mission one year during the absence of Father de Carheil, thus describes this locality in his Relation of June 24th, 1672: Goi-o-gouen is the most beautiful country I have ever seen in America. It is situated in latitude 42 1-2 degrees, and the needle scarcely dips more than ten degrees. It lies between two lakes, and is no more than four leagues wide, with almost continual plains, bordered by fine forests. * * * More than a thousand deer are annually killed in the neighborhood of Goi-o-gouen. Fishing, as well the salmon as the eel, and other fisheries are as abundant as at Onondaga."

Here their councils were held, and here was the residence of the chief of the nation. Here, also, says Clark, "we find a tract containing several acres, known as the Indian burying ground," in the vicinity of which have been found "the usual implements and weapons of stone, beads evidently one in use as a rosary, by some convert to the teachings of these Jesuit Fathers. A well preserved skull, with an iron tomahawk and rusty musket, were found in the same grave." "Every foot turned up by the plow revealed fragments of skulls, and the soil was literally black and fat with the dust of the mouldering dead. On digging a few inches below, where the soil had been undisturbed by the plow, a perfect net-work was found of almost perfect skeletons. Tens of thousands of those sons of the dark forest had here been buried. Abundant evidence appears that a large town once existed here and long continued use of those grounds for burial purposes.

"On an adjoining eminence their council fires had glared for centuries on brave warriors and wise counselors. Here had been their seat of authority and these hills had reechoed with the eloquence of their orators. Here untold generations had lived, died and were buried. Here lived a feeble remnant of the race when Sullivan, under the stern necessities of war, gave their orchards to the ax, their homes and castles to the devouring torch, and their sacred burial places desecration."

The first settlement by the whites was made soon after the extinction of the Indian title, Feb. 23d, 1789, and many, unfortunately, who were attracted to the springs and to localities in this town adjacent to them, suffered ejectment, on complaint of the Indians, by the State authorities. In consequence of its reservation by the Indians this town was not as numerously settled at as early a day, as lother localities in the County. The earliest settlement of which we have authentic record was made in 1790, by Frederick Gearhart and Thomas Thompson, and possibly by Edward Richardson, who, about that time, dammed up the north spring and became the first proprietor of the mill property thereon. Gearhart, who was a blacksmith, came from Pennsylvania, and settled two and one-half miles east of Union Springs, where Thomas Alverson now lives. He died here at a very early day, previous to 1805. Thompson's home was the Juniata, in Western Pennsylvania. He came in October, 1790, and settled a little south of Union Springs. He soon after bought a soldier's claim in Scipio, to which the title proved defective, and he subsequently removed to the north-west corner of this town, to the farm now owned by Clinton T. Backus, where he died. Four sons and five daughters came with him, viz: John, Alexander, James, Maxwell, Elizabeth, afterwards wife of William Richardson, Sarah, afterwards wife of Samuel Richardson, Mary, afterwards wife of Jesse Davis, Nancy, afterwards wife of George McFarland, and Isabella, who died at the age of fourteen. They came with their household goods across the mountains on horseback, and drove their sheep, hogs and cows, the journey occupying some two weeks. Thompson's sons and daughters all settled in that locality on adjoining farms.

William Richardson came in from Chester Co., Pa., in 1791, and settled on the shore of the lake, two miles north of Union Springs. He afterwards removed to Levanna, and died there in 1823, aged ninety-two years. There he took up a tract of four hundred acres, a portion of which was cleared, fenced and sown to wheat the first year, under the direction of his son John, assisted by his brother Samuel, the crop of which yielded forty bushels to the acre. He was tall, well proportioned, and possessed high social and intellectual qualities, while he was passionately fond of sports, such as the chase, fishing, fowling, &c.

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