Asa Sprague

1768 - 1855  (86 years)

• Name	Asa Sprague  [1]
  Born	20 Jul 1768	Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	Freeport, Cumberland Co., ME, USA   [1]
  Died	30 Jan 1855	Dover, Piscataquis Co., ME, USA   [2, 3, 4]
  Buried	Old Dover-Foxcroft Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis Co., ME, USA   [3]
  Notes	"The Genealogy of the Sprague's in Hingham", by HoseaSprague, page 56.      Asa, son of the 2d Jacob, went to the eastward. From the findagrave.com website According to the IGI and Pedigree Resource File atfamilysearch.org, Asa Sprague was born/christened in 1770in Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts to Jacob Sprague &Alice Tower and married Mirriam about 1798 if this is thecorrect one. Also in the IGI, Asa Sprague married MiriamGriffin on 30 Aug 1795 in Freeport, Cumberland, Maine(extracted marriage record). 1850 census of Dover, Piscataquis, Maine p294: Asa Sprague,age 84, born in Massachusetts, farmer, listed in householdof son, Jacob, 40 and his wife, Harriet A, 37 and theirchildren, Thos, 10, Bela T, 4 and Chas, 1. From Richard Weiss, correspondent, note of January 23, 2018 Asa Sprague and Miriam Griffin Asa Sprague was born about 1768 in Hingham, PlymouthCounty, Massachusetts and died in 1855.27 Research focusedon confirming his relationship with his son, Jacob S.Sprague, parents Jacob Sprague and Alice Tower and hiswife, Miriam Griffin. The town record for his familyindicated that he was born 20 July 1768 and he died 30January 1855 at the age of 86 years and six months.28 Hiswife, Miriam was born 1 September 1772 and died 1 March1843. Their son Jacob was born 8 May 1810. This recordverified Jacob's birth year and established hisrelationship with his parents. It also provided birth anddeath information for Asa and Miriam.After searching several record collections, Asa's marriagewas finally located in Freeport, Cumberland County,Maine.29 He and Miriam Griffin were married on 30 August1795.Asa's burial information was found in the Nathan HaleCemetery Collection, which indicated that he was born in1768 and died in 1855. His wife Miriam was born 1773 anddied 1843.30 They are buried in Old Dover Cemetery,Dover-Foxcroft.Two of Miriam and Asa's children, Bela Towner Sprague andAbigail S. Sprague, left death records that providedparents' names.31 Abigail S. Sprague was born in Freeport,Cumberland County, Maine, and died 5 September 1873 inBoston, Suffolk County, Maine. Her parents were recorded asAsa Sprague, born in Hingham, Massachusetts, and her motherwas Miriam, born in Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine.Bela Towner Sprague died 1 September 1879 in Hingham,Plymouth County, Massachusetts, at the age of 71 years, 5months, and 20 days.32 He was also born in Freeport, andhis parents were recorded as Asa Sprague, born in Hingham,and Miriam Griffin. Both children's records corroborateAsa's place of birth and Bela's record verified that themarriage found earlier for Asa and Miriam was for hisparents.Miriam's burial record indicated she was born in 1772 inMaine to Samuel Griffin and Priscilla Royal and waschristened on 2 November 1772. She married Asa Sprague on30 August 1795, as discussed above.33 Searches wereconducted in the town records to try to confirm herresidence in her parents' home, but they were unsuccessful.Samuel Griffin's wife (and presumably Miriam's mother) wasnamed Priscilla.34 She died on 2 January 1809. The registerof children's births and their parents did not includeMiriam, but this might be because she was already marriedwhen this list was copied into the records. She fits wellinto this family with a 1772 birth. Maine and Massachusettstowns were also checked to see if records would produce aconnection between Samuel and Miriam. Little progress wasmade, but work can continue in this direction during afutures session as necessary.When the birth records were searched for Miriam, several ofher siblings' births were discovered. Samuel andPriscilla's daughter, Hannah was born 21 February 1798 inNorth Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine.35 Their son,Thomas Millet Griffin was also born there on 17 June1770.36 However, like Miriam, these children were notincluded with Samuel's family records noted above.Bathsheba Griffin was included in the town record above andwas born 10 March 1778 in Freeport, Cumberland, Maine.37The region where the Griffin family lived was first calledNorth Yarmouth, and later Freeport was created from thistown. A gap exists in records between the North Yarmouthtown records and the Freeport-Dover town records ofCumberland County, Maine right when Miriam was born. Thisindicates that the Griffin family probably did not move,but the names of the places where they lived changed.Transcriptions of records for North Yarmouth, CumberlandCounty, Maine, were examined, seeking Miriam's birth in1772, but was met with no success, as was the DAR listingsof North Yarmouth births before 1850.38 The same was trueof Freeport transcriptions of vital records.39 It appearsthere is a small gap in records for North Yarmouth for theperiod of Miriam's birth. It is possible there is a churchrecord could have Miriam's birth, but it will take morestudy of the region where the Griffin family lived. Sources: 27 Find A Grave, Dover Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft,Piscataquis County, Maine (image and transcription), AsaSprague headstone, 1768-1855, memorial no. 23039389,http://findagrave.com, accessed March 2017. DOCUMENTS15a-b.28 Dover, Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine, Records ofBirths and Deaths in Town of Dover, 1792-1854, Asa Spraguefamily, Volume 1, p. 21, Family History Library microfilm10826, Item 1. DOCUMENT 16.29 Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, Town Clerk, Vitalrecords, 1789-1895, marriage record for Asa Sprague andMiriam Griffin, 30 AAugust 1795, Freeport, Cumberland,Maine, p. 265, Family History Library microfilm 10917.DOCUMENT 17.  30 Maine, Nathan Hale Cemetery Collection, 1780-1980,burial information for Asa Sprague, buried 1855,Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis, Maine, Old Dover Cemetery,Maine State Library, Augusta; Family History Librarymicrofilm 1316225. DOCUMENT 18.31 Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Deaths,Volume 258, 1873, Abigail S. Sprague, born Freeport, Maine,died 5 September 1873, Boston, Suffolk County, p. 190,Family History Library microfilm 960203. DOCUMENT 19.32 Hingham, Plymouth County Massachusetts, Town Clerk,Deaths 1877-1899, Volume 7, death record for Bela T.Sprague, 1 September 1879, Hingham, Plymouth County, p. 11,Family History Library microfilm, 423522. DOCUMENT 20; and,Hingham, Plymouth County Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Indexto births, marriages and deaths, 1635-1899, Volume 3, deathrecord for Bela T. Sprague, 1 September 1879, p. 99,Hingham, Plymouth County, Family History Library microfilm423518, DOCUMENT 21. 33 Find A Grave, Dover Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft,Piscataquis County, Maine (image and transcription), MiriamSprague headstone, 1773-1843, memorial no. 23039390,http://findagrave.com, accessed March 2017. DOCUMENT 22a-b.34 Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, Town Clerk, VitalRecords, 1789-1895, Samuel Griffin family through wifePriscilla, Family History Library microfilm 10917. DOCUMENT23. 35 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900(transcription), birth record for Hannah Griffith, 21February 1768, North Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine,http//familysearch.org, accessed March 2017.36 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900(transcription), birth record for Thomas MillettGriffith, 17 Jun 1770, North Yarmouth, Cumberland County,Maine, http//familysearch.org, accessed March 2017.37 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900(transcription), birth record for Bathsheba Griffin, 10March 1778, Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine,http://familysearch.org, accessed March 2017.38 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900(transcription), birth record for Bathsheba Griffin, 10March 1778, Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine,http://familysearch.org, accessed March 2017. DOCUMENT 24;and,Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of RhodeIsland and Providence Plantations, Vital records ofNorth Yarmouth, Maine, to the Year 1850, (Warwick,Rhode Island: Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Stateof Rhode Island, c1980), Family History book 974.191/N1V2v. DOCUMENT 25.39 Freeport, Cumberland, Maine computer printout; births orchristenings, 1759-1875, Family History Library microfilm883762, Item 9.  [3]
  Person ID	I117364	Sprague Project
  Last Modified	6 Jan 2020

  
  

  Father	Jacob Sprague, Jr.,   b. 25 Jun 1737, Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA ,   d. 1778, Guardship, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada  (Age 40 years)
  Mother	Alice Tower,   b. 5 Dec 1737, Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA ,   d. 18 Feb 1816, Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA  (Age 78 years)
  Married	1 Oct 1767	Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA   [1, 5, 6]
  	"married by Rev. D. Shute."
  Family ID	F3219	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family / Spouse	Miriam Griffin,   b. 1 Sep 1772,   d. 1 Mar 1843  (Age 70 years)
  Married	30 Aug 1795  [4, 6]
  Children	1. Emma C. Sprague,   b. 5 Apr 1799,   d. Yes, date unknown   2. Miriam Sprague,   b. 20 May 1802,   d. 30 Jul 1802  (Age 0 years)   3. Sarah S. Sprague,   b. 20 Oct 1804, Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis Co., ME, USA ,   d. 1887  (Age 82 years)   4. Charles Sprague,   b. 29 Aug 1806,   d. Yes, date unknown + 5. Bela Tower Sprague,   b. 13 Mar 1809, Freeport, Cumberland Co., ME, USA ,   d. 1 Sep 1879, Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA  (Age 70 years) + 6. Jacob S. Sprague,   b. 8 May 1810, Freeport, Cumberland Co., ME, USA ,   d. 28 Nov 1871, Dover-Foxcroft, Penobscot Co., ME, USA  (Age 61 years)   7. Abigail Sprague,   b. 2 Jun 1813,   d. Yes, date unknown   8. Thomas W. Sprague,   b. 15 Oct 1816,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	10 Feb 2018
  Family ID	F3813	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 20 Jul 1768 - Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA Died - 30 Jan 1855 - Dover, Piscataquis Co., ME, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Documents - Empty

  I117364a Research provided by Richard Weiss concerning the ancestryof Asa Sprague.

  
  

• Sources

  [S34] Book: History of Hingham, MA, Lincoln, George, (Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1893, repr. 1982), page 172, Volume III. [S5196] Correspondent: Weiss, Richard, note of December 28, 2019. [S52] Internet Web Site, Findagrave.com. [S5196] Correspondent: Weiss, Richard, note of January 23, 2018. [S254] Book: Tower Genealogy, Tower, Charlemagne, (Cambridge: John Wilson and Son (University Press), 1891), page 127. [S123] DAR Application, "DAR Lineage Books, DAR Application for Miss Grace E. W.Sprague, DAR ID Number: 31506.".