West Family Tree

Relation to Deborah Springer found in "A History of Jonathan Alder: His Captivity and Life with the Indians" p. 119.

"Soon the white people began to move in here. Amongst the very first settlers was Benjamin Springer and his family, and Usual Osborn, his son-in-law. (He subsequently removed to the site of Plain City, on the west bank of the stream, and there was found by Benjamin Springer and Usual Osborn in 1796, who settled on Big Darby on land now owned by John Taylor, near the north line of Canaan Township. Beers) Tehy both soon became warmly attached to me and Osborn took great pains in learning me to speak English, first giving me the names of things and then a word at a time. After I got a little start, I learned it very fast. After a little while, it seemed to come almost natural."

History of Madison County, Ohio, Chicago,
W.H. Beers & Co., 1883. Page 288. (transcript)
[See the bio. of Usual Osborn]

ENJAMIN SPRINGER.
In 1796, Benjamin Springer, with his wife and two sons, Silas and
Thomas, also his son-in-law, Usual Osborn and wife, settled on Big Darby.
They were natives of Pennsylvania, and built their cabin on land now owned
by John Taylor, close to the north line of Canaan Township, and just within
the limits of the same. Prior to their settlement in this county, they had
resided a short time in Kentucky, whence they removed to the Darby. Howe
says that Springer came out in the fall of 1795, built his cabin, and, in
the spring of 1796, brought his family. This is a mistake; he did not come
until the latter year, according to the reminiscences of Jonathan Alder,
who says that Springer came to the Darby the year succeeding the treaty of
Greenville, or the next year after he pitched his camp on the Dominy land.
As Alder did not come until the fall of 1795, it follows that Springer did
not come until 1796. Alder gives a brief history of Springer's family, and
we cannot do better than to quote his narrative. After speaking of his
settlement, he says : "His family consisted of himself, wife and three
children -- Silas, Thomas, and Osborn's wife. He built the first mill on
Darby. It was situated about a mile below where Pleasant Valley now is.
It was poorly constructed, and only ran about six months, the first high
water sweeping the dam away. It was never rebuilt. Springer lived to be
eighty years old, and died on Darby. The last time I saw him, he came to
my house in 1825, and took dinner with me. After dinner, we walked out,
and, at parting, he shook hands with me and said : 'This is perhaps the
last time we shall see each other alive.' I made light of it, but he said he
was in earnest, as he did not believe he would live long. He wished to
carry to my mind the idea that he had some warning that his end was
approaching. It was warm weather in the early fall, and he looked quite
hale and hearty, but before winter he was dead.
"I have seen Springer's two boys -- Tom and Silas -- without shoes at
Christmas. Tom was a great hunter, and frequently went with me on such
occasions. One morning we started out early and crossed Little Darby and
the Spring Fork. Late in the evening, Tom killed a fine buck, and by the
time it was dressed it was dark. Tom wanted to know what we would do.
I told him we would have to camp out, and he seemed very well pleased at
the idea. We made a fire and roasted some of our venison for supper. Tom
was rather industrious, and did most of the drudgery, getting the wood and
water. Late at night, we began to talk about sleeping. Tom said as he had
no blanket he would have to sleep with me. I told him that two grown-up
Indians never slept together; they are like two male bears, never found in
the same hole or tree, for if they should happen to get together, they would
fight, and one or the other would have to leave. 'Well,' said he, 'what
am I to do; I have no blanket.' I told him he ought to have thought of
that before he started, and that he never saw an Indian go out without his
gun, knife, tomahawk and blanket. 'Well,' said he, 'I do not know
what I shall do if you will not let me sleep with you.' I told him we
would fix our beds and he could sleep in his buckskin. I had only been
teasing him, as the deerskin was, after all, the warmest thing he could
sleep in. I had looked out an old tree before dark, and so I went and
got a lot of bark to keep us off the ground. Tom stretched himself
out, wrapped in his deerskin, and was soon snoring. I woke up in
the night and found it was snowing very fast, but as Tom was still
snoring I did not disturb him. When we awoke in the morning there
was about six inches of snow on the ground. When Tom opened out
his buckskin to get up, the snow fell on his face and scared him some, for
he declared that he knew nothing of the snow until he woke up. Taking
all together, Tom had the better night's rest of the two. We built a fire
and roasted some of our venison, and then packed the remainder and started
for home. Tom never got tired telling about that hunting trip. One
morning, I went out before day coon hunting, a year or so before our deer
hunt. There was a heavy frost. Just after daylight, I met Silas and Tom
Springer. Tom was barefooted, and I asked him if his feet were not cold.
'No,' said he, 'not much.' How the fellow could stand it and go through such
a frost and not freeze his feet, I never could understand. After Tom grew
up to be a man, he went out West, and I saw no more of him. After Silas
grew up, he married Margaret Kilgore, a very fine young woman, about 1807.
She was the daughter of Thomas Kilgore, who was one of the early settlers
on Big Darby. Silas settled on the farm now owned by Eugene Babb,
in Jefferson Township. He adhered to the New-Light Church; was an upright
citizen, and raised a large family." We have been told by old settlers
that he died on this farm, but Alder says: "Silas Springer bought a farm
on Big Darby, which he improved and lived on until the year 1825, when
he sold out to George Brown and moved West. He was of a religious turn
of mind and would sometimes preach. After he went West, he joined the
Mormons, and I then lost sight of him." Which of these accounts is the
true one we are unable to say, but, doubtless, some of our readers may be
able to throw sufficient light on the subject to clear away all doubt, and
establish one or the other as the true story.

http://home.att.net/~osborne-origins/biograph/newbio7.htm