Asa Sprague

1770 - 1855  (85 years)

• Name	Asa Sprague  [1]
  Born	1770	Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	Freeport, Cumberland Co., ME, USA   [1]
  Died	30 Jan 1855  [2, 3]
  Buried	Old Dover-Foxcroft Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis Co., ME, USA   [2]
  Notes	"The Genealogy of the Sprague's in Hingham", by Hosea Sprague, 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 at familysearch.org, Asa Sprague was born/christened in 1770 in Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts to Jacob Sprague & Alice Tower and married Mirriam about 1798 if this is the correct one. Also in the IGI, Asa Sprague married Miriam Griffin 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 household of son, Jacob, 40 and his wife, Harriet A, 37 and their children, 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, Plymouth County, Massachusetts and died in 1855.27 Research focused on confirming his relationship with his son, Jacob S. Sprague, parents Jacob Sprague and Alice Tower and his wife, Miriam Griffin. The town record for his family indicated that he was born 20 July 1768 and he died 30 January 1855 at the age of 86 years and six months.28 His wife, Miriam was born 1 September 1772 and died 1 March 1843. Their son Jacob was born 8 May 1810. This record verified Jacob's birth year and established his relationship with his parents. It also provided birth and death information for Asa and Miriam. After searching several record collections, Asa's marriage was finally located in Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine.29 He and Miriam Griffin were married on 30 August 1795. Asa's burial information was found in the Nathan Hale Cemetery Collection, which indicated that he was born in 1768 and died in 1855. His wife Miriam was born 1773 and died 1843.30 They are buried in Old Dover Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft. Two of Miriam and Asa's children, Bela Towner Sprague and Abigail S. Sprague, left death records that provided parents' names.31 Abigail S. Sprague was born in Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, and died 5 September 1873 in Boston, Suffolk County, Maine. Her parents were recorded as Asa Sprague, born in Hingham, Massachusetts, and her mother was 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, 5 months, and 20 days.32 He was also born in Freeport, and his parents were recorded as Asa Sprague, born in Hingham, and Miriam Griffin. Both children's records corroborate Asa's place of birth and Bela's record verified that the marriage found earlier for Asa and Miriam was for his parents. Miriam's burial record indicated she was born in 1772 in Maine to Samuel Griffin and Priscilla Royal and was christened on 2 November 1772. She married Asa Sprague on 30 August 1795, as discussed above.33 Searches were conducted in the town records to try to confirm her residence in her parents' home, but they were unsuccessful. Samuel Griffin's wife (and presumably Miriam's mother) was named Priscilla.34 She died on 2 January 1809. The register of children's births and their parents did not include Miriam, but this might be because she was already married when this list was copied into the records. She fits well into this family with a 1772 birth. Maine and Massachusetts towns were also checked to see if records would produce a connection between Samuel and Miriam. Little progress was made, but work can continue in this direction during a futures session as necessary. When the birth records were searched for Miriam, several of her siblings' births were discovered. Samuel and Priscilla's daughter, Hannah was born 21 February 1798 in North Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine.35 Their son, Thomas Millet Griffin was also born there on 17 June 1770.36 However, like Miriam, these children were not included with Samuel's family records noted above. Bathsheba Griffin was included in the town record above and was born 10 March 1778 in Freeport, Cumberland, Maine.37 The region where the Griffin family lived was first called North Yarmouth, and later Freeport was created from this town. A gap exists in records between the North Yarmouth town records and the Freeport-Dover town records of Cumberland County, Maine right when Miriam was born. This indicates that the Griffin family probably did not move, but the names of the places where they lived changed. Transcriptions of records for North Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine, were examined, seeking Miriam's birth in 1772, but was met with no success, as was the DAR listings of North Yarmouth births before 1850.38 The same was true of Freeport transcriptions of vital records.39 It appears there is a small gap in records for North Yarmouth for the period of Miriam's birth. It is possible there is a church record could have Miriam's birth, but it will take more study of the region where the Griffin family lived. Sources: 27 Find A Grave, Dover Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine (image and transcription), Asa Sprague headstone, 1768-1855, memorial no. 23039389, http://findagrave.com, accessed March 2017. DOCUMENTS 15a-b. 28 Dover, Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine, Records of Births and Deaths in Town of Dover, 1792-1854, Asa Sprague family, Volume 1, p. 21, Family History Library microfilm 10826, Item 1. DOCUMENT 16. 29 Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, Town Clerk, Vital records, 1789-1895, marriage record for Asa Sprague and Miriam 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 Library microfilm 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, Index to births, marriages and deaths, 1635-1899, Volume 3, death record for Bela T. Sprague, 1 September 1879, p. 99, Hingham, Plymouth County, Family History Library microfilm 423518, DOCUMENT 21.  33 Find A Grave, Dover Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis County, Maine (image and transcription), Miriam Sprague headstone, 1773-1843, memorial no. 23039390, http://findagrave.com, accessed March 2017. DOCUMENT 22a-b. 34 Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, Town Clerk, Vital Records, 1789-1895, Samuel Griffin family through wife Priscilla, Family History Library microfilm 10917. DOCUMENT 23.  35 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900 (transcription), birth record for Hannah Griffith, 21 February 1768, North Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine, http//familysearch.org, accessed March 2017. 36 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900 (transcription), birth record for Thomas Millett Griffith, 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, 10 March 1778, Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, http://familysearch.org, accessed March 2017. 38 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900 (transcription), birth record for Bathsheba Griffin, 10 March 1778, Freeport, Cumberland County, Maine, http://familysearch.org, accessed March 2017. DOCUMENT 24; and, Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Vital records of North Yarmouth, Maine, to the Year 1850, (Warwick, Rhode Island: Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode Island, c1980), Family History book 974.191/N1 V2v. DOCUMENT 25. 39 Freeport, Cumberland, Maine computer printout; births or christenings, 1759-1875, Family History Library microfilm 883762, Item 9.  [2]
  Person ID	I117364	Sprague Project
  Last Modified	10 Feb 2018

  
  

  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, 4, 5]
  	"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  [3, 5]
  Children	1. Sarah Sprague,   b. 1803, Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis Co., ME, USA ,   d. 1887  (Age 84 years) + 2. Bela Tower Sprague,   b. 11 Mar 1808, Freeport, Cumberland Co., ME, USA ,   d. 1 Sep 1879, Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA  (Age 71 years) + 3. 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)
  Last Modified	10 Feb 2018
  Family ID	F3813	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 1770 - Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S34] Book: History of Hingham, MA, Lincoln, George, (Cambridge, MA: University Press, 1893, repr. 1982), page 172, Volume III. [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.".