The History of Cayuga County 1789-1879 page 370
UNION SPRINGS/ TOWN OF SPRINGPORT.

and Miss May Hoagland, assistants in primary department.

THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF SPRINGPORT was formed September 7th, 1801, at the house of Ichabod Wilkinson, in the present town of Fleming, which house is still standing on what is known as the Culver farm, on the Poplar Ridge road. The house was then used as a tavern, and indeed the meetings were held for several years in taverns, which were the only houses large enough to accommodate the numbers who attended. The original members were: Samuel Culver, from Eyremont, Mass.; Gilbert Weed and his wife Abigail, from Greenfield, Saratoga Co.; Josiah Mix and his wife Rebecca, from Granville, Washington Co.; and Jacob Shaw, from Norton, Mass.; all of whom brought letters from the churches with which they had respectively been connected, and were organized as the First Church in Aurelius, of which this town was then a part, by Rev. Jacob Cram, a missionary sent to Western New York by the Massachusetts society. The first deacons were Gilbert Weed and Joseph Thayer, who were elected December 17th, 1802.

Meetings had previously been held in this section for some years by missionaries. As early as 1795, Rev. David Thatcher, of the Presbytery of Orange, passed through this section seeking out families and preaching as he had opportunity. In 1798, Rev. Asa Hillyer of the same Presbytery, passed through and labored here. About the same time Rev. Aaron Condit, pastor at Hammond, N. J., and his elder, Silas Ball, made a missionary tour on horseback by way of Oswego, and visited this section. After him came Rev. Dr. Perrine from the Presbytery of New Brunswick, threading his way through a continuous forest by means of blazed trees. In 1798 also the General Association of Connecticut sent out Rev. Seth Williston, and in 1799, Revs. Jedediah Bushnell and Solomon King. After this passing missionaries labored occasionally until the summer of 1801, when Rev. David Higgins, pastor at North Lyme, Conn., visited this section and labored with so much satisfaction to the church that they gave him a call in 1802. In the summer of that year Mr. Higgins moved in with his family of seven children and a favorite house servant, stopping first at Cayuga. The journey was made in a covered wagon, over longways, through streams, and most of the way through an unbroken forest.

The society was incorporated as the First Congregational Society of Aurelius, May 21st, 1802, at a meeting held at the house of Henry Moore, the old tavern stand one mile south of the Half Acre. The first trustees were, Thomas Mumford, Henry Moore, Josiah Taylor, Hezekiah Goodwin, Moses Lyon, Jesse Davis, Joseph Grover, John Grover and William Bostwick. The oldest member at present is the widow of William VanSickle, whose membership covers a period of fifty-seven years.

This was one of the Churches which united in forming the Middle Association; and on the dissolution of that body it became an integral part of the Presbytery of Cayuga. In October, 1822, it forsook all the features of a Congregational Church, and elected the following elders at its first session: Ebenezer Higgins, George McFarland, Alexander Thompson and Henry H. Higgins, who were ordained the 3d of November following, except Alexander Thompson, who declined. Ebenezer Higgins and George McFarland were duly set apart as deacons. At its organization this Church accommodated a territory which to-day contains not less than eleven Presbyterian Churches, with an aggregate of 2,176 members, viz: the Churches of Springport, Sennett, Scipio, Cayuga, Port Byron, Scipioville, Weedsport and the First, Second, Central and Calvary Churches of Auburn. Meetings were accordingly held once in four weeks at four different places, viz: at Hardenbergh's Corners, Cayuga, Grover's Settlement and at Henry Moore's south of the Half Acre. In July, 1806, Isaac Treat, Timothy Hatch, Moses Treat, Ebenezer Hamlin, Abel B. Munro, Huldah Hamlin, Mahala Treat, Darius Treat, Matilda Munroe and Welty Carrier withdrew to form the present Church of Sennett. In July, 1811, Silas Hawley and wife, Daniel Herring, Rachel Parker, Anna Cogswell, Betsey Tyler, Eunice Higgins, and Sarah Gilbert were dismissed to form the First church at Auburn. In June, 1819, Thomas Mumford, Mary G. Mumford, Lovisa Willard, Roxilla Richardson, Molly Shaw and Sally Hallock withdrew to form the First Presbyterian church of Cayuga.

The first church edifice erected and finished for use was the stone meeting house about two

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