| Notes |
- "Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren VincentSprague, page 2.
Francis Sprague came in the good ship, "Anne" which sailedfrom London, England, and arrived at Plymouth, July,1623. He was one of those "passengers" who, as Mortonwrites, "seeing the low and poor conditions of those thatwere before them, were much daunted and dismayed, andaccording to their divers humors, were diverselyaffected. Some wished themselves in England again;others fell to weeping, fancying their own misery in whatthey saw in others; other some pitying the distress theysaw their friends had long been in, and still wereunder. In a word, all were full of sadness; only someof their old friends rejoiced to see them, and it was noworse with them for they could not expect it should bebetter, and now hoped they should enjoy better daystogether. And truly it was no marvel they should bethus affected, for they were in a low condition, both inrespect of food and clothing at that time." GovernorBradford, in allusion to the passengers who came in theAnne and the James, says: "The best dish we could presentthem with, is a lobster, or a piece of fish, without bread,or any thing else but a cup of fair spring water: and thelong continuance of this diet, with our labors abroad, hassomewhat abated the freshness of our complexion; but Godgives us health."
He married in England, Lydia ______ who with their daughtercame with him.NOTE: The above line has been proven to not be true butsince it is part of the highly respected volume by Dr.Warren Vincent Sprague it has been highly quoted. Please do not enter this false information into your familyhistory database.
"Pilgrims Republic of 1888", Goodwin, pages 362-596. 1623, Autumn. He shared inthe division of lands with those who came in theAnne. 1627, At the division of cattle hegives the names of his children as Ann and Mary. 1627, July. Signed anagreement with William Bradford and others pertaining tothe carrying on of the fur trade. 1632-3, Jan. 2. Was taxed atPlymouth, being assessed for 18 shillings. 1632. About this date hesettled in the N.E. part of Duxbury, near the Nook, socalled. 1637, June 17. AdmittedFreeman of the Colony. 1637. Licensed to sellspirituous liquors. 1640. Owned land on North River. 1644, Apr. 1. Deeded to hisson-in-law William Lawrence 50 acres on South River. 1645. Was one of theoriginal proprietors of Bridgewater, but he nor any of hisfamily came to reside there. He was one of theoriginal purchasers of Dartmouth. 1659, Oct 26. Deeded land tohis son-in-law Ralph Earle of Rhode Island. 1666. Was an Inn Holder upto this date and owned considerable property. Mr.Sprague did not adhere strictly to the enactments of thecivil code of the Puritan Fathers and was several timesbrought before the Court for what they considereddepartures from the strict line of duty. His ardenttemperament and great independence of mind did not fullyaccord with the principles of the Puritans, but consideredfrom the present standards of estimating the characters ofmen, he must have been a person of worth and greatrespectability. We know that he was the head of amost honorable and respected family of descendants. 1669. His son John succeededto his business of "keeping an Ordinary" or tavern, wherespirituous liquors were sold, and it is presumed that hisdeath occurred shortly before. 1662. The Court admonishedgood wife Tubbs (his daughter Mercy) for "mixed dancing";she left her husband and in 1668 the court granted him adivorce. They had a son, William Tubbs, Jr., whomarried in 1691, Judith, widow of Isaac Baker.
From a note from Richard Fricke, descendant of WilliamSprague.
Francis Sprague arrived at Plymouth in July, 1623 on theGood Ship Anne from England. The tale is recounted inthe book "Pilgrims Republic, dated 1888, by Goodwin, pages362-596.
From Eugene Aubry's "Plymouth Colony" BiographicalSketches, page 357.
Arriving in 1623 on the Anne, Francis Sprague had threeshares in the 1623 land division, and he was in the 1627cattle division with Anna Sprague and Mercy Sprague, thelatter known to be his daughter, but his relationship toAnna, possibly a wife or another daughter, is not known.His son John Sprague was born in Plymouth and married RuthBasset, daughter of William Basset. Mary LoveringHolman, The Scott Genealogy, page 241, gives him fourchildren. In addition to a son John, Francis hadMercy Sprague, who married 9 November 1637 William Tubbs,Anna Sprague, who married before 1 April 1644 WilliamLawrence, and Dorcas Sprague, who married before 26 October1659 Ralph Earle. Though William Lawrence's wife was adaughter of Francis Sprague, it is assumed that her firstname was Ann, and if it should later be learned that theAnna in the 1627 division was Sprague's wife, then thefirst name of Lawrence's wife is unknown. One ofthe purchasers, Sprague was on the 1633 and 1634 taxlists and became a freeman 7 June 1637. On 2 January1637/38, he was presented for beating William Halloway,erstwhile servant to William Bassett. In 1638, he waslicensed to keep an ordinary at Duxbury; his license wassuspended in 1640, but he was licensed again in 1646. In 1650, he became a constable for Duxbury. On 27April 1661, Francis Sprague of Duxbury deeded his dwellinghouse and land to his son John Sprague with the provisionthat John would not take possession until his father died.Francis was listed in the 29 May 1670 list of freemen inDuxbury, but his name was crossed out, which would seem toindicate that he died shortly after that date. TheAnthony Sprague who married Elizabeth, daughter of RobertBartlett, and the Joanna Sprague who married Caleb Church,were not of this family, but were children of WilliamSprague of Hingham.
From "History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater", byNahum Mitchell.
Francis Sprague was one of the forefathers, and arrived atPlymouth 1623 in the ship Ann. He settled in Duxbury,and was one of the original proprietors of Bridgewater, butdid not, nor did any of his family, come to residethere. There is no mention of a daughter, Dorcas.
From George Davis.
Francis Sprague married ?Lydia/Anna? according toTorrey's Marriages before 1700. The Munsey-HopkinsGenealogy by D. O. S. Lowell says Anna.
From George Sawyer.
Francis sailed from London for New England in 1623, withAnna & Mercy, his wife and daughter. They reachedPlymouth in the latter part of June in the ship"Ann". The same year 3 acres of land was allotted tohim "to the sea eastward". In 1627, at the time ofthe division of cattle, Francis Sprague was in the "sixtlott", of thirteen persons. There is no mention ofany other Sprague in the colony at that time except Anna &Mercy. Probably his two children John & Dorcas were born inPlymouth or in Duxbury.
In 1632, Duxbury was set off from Plymouth, and in 1637,incorporated as a town. The following year Franciswas licensed as an inn holder there, and continued there atleast until 1666. He is spoken of as being "a man ofinfluence and property". He was one of the originalproprietors of Bridgewater (1645), though he never residedthere. In 1660, he became one of the purchasers ofDartmouth. The date of his death is unknown but iffalls between 1666 & 1669.
From Sherie Sprague Winslow.
Francis Sprague arrived in Plymouth as a Purchaser in July1623 on the ship Anne from London with wife Lydia anddaughter Anna. (Various references do not agree). Hewas a man of influence and property for those times. In1623, he shared in the division of lands given to those whocame on the Anne. (Every person was given one privateacre.)
In 1632, he settled on the NE part of Duxbury, MA. In1637, he was admitted as Freeman of the colony. Scholars are undecided, because of the inconclusive earlyrecords, but it appears that being elected Freeman had todo with the right to vote in Plymouth Colony affairs. Thisright was not extended to everyone. In 1632, he wasalso licensed to sell liquor. It appears that thiswas the first liquor license granted in the colonies. His license was suspended in 1638 (for imbibing too many ofthe spirits he sold) and renewed in 1640. (FEF: Saints andStrangers pages 235 and 321.)
In 1645, he was one of the original purchasers ofDartmouth. In 1650, he was made Constable ofDuxbury. "Mr. Sprague did not adhere strictly to theenactments of the civil code of the Puritan Fathers and wasseveral times brought before the Court for what theyconsidered departures from the strict line of duty. His ardent temperament and great independence of mind didnot fully accord with the principles of the Puritans, butconsidered from the present standards of estimating thecharacters of men, he must have been a person of worth andgreat respectability. We know that he was the head ofa most honorable and respected family of descendants".
"Supplemental to Sprague Families in America", 1915, byFrank H. Sprague.
His death must have occurred shortly before 1669 as that iswhen his son John took over the running of thetavern. (A separate source says his death wasapproximately 5-29-1670.) (Other reference: Planters of theCommonwealth)
"The Great Migration Begins", by Robert Charles Anderson,Volume III, 1996, page 1727
There are very few dates for this family, and manyunanswered questions. The household of FrancisSprague consisted of three persons in 1623 and again in1627 [PCR 12:5, 11], and we assume here that these threeare in both cases Francis, Anna, and Mercy. Mercy wasclearly the daughter who married in 1637, but opinion isdivided as to whether Anna was wife or daughter of Francis.
We know that a daughter of Francis Sprague had marriedWilliam Lawrence by 1644, but we have no record which givesher Christian name. But to have married by that date,and be born after the cattle division of 1727, she would beseventeen at marriage at most, an perhaps younger. The more likely solution is that the Anna of the cattledivision was a second daughter, and Francis did not bring awife with him to New England.
The other two children of Francis (John and Dorcas) wereapparently born in the 1630s, and so fifteen or twentyyears younger than Mercy and Anna, with no evidence of anychildren born in between. This alone suggests thatthese were children of a second marriage. We postulate,therefore, that Francis Sprague had two wives, the first ofwhom died in England before 1623, and the second of whom hemarried in New England about 1630. If our conclusionthat Anna Sprague of the 1627 cattle division became wifeof William Lawrence is correct, then we do not know thegiven name of either of the wives of Francis, nor do wehave dates of birth, marriage or death for either of them.
"The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers"
FRANCIS SPRAGUE
This name does not occur in the Leyden Archives, and inaddition to this it is of great rarity in England. Early settlers of the name emigrated from Dorset to NewEngland but no other occurrence of it is known. Itappears as Spragg and sometimes as Sprake, and such fewinstances of its occurrence are found in the counties ofDevon and Somerset. As none of the passengers havebeen traced to the West Country it is probable that thisemigrant was a transient resident in London whence most ofthis company came. As two daughters shared with himin the 1627 division and he had a son-in-law in 1644 it isprobable that he was married and past middle life when heemigrated.
The occurrence of the name of Spragg at Knutsford, CountyChester, whence some other emigrants to New England,indicates a possible connection between him and Tatliffeand Hilton who preceded him in the Fortune (q.v.).
From A. J. Sprague, correspondent.
Francis came to America on the Anne as stated. Allthe lists of the passengers on the ship list Francis ascoming with two (apparently) females. Anna andMercy. There is no Lydia on the list anywhere. I have been searching for several years now. I canfind no historical evidence of any kind as to the existenceof a Lydia. The only reference to a Lydia was where aLydia Sprague made her mark on a document selling the landin Duxbury. It was sold by Francis' grandson, John. John had a wife named Lydia. The laws of the time said thatwives had to sign off on property that was to besold. The only logical assumption was that this Lydiawas John's wife. If she was Francis' wife she wouldhave to be quite old and there is still the problem ofwhere did John's wife sign. Some believe that Francismarried a second time, his first wife having died inEngland. If so, this marriage would have to have beenbefore 1633 or after 1640 as his marriage is not listed inthe Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, Vol. 1. Icannot find vol. 2 but his second marriage is not listed inthe index of that vol. Volumes 3 and 4 do not seem tolist marriages although I have not had a chance to searchthem yet. All the volumes are available in thePlymouth County offices in Plymouth. The MayflowerSociety in Plymouth also has a set although one volumeseems to be missing, or at least it has not been there thelast three times I went there over a span of about fouryears.
From Sue Bates, correspondent.
No records seem to exist presenting the reasons orcircumstances which might have prompted Francis Sprague andhis family to leave England and embark upon what was to bea new and often perilous life in the colonies. It canhowever be surmised that those reasons were not purelyreligious, as were those of many of the others who hadchosen to become part of the colonial endeavor in NewEngland. This is made evident by a number of subsequentfactors. One indication is the fact that Francis Sprague,rather than having been designated as one of the Saints ortrue Puritans by George F. Wilson in his book SAINTS ANDSTRANGERS, published 1945 by Reynal and Hitchcock of NewYork, was instead designated as having been among theso-called "Strangers". These "Strangers" were those whowere part of the colony but who did not strictly adhere tothe Puritan religious principles. For even though he hadimmigrated and settled with the Puritan or Pilgrim companyat Plymouth Colony, Soule's descriptive narrative of him inSprague Memorial makes the following descriptive notationregarding him:
"It appears that grave and sober though he was, he did notwholly escape the displeasure of the scrupulous magistratesof those days. The Court records disclose the fact that hewas several times brought before them for what theyconsidered departures from the strict line of duty. A fairinterpretation, however, of the evidence, drawn from theOld Colony Records, warrants the conclusion that Francis(Sprague) was a person of ardent temperament and of greatindependence of mind; in short, that his sympathies withthe principles of the Puritan Fathers did not go to thelength of Passive acquiescence in all the enactments oftheir civil code. We know that he was the head of a mosthonorable and respected family of descendants."
Regardless of their reasons for having done so, FrancisSprague, his wife and daughter left England in early 1623and arrived at Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts on or about10 July of that same year, and all three were laterdesignated as having been among the 189 settlers who wereto be acknowledged as the "Founding Fathers of America".
In the fall of 1623, Francis Sprague and his familyparticipated in a harvest feast that also turned into acelebration of the marriage of Governor William Bradford toAlice Southworth. This feast, which was attended by thelocal Indian chief Massasoit and 120 of his people, was theoccasion that has since become noted as the firstThanksgiving.
Shortly after arriving at Plymouth Colony, Francis Spraguetook part in a division of land among the passengers of theship ANNE in which he was granted a plot of land that mayhave been about 100 acres or more.
On 5 November 1623, Francis Sprague took part in what maywell have been one of the first "volunteer" fire fightingefforts to have taken place in New England. On that eveninga fire broke out in one of the settlement houses that soonspread to and destroyed two or three other houses andthreatened to engulf the storehouse where the settlement'swinter food supply was being kept. Governor Bradfordorganized the fire fighting effort and the food stores weresaved. It was later discovered that the fire had resultedfrom a deliberate act of arson.
Sometime around May or June of 1627 Francis Spragueobtained a number of head of cattle in a division oflivestock among the colonists. In July of that same year,he entered into an agreement with Governor Bradfordregarding the fur trade and was thus well on his way tobecoming one of the more well to do and respected citizensof Plymouth Colony.
On 2 January 1632 he was taxed 18 shillings on his land andholdings at Plymouth. Shortly after this, apparentlyseeking larger and more fertile fields, he and his familymoved to the northeast area of what was then known as the"Duxburrow Side" of the bay north of Plymouth Colony. Thisarea has since become the city of Duxbury, Massachusetts.
At Duxburrow they settled on a large grant of landadjoining that of Elder William Brewster, not far from thetown meeting house. This land, near what was known as the"Nook", lay along a bay with good meadows, salt marshes anda creek that is still known as Sprague's Creek.
On 17 June 1637 Francis Sprague was admitted as a Freemanof the Massachusetts Colony. Such status, given only tomale members of the colony, required the passing of arigorous examination of the individual's religious viewsand moral character. There is some indication that may haverequired formal membership in the church. And finally, itrequired that the applicant own property valued at no lessthan £20, though this later requirement was not strictlyenforced. That same year he was granted a license to sellliquor in New England and on 1 October 1637 he establishedwhat has since been recognized as having been one of thefirst taverns and inns to be operated in New England.
At least four other such establishments are known to haveexisted in the region about this same time, some perhapsbefore that of Francis Sprague. James Cole operated atavern just above Plymouth, and others in the area wereeither owned or operated by Constant Southworth, AssistantGovernor of the colony William Collier and by IsaacRobinson.
All of these establishments faced the same problems,problems which appear to have been purposely directedtoward them by the religious minded, colonial authorities.There were officials appointed for the sole purpose offollowing patrons into such taverns and then monitoringtheir intake of liquor, individuals who had the authorityto force the tavern operator to stop serving any individualor group of persons if, in that official's mind, suchpersons were beyond what they felt to be the "legal" limitsof intoxication. The officials have often been noted ashaving made extreme nuisances of themselves. In addition,no tobacco could be used in the taverns, no card playingwas tolerated nor was dice gaming.
Beyond that, official approval and permission to operate atavern that served liquor was usually granted only to themost respectable persons, and such approval was seldomgiven to anyone known to drink to intoxication. Tavernowners were also held responsible for the sobriety of theirpatrons and could be brought to account equally for theactions of any of their patrons who, when intoxicated,caused some problem.
That Francis Sprague was of such independence of mind as tobalk at such official interference with the process of freetrade is indicated by the fact that within next year hisliquor license was suspended for his "...drinking overmuchand tolerating too much jollity" and was admonished forpurposely and knowing serving guests beyond the legallimit. That suspension was lifted though by the end of 1638.
Sometime around this same period of time Francis Spraguebecame a member of the Duxbury Militia under the leadershipof Captain Myles Standish.
In 1640 he obtained more land near Duxbury, along the NorthRiver. On 1 April 1644 he deeded a 50 acre tract of landalong the South River to William Lawrence, husband of hisdaughter Mary. This may well have been a wedding present.
In 1645 Francis Sprague became one of the originalproprietors of Bridgewater, Massachusetts and alsoco-purchased, with the Earle family, a large amount of landat the present site of Dartmouth, in what is presentlyRhode Island, apparently as the first stage toward theestablishment of a settlement at that location. The sitewas subsequently settled in 1650 and became incorporated asthe town of Dartmouth in 1664.
In 1648 and again in 1657 he served as Surveyor of Highwaysfor the area and in 1649 he served as Constable of Duxbury.
On 26 October 1659 he deeded land to his son-in-law RalphEarle of Rhode Island. This land, given on the occasion ofthe marriage of Ralph Earle to Dorcas Sprague, daughter ofFrancis Sprague and Anne _____(?), was apparently a weddingpresent and may have been some of the land purchased atDartmouth, considering that the newlyweds almostimmediately settled at Dartmouth, Rhode Island after theirmarriage. Several months after this, in 1660, FrancisSprague's wife Anne _____(?) died in Duxbury.
On 5 June 1666 Francis Sprague's liquor license was againsuspended because of a brawling incident in his tavern.This suspension was also temporary, being lifted a shorttime later.
On 29 October 1669 Francis Sprague's son John entered intoco-proprietorship of the family tavern. This may have takenplace because of the advancing age of the founder of thisfamily line in America. Following both their deaths in1676, this inn was owned and operated by John Sprague's sonWilliam, who later passed it on to his son Jethro. Its fateafter that time is presently unknown.
Francis Sprague is reported to have died in 1676, sometimeafter March of that year and after the death of his sonJohn. He is reported as having been one of the 10wealthiest men in New England at the time of his death.
NOTE: from Richard E. (Dick) Weber relative to the claim ofFrancis Sprague's participation in the first Thanksgivingcelebration (above):
The first Thanksgiving isn't as precise as we mightlike. Here's what the
World Book Encyclopedia has to say:
"In the United States and Canada, a day is set aside eachyear as Thanksgiving Day. On this day, people givethanks with feasting and prayer for the blessings they mayhave received during the year. The first ThanksgivingDays were harvest festivals, or days for thanking God forplentiful crops. For this reason the holiday stilltakes place late in the fall after the crops have beengathered. For thousands of years people in many landshave held harvest festivals. The AmericanThanksgiving Day probably grew out of the harvest-homecelebrations of England.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is usually a family day,celebrated with big dinners and joyous reunions. Thevery mention of Thanksgiving often calls up memories ofkitchens and pantries crowded with good things to eat.Thanksgiving is also a time for serious religious thinking,church services, and prayer.
One of the first Thanksgiving observances in America wasentirely religious and did not involve feasting. OnDec. 4, 1619, 39 English settlers arrived at BerkeleyPlantation, on the James River near what is now CharlesCity, VA. The group's charter required that the dayof arrival be observed yearly as a day of thanksgiving toGod.
The first New England Thanksgiving was celebrated less thana year after the Plymouth colonists had settled in the newland. The first dreadful winter in Massachusetts hadkilled nearly half of the members of the colony. Butnew hope grew up in the summer of 1621. The cornharvest brought rejoicing. Governor William Bradforddecreed that a three-day feast be held. AThanksgiving Day set aside for the special purpose ofprayer as well as celebration was decreed by GovernorBradford for July 30, 1623.
The women of the colony spent many days preparing for thefeat. The children helped by turning roasts on spitsin front of open fires. Indians brought wild turkeysand venison (deer Meat.) The men of the colonybrought geese, ducks, and fish. The women served themeat and fish with journey cake, corn meal bread with nuts,and succotash. Everyone ate outdoors at big tables."
From Russell Sprague, correspondent:
Here is something you might find interesting. Start at:
<http://istg.rootsweb.com/>
Click on 'volume 2', then 'I agree (copyright)' then'1600s', then 'Anne and Little James'.
This is the passenger list and a bit of description of theships that Francis Sprague and others came over on in1623.
"The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers", byCharles Edward Banks, page 162
FRANCIS SPRAGUE
THIS name does not occur in the Leyden Archives, and inaddition to this it is of great rarity in England. Earlysettlers of the name emigrated from Dorset to New Englandbut no other occurrence of it is known. It appears asSpragg and sometimes as Sprake, and such few instances ofits occurrence are found in the counties of Devon andSomerset. As none of the passengers have been traced to theWest Country it is probable that this emigrant was atransient resident in London whence most of this companycame. As two daughters shared with him in the 1627 divisionand he had a son-in-law- in 1644 it is probable that he wasmarried and past middle life when he emigrated.
The occurrence of the name of Spragg at Knutsford, co.Chester, whence came other emigrants to New England,indicates a possible connection between him and Ratliffeand Hilton who preceded him in the Fortune.
From Suzi Miller, correspondent, note of July 12, 2010
From the book, "The English Ancestry and Homes of thePilgrim Fathers who came to Plymouth on the 'Mayflower' in1620; the 'Fortune in 1621; and the 'Anne' and the 'LittleJames' in 1623":
"THE ANNE. Bradford gives the following particularsof the company of emigrants who came in this ship: 'About 14 days after, (i.e. July 10, 1623, came in thisship caled the Anne, whereof Mr. William Pierce was Master.. .They brought 60 persons for the generall, some of thembeing very usefull persons, and became good members to thebody, and some were wives and children of shuch as werehear already. And some were so bad, as they werefaine to be at charge to send them home againe the nextyear. . .' Robert Cushman had written to Bradfordearly that year: 'Our friends at Leyden. . .will cometo you as many as can this time,' and by the ship Anne hesent another letter, advising Bradford that 'Some few ofyour old friends are come, as &c. So they comedroping to you. . .And because people press so hard upon usto goe, and often shuch as are none of the fitest, I prayyou write earnestly to the Treasurer and direct whatpersons should be sente. It greeveth me to see soweake a company sent you. . ."
The Great Migration Begins, Immigrants to New England,1620-1633, Volume III, by Robert Charles Anderson,published at Boston, Massachusetts in 1995, page 1727.
Comments. There are very few dates for this family,and many unanswered questions. The household ofFrancis Sprague consisted of three persons in 1623 andagain in 1627 [PCR 12:5, 11], and we assume here that thesethree are in both cases Francis, Anna and Mercy. Mercy was clearly the daughter who married in 1637, butopinion is divided as to whether Anna was wife or daughterof Francis.
We know that a daughter of Francis Sprague had marriedWilliam Lawrence by 1644, but we have no record which givesher Christian name. But to have married by that date,and be born after the cattle division of 1627, she would beseventeen at marriage at most, and perhaps younger. The more likely solution is that the Anna of the cattledivision was a second daughter, and Francis did not bring awife with him to New England.
The other two children of Francis (John and Dorcas) wereapparently born in the 1630s, and so fifteen or twentyyears younger than Mercy and Anna, with no evidence of anychildren born in between. This alone suggests thatthese were children of a second marriage. Wepostulate, therefore, that Francis Sprague had two wives,the first of whom died in England before 1623, and thesecond of whom he married in New England about 1630. If our conclusion that Anna Sprague of the 1627 cattledivision became the wife of William Lawrence is correct,then we do not know the given names of either of the wivesof Francis, nor do we have dates of birth, marriage ordeath for either of them.
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Abt 1590 - 1676 (~ 86 years)
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