Call Number:

01

Repository:

Springfield Township Historical Society (Bucks County, Pa.)

Extent:

14.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1985-2013 (bulk) and 1832-2013 (inclusive)

Creator:

Springfield Township Historical Society (Bucks County, Pa.)

Abstract:

Springfield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was surveyed and laid out in 1743. The township was primarily a rural farming community for most of its history, although its population increased with suburbanization in the late 20th century. The Springfield Township Historical Society genealogy and subject files, 1832-2013 (bulk 1985-2013), cover numerous local history topics and local families. The collection consists largely of secondary-source materials, principally newspaper clippings, research notes, and narrative histories. A small quantity of original documents is mixed in.

The area now known as Springfield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was first inhabited by the Lenni Lenape. The first Caucasian settler arrived in 1728 and set up a trading post. He was followed by more English, Scotch, Irish, and German settlers. Lands were transferred from the Lenni Lenape inhabitants to white settlers as part of the Penn family's 1737 "Walking Purchase." The Township of Springfield was surveyed and laid out in 1743.

A stage coach first passed through Springfield in 1763, travelling the King's Highway between Bethlehem and Philadelphia. It was replaced by the Quakertown and Eastern Railroad in 1857.

By the 1840s, there were six villages within the Township of Springfield: Springtown, Pleasant Valley, Passer, Zion Hill, Gruversville, and Rocky Valley. As of 2013, only Springtown, Pleasant Valley, and Zion Hill still exist.

Springfield Township is the third largest municipality in terms of land area in Bucks County. For most of its history, the township was primarily a rural farming community. In 1964, farm lands and open fields accounted for 63.4% of its total acreage; woods and water comprised an additional 29.7%. Its population increased with suburbanization in the late 20th century.

Bibliography:

Riter, Betty Gross and the Springfield Township Historical Society. "Springfield History & Trivia." Accessed July 16, 2013. http://www.springfieldbucks.org/uploads/history%20%20trivia%20sheet.pdf.

This collection is organized into two series: I. Genealogy; and II. Subject files. The genealogy series makes up the bulk of the collection and is organized alphabetically by family name. The subject files include vertical files and binders of information on local history topics.

The Genealogy series consists largely of secondary-source materials, such as research notes and family trees, research-related correspondence, narrative histories and biographies, copies of photographs and other original documents, copies of articles and newspaper clippings, and published genealogies. There are also some original documents mixed in such as deeds, photographs, and letters. The quality and quantity of documentation varies by family. Particularly robust are the files on the Ott, Trauger, Oberholtzer, and Strawn families.

The Subject files series documents primarily local topics, as well as some nearby areas (including New Jersey and New York) and topics of national interest (such as World Wars). It includes newspaper clippings, narrative histories, copies of newspaper articles, and research notes, with some original materials such as pamphlets and recent photographs. Of special interest to genealogists and property researchers are indexes and tombstone transcripts of local cemeteries; copies of burial (undertaker) records; copies of real estate assessment (including land parcel) records. There is also a large quantity of the Historical Society's planning materials for the 250th anniversary Springfield Township.

Some copies of maps (rolled, oversized) are also included in the collection.