Ralph Sprague Genealogy
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THE RALPH SPRAGUE GENEALOGY Compiled and Published by E .. G. SPRAGUE, Ph. B., M. D. PRD."TED BY THE CAPITAL CITY PRESS Montpelier. Vermont To the Descendants of EDWARD and CHRISTIANA Introduction. At the outset it must be understood that anything original is disclaimed; scissors and copying-pad have been used so freely on everything pertaining to the subject that a printed list of references would considerably increase the size and cost of the book; church, grave-stone, probate court, vital town records in Mass., and a large part of New England have been searched to secure Sprague data.; and lastly no attempt has ever before been made (so far as I know) to publish a Genea logy of Ralph. Colonisl iromir;rants by our name came from England, and twelve years ago while in London I made an attempt at the Somerset House to procure material concerning their progenitors for an introductory chapter to this volume. Ex orbitant charges precluded satisfactory results and research "·orkwas abandoned. It has already been alleged that Hol- - land was the cradle of the Sprague family; that they were "·eavers there and so oppressed by the stiff duties imposed on their products, they emigrated to England in the 15th or 16th century. Records of the family have been found to reach back to the 14th century, the name being spelled in a. variety of forms however. Sir Edward Spragge, Admiral of the Blue, who "·as drovn1ed during an engagement "ith Cornelius Van Tromp of the Dutch Navy off the con.st of Holland Aug. 11, 1673, wa..i;; son of Captain Litchfield Spragge of the English Army and grandson of Captain John Spra.gge, an Army officer in Queen Elizabeth's time. He "·as knighted by Charles II on his ship Triumph Jul. 1, 1665 and his Coat of Arms ''reproduced is gule, a fess between three trefoils. Crest out of a na.vs.l cro",i, a demi-lion crowned". The above dates being con temporaneous with the lives of the Sprague boys who came to the New World negative a direct relationship and our title to the Sir Edward Coat of Arms. It bas been well kno",i for 6 THE RALPH SPRAGUE GE!-.~OGY. some yea.rs that the ,\ill of Edward Spr?,gue of Upway had 1 been handed down to us through the f mnily of lu.Jph , but not until recently has it become so well known that the Sir Hugh Sprague Coat of ..i\.rms bad been preserv.ed and equally prized by the Wtlliam1 family. .Among the early immigrants, whose descendants have become very numerous "·as Francis Sprague who arrived in Plymouth, Ma.ss., Jul. 1623 in the ship Ann. The descen dants of Nicholn..s Sprake or Sprague who settled in Billereca, Ma.ss. about li20, have become today a very large family. Ralph, Richard and William crune to Salem, ~Iass. in 1628. William settled in Hingham, Mass. raised n. large family of children and his descendants today are numerous and ·widely scattered. · Richard had no children. Ralph, our forefather, settled in Malden, 1\-Isss., where he brought up a large family. Three of his sons had children and their descendants ha.Ye been traced out generation after generation to the present, as indicated by the charts or family trees on f ollomng pages. These charts not alone serve to quickly run ones line back through the several generations to Ralph's father Edward of England, but to show by the names in italics that a consider able number of men are yet to be accounted for before the wotk can b;: entirely complete. Some of these perhaps brought up families in neighboring or distant states, many doubtless died -without issue, ms.king the genealogy more nearly complete than the charts indicate. More might be done but slow progress would be e.'\.~ected and I take leave of this very pleasant work not through lack of interest in it but time required to pursue it. While the early records of this compilation do not correspond with some others in every particular, let it be remembered discrepances are not easily reconciled. No name has been introduced but what h3S been approved by some one, and I 3.m pleased to mention my indebtedness to W. F. Bucknam of Stoneham, Mass., for records of the several children in the 2nd, 3d, a.nd 4th genera- !NTROD'OCTION. 7 tions not mentioned by others. For the invaluable and un remitting favours of Dr. W. V. Sprague of Chauncey, Ohio, who recently published the genealogies of Francis, William and Nicholas Sprague I am under special obligations, as well as to my father John H. for the material concerning the 5 descendants of J onathan , the pioneer of our Vermont branch of Spragues. A vast amount of material has been contributed by Finney Sprague of Dayton, 0., F. W. Sprague of Brookline, ~lass., and Rev. C. C. Carpenter of Andover, Mass. Most every family of the present generation here furnished some thing, and to all I e.'\9tend my thanks for their assistance which was so essential and cheerfully given. EDWARD G. ·sPRAGUE. Barre, Vt.,, June 1, 1913. Contents. PAP ,V'JLL OF EowARD.. .. .. .. • • . • . .. • . • . .. .. • 13 ~'lCESTRAL CILUtTS. • . • . • . • . • . 17 Enw ARD AND CHlUSTik'iA. • • . • . .. • . • • . 23 GENERATION 1. .. .. .. .. .. 25 ' GE:!\'"ERATION 2 . .. .. .. .. 31 GE~"ERA.TION 3. .. .. 37 G~"'ERA TION 4 .......................................... 47 GENER.-\.TION 5·. .. .. .. 65 GE...,'"'ER..\.'I'70N 6 . ....................... + •••• + • • • • • • • • 85 GE1''"'ERATION 7. 117 G~~RATION 8 ......................................... 169 GE~~R.A.TION 9 . ............... ~ . 237 GE.'-~TlO::i,;' 10 .................. ~ . .. .. 293 APPE::ir."'l>tx. • • • • .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . • • • • • • .. 301 b,-OE.X OF sPR.\Gt;E.. • • • • • • . • . .. • • . • . .. + • • • • • 303 I~~EX OF AssocuTE NA ...,ms .......................... 31i 9 Contents of Photo-Engravings. • P~c Co.-\.T OF •.\R.,1s.......... • . • 12 FULLIXG MILL OF UPWAY............................ 23 CHURCH OF uPWA y. • . • . Z3- EDWARD6.......... 95 EDWARD D., ........................................ 117 AsA1. 128 LEOXARD7 . ................................ ·. .. 128 EDGERTO~•. • . • . ..•.. : . • • . 128 · ALFRJ:01. .. .- . • . • . • •..... ·. 132 ZraA7 ..•..... _ ................ : .............. : . 132 EowJ\.RD•. • 132 Joli)j Z.s .......................................... : . 132 AVERY W.7 ...... .............. : . 148 PETER T.,., .. ,,, .... ,, ...... ,, ..... a, •••••••• , ••••• , 154 REV. EDWARD P., .................................... 164 HE~Y E.s. 174 LUX.-\ SPRAGUE PECKS •..•.•...•.••. .♦• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 182 . Joa,-,; z.s .................................. -. 184 FOSTER G.s....... 184 ALBERT •.\.s ........... : .............................. 190 OTHO s.. .\.i.. 192 Jo~ H.s ............................................ 195 MILTON A.s. .. 200 ADA K. SPRAGUE PRATTS ....•.••.....••............•• 204 Pm).."EASS. 221 JOSEPH H.s. 222 1\IURTHA. ..\.s. 150 RICHARD L.o. 173 JOHN B. C.o ......................................... 174 ALBERT A. 2ndo: . 256 FR.A..'.K J.o ........................................... 262 W. F. BucK..~A.,tn. 285 GEO. w. BATES9..... 286 F. ..\.. BucK..-...r.ut!l. .. 287 11 uHe benreth po.rty per fess, Ermine and Argent, in chief a Lyon pnssnnt, Gules. By the name of Sprague, gmnted to Sir Hugh Spmgue, Esq., then living in Gloucestershire, Engl:ind, in the year 1580, by Sir Wm. C. Clnrencicu.~ and from srud grant descends to the ll!l.Ille and family of Sprague." The above is an exnct copy of the very ancient writing on a card attached to the coat of :ums. l::? . ... .~~ii .if . .f.f. WILL OF EDWARD SPRAGUE OF ENGLAND.-1614.* The VIth day of June in the year of our Lord God, 1614. In the name of God, A.men .. I, EDWARD SPRAGUE of Upway in the County of Dorset, fuller, being sick and weak of body, but well and perfect in mind, thanks be given unto .,tjmjghty God, do ordain and ap point this my last Will 3.D.d Testament to be made in mann~ and form following. That is to say, first of nll, I do bequeath my soul unto Almighty God, my saviour and redeemer, and my body to be buried within the church yard. As for such tem poral goods as God hath blessed me withall, I give and be queath as hereafter follows: viz.. I give unto the parish church of T)pway ten shillings. Item-I give unto the poor of the said parish of Upway ten shillings. Item-I give unto Ralph Sprague my eldest son one of the oldest pair of shears in my shop and one lesser pair called the quarrell. I t,em-I give and bequeath unto my eldest daughter Alice Sprague fifty pounds,. to be pa.id within one year after my decease. Item-I give and bequeath unto Edward Sprague my second son, two pairs of shears and twenty pounds to be paid likewise within one year after my decease. Item-I give and bequeath unto Richard Sprague my third son twenty pounds to be paid when he shall be one and twenty years of age. Item-I give and bequeath unto Christopher Sprague my fourth son twenty pounds to be paid when he shall be of the age of one and twenty years. Jt,em-I give ·and bequeath unto William Sprague my youngest son twenty pounds to be paid when he shall be of the age of one and twenty years. All the rest of my goods moveable a "ld unmoveable I give and bequeath unto Christian [Christiana] Sprague my wife whom I do make my whole [sole] e.xecutrix of this my last Will and Testament. •Pages 13. 14. 15 and 16 an, a reprint from the Gen. A .. B. R. Sprapc"s Gene- a.logy of the Sp~ of America. 13 14 THE RALPH SPRAGUE G&'lEALOGY. ME.l'\1:OR.A}..TD: that if Richard Sprngue, Christopher Sprague or William Sprague shall happen to die either of them before they shall be of the age of one and twenty yea.rs. that then his legacy to be divided bet'\\•een the other two, or if two of them shall happen to die before they shnll be of the age of one and twenty years, that then their legacies to remain to the other then living.