| Notes |
- "The Sprague Family from Dorset, To Massachusetts &Gibraltar", by Joan Watkins, 1992, correspondent.
(NOTE: continued from notes for his father, Edward Sprague.)
NOTE: (added 3 June 2016: Joan Watkins gatheredsignificant documentation on the Sprague family. Becauseof information not available when Watkins was conductingher research, we now know that Joanna Warren's father wasRichard Warren, as shown in the descendants' list of thisdatabase. Fordington St George parish records show thatJoanna Warren and Ralph Sprague were married 15 Aug 1623.Their sons John and Jonathan were baptized at St George in1624 and 1625, respectively. Jonathan may have died inchildhood--1626 parish records are damaged and 1629 recordsare missing--but some researchers, and this database,report that he died in Malden, MA in 1650.
Soon after the death of her father Alice married RichardEames and moved to the Dorchester area to live nearPuddletown. Ralph followed and went to Fordington. It isthought that being still in his teens, he was apprenticedto his grandfather Tristram's mill, thus easing the burdenon his mother in Upwey.
In 1623 he married Joanna Warren whose father Thomas Warrenwas thought to have lived in the Manor House at Fordington. In 1624 their first son John was born and baptised in theChurch of Fordington St. George. Jonathan followed in1625, (although there is no later mention of Jonathan itcould be that he died in childhood.)
Religion in England was still going through a verydiscordant time, especially when King Charles I ascendedthe throne in 1623 and married a Catholic French Princess.The town of Dorchester was also experiencing hard times asa result of two devastating fires in 1613 and again in1622. The prosperity of West Country began to wane too.The taste in clothing and textiles were changing. The Kingand his entourage were demanding finer woven woolens, silksand cotton, none of which were available locally and had tobe imported from the Continent. Added to this there wereyears of poor harvests and great cold in the winters, withthe rural population suffering many hardships and becomingrestive by lack of employment and near starvation.
Meanwhile, a forceful Puritan Cleric, Rev. John White beganto play a significant part in Ralph Sprague's future. Asearly as 1606 the Rev. white was appointed Rector of twochurches in Dorchester. The Holy Trinity and St. Peters.This Patriarch, as he became known, with his great energyand religious zeal, spread his strong Puritan influencegradually throughout the County and in fact assumed therole of Religious Leader to the West Country. At the sametime he endeavored to maintain his loyalty to the Church ofEngland, but dedicated his life to the service of AlmightyGod with a simplicity of lifestyle and strong convictions.
The Rev. White became very interested, when in 1623 areligious body by the name of 'Pilgrim Fathers' organisedan expedition and set sail from Plymouth for "New England". He began to look towards this new country as a place tofurther his own religious ambitions. The change infortunes in Dorset and the West Country as a whole played alarge part in his campaign. He tried to organise a Charterto colonise the area known as Massachusetts. In order toobtain financial backing, he had to battle against CityMagnates and well-to-do personalities who themselves hadbegun to see the great possibilities of wealth and trade,as opposed to those of a purely religious nature. He had afew abortive attempts.
Eventually he succeeded and the Company of New England wasformed. According to Francis Higginson's diary written atthe time, the following is an extract: "The Company of NewEngland consisted of many worthy gentlemen of the City ofLondon, Dorchester and other places, aiming at the glory ofGod, the propagation of the Gospel of Christ, theconversion of the Indians and the enlargement of the King'sMajesty's dominions in America, and being authorised by hisRoyal Letters Patent for that, and at their very greatcosts and charge furnished five ships to go to New Englandfor the further settling of the English Plantations thathad begun in 1628". The five ships were "Talbot","George", "Lyon's Whelp", "Four Sisters", and "Mayflower".
The year was 1629, Ralph was about 29 and a great friend ofthe Rev. John White. Somehow he was persuaded to uproothis family and join this scheme. According to records,Ralph, his wife Joanna and son John (aged about 4) togetherwith his brothers Richard and William (only 19) agreed tojoin and set sail it is thought on the "Lyon's Whelp".
What impelled the Spragues to make this great decision toleave England can only be conjecture. being friends of thePatriarch John White, the underlying motive must have beenreligion. It was a mammoth undertaking, fraught withdangers but the overwhelming desire was to search for aland where the true principles of faith and morality couldbe practised, which was proving difficult in England. Addedto this there must have been a great spirit of adventure inan age of increasing discoveries. A hope too of gaining abetter way of life than they could enjoy in Dorset. Theircourage to face such a voyage with a young family must havebeen daunting.
They were bolstered and encouraged by Ministers saying theywould find honour and glory in the works of the AlmightyGod beyond the seas. It was thus they embarked on the"Lyon's Whelp" in 1629. Ralph's younger brother Edwardremained at Upwey with his Mother Christian, who latermarried John Corben.
To quote further from Francis Higginson's Diary, he writes:"The Lyon's Whelp" was a neat and nimble ship of 120 tons,eight pieces of ordinances carrying in her many marinersand forty planters specially from Dorchester an thereaboutswith provision and 4 goats. On 10th May 1629 the ship wasin the port of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight ... Monday morning11th May blew a fair wind from east southeast, the Lyon'sWhelp having taken in all her provisions for passengersabout three o'clock in the afternoon we hoisted sail and... by God's guidance safely passed the narrow passage (theNeedles) and entered into the sea....".
On 11th June they reached the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.Here they encountered frightening mountains of ice in thesea. Towards night came a thick fog and the "Lyon's Whelp"became lost and spent many hours the next day trying tolocate the other ships in their company. They continued toexperience fogs and difficulties for more than two weeksuntil 19th June when Mr. Higginson writes: "This day byGod's blessing and the directions (from Pilots) we passedthe curious and difficult entrance into the large spaciousharbour of Naimkecke." (Which became known as Salem.)
The landing and uploading of the ships took many days butwhen complete the Spragues together with severalcompatriots, by joint consent and approbation of Mr. JohnEndicott, the Governor who had arrived in 1628, theyundertook to travel on further afield westwards. For daysthey explored the uncouth wilderness in search of asuitable site. Eventually they came to the Charles River,where on the North side was a fertile neck of land full ofstately timber, bounded on the East by the Mystic River.the surrounding countryside was inhabited by Indians calledAborigians. Their old Sachem (Chief) being recently dead,his eldest son called John Sagamore had taken over. He wasa man of gentle and good disposition by whose free consentthe Spragues and their compatriots were permitted to settleabout the hill (called Mishawum) by the natives.
According to the New England Charter the records read: "Itwas jointly agreed and concluded that this place on thenorth side of the Charles River be called Charlestown ....Mr. Graves, (an Engineer employed by the New EnglandCompany" do model and lay out the form of the Town andstreets abut the hill. It is jointly agreed that eachinhabitant have a two acre plot to plant upon and to fencein common... upon which Ralph Sprague and others began tobuild their houses and to prepare fencing for their lotswhich afterwards set up almost in a semicircular form onthe South and southeast side of the field laid out to them,which lies situate on the northwest of the town hill."
It is thus that the Spragues and others founded thebeginnings of Charlestown, which developed in the futureyears to include such places as Malden, Woburn, Stoneham,Hurlington, Somerville, a large part of Medford, a smallpart of Cambridge, West Cambridge, and Reading. TheCharlestown of today however is not quite so extensive.
In addition to building their own homes, a "Great House"had to be erected on the directions of Mr. Graves on thesouth eastern slope of the hill for governor Winthrop andhis associates who were due to arrive in 1630. The GreatHouse was also to serve as a Meeting House for the firstfew years.
Their first months in Charlestown was spent in clearinglands, felling trees in order to build the homes. Therehad not been much time to plant crops and the icy blasts ofwinter came before they were totally prepared. That winterof 1629/30 was particularly severe in a climate none ofthem had ever experienced before. They became short ofprovisions and suffered great hardships.
In the Spring of 1630 there was a conspiracy among theIndians who planned to cut off the English. The faithfulSagamore however revealed the Indian plot an so all thepeople of Charlestown agreed to make a small fort withpalisades and flankers on the top of the Town Hill. Allhands men, women an children laboured at the digging andbuilding until the work was done. The nearby town of Salemjoined in the counter attacks that ensued with their bigguns, and after quite a number of skirmishes the Indianswere scattered. After this experience Charlestown feltthemselves compelled to organise a form of Militia toprevent any future incursions.
When the Governor arrived later in 1630 he "found theColony in a sad and unexpected condition. No less thaneighty had died during the very cold winter and those thathad survived could hardly procure the means ofsubsistence." Gradually the summer saw a generalimprovement. More Settlers arrived in New England andtrade and cultivation of the lands soon began. However,the Puritan moral codes and strictures still dominated thescene.
According to the Massachusetts Records, Ralph took theFreeman's Oath in May 1630 and was appointed Constable ofCharlestown in the same year. It is also recorded that in1634 he was commissioned with two others to advocatecertain interests of the town before the General Court, andthe next year 1635 he was chosen Selectman, and continuedin that position for some time. In 1632 with his wife,Joanna, they were listed as Members of the first Church and"did enter into the Covenant". In 1635, the General Courtgranted him 100 acres of land "having borne greatdifficulties in the beginning." Their home stood inCrooked Lane, later called Bow Street near the Great Houseand what is now part of the City Square.
During these years there were further additions to thefamily: Richard, Samuel, Mary, Phineas and lastly Jonathan(who is thought to have died when he was young). In 1649,Ralph was one of a Commission to settle the boundariesbetween the Mystic River and Charlestown. He also joinedthe Militia and later became a member of the BostonArtillery Company. The records of the time state: "theSprague family were noted persons of character, substanceand enterprise, excellent citizens and generous publicbenefactors." Just before Ralph died in 1650, hepetitioned among others for their own lands on the Mysticside of Charlestown to be known as Malden. This wasgranted.
(NOTE: continued in notes for Ralph's brother, RichardSprague.)
"Ancestral File" Ralph Sprague [LT] (AFN:GVLW-87)
"Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren VincentSprague, page 123.
Birth year is reported as 1603 in England. Ralph Spraguewas a farmer and one of the founders of Charlestown, MA.Frothingham in History of Charlestown, says, "He was aprominent and valuable citizen, active in promoting thewelfare of the town and of the Colony".
"Genealogical Register" April 1909, page 147.
Ralph Sprague, eldest son, born in Upwey, County Dorset;came to Salem, MA in 1628 and from there went toCharlestown in 1629. Other sources have listed his wife asJoanna Warren, daughter of Richard Warren; The GenealogicalRegister lists his wife as Joan Corbin, daughter of John ofFordington, County Dorset.
"The Genealogical Register", after April 1946.
Ralph Sprague was husbandman, and fuller of Upwey, CountyDorset, England. He emigrated to Salem, MA in 1628, wasmade a constable in Watertown in 1630, served as deputy in1635, and afterwards, and finally settled in that part ofCharlestown which became Malden. In this issue, his wifeis listed as Joane Warren.
"History of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company",page 78.
Ralph Sprague, son of Edward Sprague, a fuller of Upway,County Dorset, England, is said by Felt, in his Annals ofSalem, to have come to America in the ship "Abigail" withMr. Endicott, leaving Weymouth June 20, and arriving atSalem September 6, 1628. "After Mr. Endicott arrived atNaumkeag [Salem], he commissioned Messrs. Ralph, Richardand William Sprague and others to explore the country aboutMishawum, now Charlestown. Here they met with a tribe ofIndians, called Aberginians. By the consent of these, theycommenced a plantation." He and his wife Joan were membersof the First Church, Boston, but, with thirty-one others,were dismissed October 14, 1632, "to enter into a newchurch body at Charlestown." He was a brother of RichardSprague, and father of Richard. He became a freemanOctober 19, 1630, and was the first person chosen to theoffice of constable at Charlestown, in 1630. He was activein military matters, and successively became sergeant in1634, ensign in 1646, lieutenant in 1647, and captain. Herepresented Charlestown in the General Court in May, 1635,and afterwards, in all for nine years, --being a deputywhen the charter of the Artillery Company was granted.
He was one of the first selectmen of Charlestown, chosenFebruary 10, 1634. His homestead, consisting of one acreof "earable land, ... with a Dwelling house upon it westupon the highway," was situated "at the east end of thecommon, butting south and west upon the highway," havingMystic River on the northeast. The Charlestown landRecords, p. 53, describe twelve different pieces of realestate as the possession of Ralph Sprague.
He died November, 1650.
"American Families--Genealogies and BiographicalInformation from Most Authentic Sources Including MuchValuable Material Drawn from Hitherto Unpublished FamilyRecords with Accurate Reproduction--and Descriptions ofAncient Emblazonry Compiled by Masters of Genealogic andHeraldic Science", published by The American HistoricalSociety, Inc., New York, 1921, pages 30-40.
Ralph Sprague came to Salem, Mass., in 1628, with his twobrothers, Richard and William, his wife and two littleboys, John and Richard. Whether actuated by the desiresfor religious liberty or by hopes of gain, there is somecontroversy. With several others they journeyed twelvemiles to a hill on the north side of the Charles river, andon the south and southeast slope they made a settlement in1628, building their homes in a semi-circle on the twoacres of land Gov. Endicott granted to each of them. Thissettlement, called Charlestown, was within the present citylimits of Boston. Here they found upon their arrival onesolitary white man, Thomas Welford, an Englishman, livingin a palisado house. This territory was owned and occupiedby the Massachusetts Indians, a powerful but friendlytribe, with Sagamore John as sachem, who gave thempermission to settle. Whether the Spragues came to Americain the Abigail or the Lyon's Whelp is immaterial, but theirarrival has been convincingly shown by [p. 32] the Hon. H.H. Sprague to be in 1628. The following spring, Mr.Bright, a minister and Mr. Thomas Graves, an engineer, withone hundred others, joined them.
On Sept. 28, 1630, Ralph Sprague was one of a juryimpaneled; this was the first jury in Massachusetts. Inhis short life of forty-seven years he was a very prominentman. On Oct. 19, 1630, he made requisition to be admittedas a freeman of the colony, and took the freeman's oath May18, 1631. At General Court this month he was madeconstable, and became in regular succession sergeant,ensign, lieutenant, and captain of militia. On May 18,1631, he was admitted freeman. Oct 14, 1632, he and hiswife were dismissed from the "Congregation of Boston" toenter into a new body at Charlestown. In 1634 he was madeone of the first selectmen of Charlestown; in May, 1635, hewas a representative and frequently afterwards, 1636-1636,1644-1645; in 1639 he became a member of the ArtilleryCompany. Nine years from the settlement in Charlestown,Ralph and Richard owned large tracts of land along theopposite side of Mystic river, near Ell Pond, which thecalled "Pond Feilde." This was in the west part of Malden,now Melrose. Ralph had ninety acres and Richard sixtyacres. At Ralph's death he bequeathed his homestead and itsfarm to his sons John and Phineas, and his farm in PondFeilde" to his sons Richard and Samuel. His home waslocated in what is now Mountain avenue. By a letter datedMar. 25, 1651, one John Corbin of Upwey, England appears tohave been Ralph's father-in-law. A copy of this letter isto be found in the "New England Historical and GenealogicalRegister," IV, 289. In "Lochford's Note Book" are severallegal papers and letters of 1638-39 from Ralph Sprague andJoan, his wife, wherein it is expressly stated that herfather had died, and that his name was Richard Warren, sothat instead of John Corbin being her father he hadprobably married her mother the Widow Warren. Besides the"New England Historical and Genealogical Register," muchinformation can be obtained form Bradford's "History ofMassachusetts," Frothingham's "History of Charlestown," andfrom the "Glimpse of the Beginning of the Massachusetts BaySettlement", by H. H. Sprague and others. The CharlestownLand Records, page 53, describe (1638) twelve differentpieces of real estate in Ralph's possession. His homesteadconsisted on one acre of "earable--with a dwelling houseupon it and other apitnances," and was situated at the eastof the common, butting south and west upon the highway,having Mystic river on the northeast. Ralph Sprague, sometime of Fordington, Dorset, fuller, afterwards ofCharlestown, New England, planter, and his wife Joan,daughter of Richard Warren, of Fordington, husbandman,sent, in 8-9-1638, power of attorney to William Derby, ofDorchester, England, gentleman, to demand and receive suchportion as might come to them from Warren's estate, andremit the same through Sprague's sister Alice (Sprague)Eames, of Pomberry Mill, near Dorchester, and a letter wassent the same day by Ralph to his sister Alice about thissame matter. In Aug. 1640, Ralph and his wife Joan madeJohn Holland, on Tinckleton, Dorset, fuller, and attorneyto receive John Cox, of Bowlington, and Elizabeth, hiswife, executors of Richard Warren, deceased, seven poundsgiven by his will to said Joan and her children John,Jonathan, Richard, Samuel, Mary, Phineas, or any other sumdue upon them.
He died in Sept. 1650, at the age of forty-seven, inMalden, Mass., which has been the home of some of hisdescendants during all of these two-hundred and fiftyyears. His will was dated June 11, 1650, and entered in1651.
"The Brothers Ralph & William Sprague and some of TheirDescendants", by Frank William Sprague, 1909, page 3.
Ralph Sprague came to Salem, Mass., in 1628, and from therewent to Charlestown in 1629.
ABRIDGED COMPENDIUM, Frederick Virkus, pages 3528 and 3529.
SPRAGUE, Ralph (1603-50); brother of William), from Eng. toSalem, Mass., ca. 1626; re- moved to Charlestown, 1629;dep. Gen Ct, 1635 et seq.; ensign for Charlestown, 1646;it., 1637-41 1647-49; mem. A. and H. A. Co., 1637; m JoanWarren.
Lt. Ralph Sprague was born about 1595 in Upwey,Dorsetshire, England. He was christened on 20 Jun 1599 inUpwey, County Dorset, England. He died on 24 Nov 1650 inMalden, Middlesex Co., MA. "Ancestral File" Ralph Sprague(Lt) (AFN:GVLW-87)
Notes from Harry Sprague.
Was born in 1603 in Upwey, Dorset County, England andmarried Joan Warren in Fordington, St. George Church,Dorchester, Dorset County, England August 15, 1623; came toSalem, Massachusetts, in 1628 with his two brothers,Richard and William, his wife and two little boys, John andRichard. Whether actuated by desires for religious libertyor by hopes of gain there is some controversy. With severalothers, they journeyed twelve miles to a hill on the northside of the Charles River, and on the south and southeastslope they made a settlement in 1628, building their homesin a semi-circle on the two acres of land Governor Endicottgranted to each of them. This settlement, calledCharlestown, was within the present city limits of Boston(1913). Here they found one solitary white man, ThomasWelford, an Englishman, living in a pallisadoed house upontheir arrival. This territory was owned and occupied by theMassachusetts Indians, a powerful but friendly tribe, withSagamore John as Sachem, who gave them permission tosettle. Whether the Spragues came to America in the Abigalor the Lion's Whelp is immaterial but their arrival hasbeen convincingly shown by the Hon. H.H. Sprague, to be in1628. The following spring Mr. Bright, a minister and Mr.Graves, an engineer, with a hundred others, joined them.September 28, 1630, Ralph was one of a jury impaneled. Thiswas the first jury in Massachusetts. In his short life offorty-seven years he was a very prominent man. On October19, 1630, he made requisition to be admitted as a freemanof the Colony, and took the freeman's Oath May 18, 1631. AtGeneral Court this month he was made constable and becamein regular succession, sergeant, ensign, lieutenant andcaptain of militia. May 18, 1631, he was admitted as aFreeman. October 14, 1632, he and his wife were dismissedfrom the "Congregation of Boston" to enter into a new bodyat Charlestown. In 1634 was made one of the first selectmenof Charlestown, Massachusetts. In May, 1635 wasRepresentative, and frequently afterwards, 1636-1638,1644-1645. In 1639, he became a member of ArtilleryCompany. Nine years from the settlement in Charlestown,Ralph and Richard owned large tracts of land on theopposite side of Mystic River, near Ell Pond, which theycalled "Pond Feilde." This was in the west part of Malden,now Melrose, Massachusetts. Ralph had ninety acres, andRichard, sixty acres. At Ralph's death, he bequeathed hishomestead, and its farm, to his sons John and Phineas, andhis farm in "Pond Feilde" to his sons Richard and Samuel.His home was located near what is now Mountain Avenue. By aletter dated March 25, 1651, one John Corbin of Upwey,England, appears to have been Ralph's father-in-law. A copyof this letter is to be found in the N.E.H. and G. Reg. IV289. In Lochford's Note Book are several legal papers andletters of 1638-9 from Ralph Sprague and Joan his wifewherein it is expressly stated that her father had died andthat his name was Richard Warren, so that instead of JohnCorbin being her father, he had probably married hermother, the widow Warren. Besides the N.E.H. abd G. Reg.much information can be obtained from the Bradford'sHistory of Massachusetts, The Young's Chronicles andHutchinson's History of Massachusetts. Frothingham Historyof Charlestown and from the "Glimpse of the Beginning ofMassachusetts Bay Settlement" by H.H. Sprague, et. al. TheCharlestown land records, page 53, describes (1638) twelvedifferent pieces of real estate in Ralph's possession. Hishomestead consisting of one acre of "earable land----with adwelling house upon it and other aptinances" was situatedat the east of the common, butting south and west upon thehighway, having Mystic River on the northeast. RalphSprague, sometimes of Fordington, husbandman, sent in8-9-1638 power of attorney to Wm. Derby of Dorchester,England, gentleman to demand and receive such portion asmight come to them from Warren's estate and remit the samethrough Sprague's sister Alice (Sprague) Eames of PomberryMill near Dorchester, and a letter was sent the same day byRalph to his sister Alice about this same matter. InAugust, 1640, Ralph, and his wife Joan, made John Hollandof Tinekleton, Dorset, fuller, an attorney to receive ofJohn Cox of Bowlington, and Elizabeth his wife, executorsof Richard Warren, deceased, seven pounds given by his willto said Joan and her children John, Jonathan, Richard,Samuel, Mary, Phineas or any other sum due unto them.(Ref.--N.E.H. and G. Reg. LI 1897 105.) He died inSeptember, 1650, at the age of 47, in Malden Massachusetts,which has been the home of some of his descendants duringall of these 250 years (1913). His will was dated June 11,1650 and entered in 1651. Joan his widow, married DeaconEdward Converse of Woburn, Massachusetts, September 2,1662. She died there February 24, 1680.
American Biographical Library: The Biographical Cyclopædiaof American Women, Volume II
American Biographical Notes, S, The Chicago HistoricalSociety, page 374
SPRAGUE, RALPH, came to America, a. 25; was prominent inthe early settlement of Charlestown, Mass., where he wasseveral years a selectman; in 1630, first constable, in1639 lieut. and in 1637 and 8 years after, arepresentative; d. in 1650. (Young's Chron. Mass., p. 373.)
THE PIONEERS OF MASSACHUSETTS, pages 11320-11329,Ancestry.com, 1998.
1. SPRAGUE, Ralph, husbandman, fuller, son of Edward, ofUpway. Dorset, fuller, "sometimes of Fordington, co. ofDorset," came with his bro. Richard to Salem in 1628. Theymade their way through the woods to Charlestown in thespring of 1629, and were there when the party arrived tobuild the Great House and make other preparations for thecoming of Gov. Winthrop and his party. He appl. frm. Oct.19, 1630, was adm. frm. May 18, 1631. Lieut. The court app.him constable of Watertown in 1630. Deputy 1635 andafterward. He rem. to the part of Char. which became Malden.
2. He m. Joane, dau. of Richard Warren of Fordington,yeoman, who left legacy to her and her children John,Jonathan, Richard, Samuel, Mary and Phinehas; she empoweredJohn Holland of Tinckleton, Dorset, fuller, to collect thisfor her, 29 (6) 1640. [L.] She was adm. to the chh. withher husband in 1630, and joined with him in theorganization of the Charlestown church in Nov. 1632,and in that of Malden in 1649. His father-in-law, JohnCorbin, wrote him from Upway, Dorset, March 25, 1651. [Reg.IV, 289, and LI, 105.] Ch. Samuel bapt. at Bo. 3 (4) 1632,Mary bapt. at Char. 14 (7) 1634, (m. Daniel Edmunds,)Phinehas bapt. 31 (5) 1637, Jonathan d. Dec. 1650.
3. He d. (9) 1650. Distribution of his est. was made 6(11) 1650, to widow Joanna and ch. John, Richard, Samuel,Mary and Phinehas. The widow m. 2, Edward Converse, q.v
4. Richard, bro. of Ralph, [see letter of Corbin, abovesaid, and will of their father Edward, in Reg. XLIX, 264.],Charlestown 1629. Frm. May 18, 1631. Town officer. One ofthe appraisers of Thompson's Island in 1657. Lieut. Hiswife Mary was memb. chh. Boston with him in 1630, and inthat of Char. at its organization In 1632. He d. Nov. 25,1668, ae. 63. Will dated 17 (7) prob. 11 Dec. 1668, beq. towife Mary; to Nathaniel Rand; cousins Richard and John S.Mary, wife of Daniel Edmunds; bro. William S. of Hingham;Margery, wife of Lawrence Dowse; Alice, wife of ThomasLord; to Harvard College; a liberal amount to the church ofChar. His widow deeded to the chh. 1 March, 1671, her shopand chamber over it adjoining the meeting house, frontingon the market-place, adjoining land of John Long.
5. William, bro. of Ralph and Richard, planter,Charlestown, rrem. to Hingham. Propr. 1636. Town officer.Wife Millicent adm. chh. Char. 3 (2) 1635; ch. Antony bapt.23 (3) 1636, John bapt. at Hing. April, 1638, Samuel bapt.May 24, 1640, Jonathan bapt. March 20, 1641-2, d. 4 July,1647, Persis b. Nov. 12, 1643, (m. John Doggett,) Joanna b.Dec. 1645, (m. Caleb Church,) Jonathan b. May 28, 1648,William b. July 2, 1650, Mary b. April 5, 1652, (m. ThomasKing,) Hannah b. Feb. 25, 1654, d. 31 March, 1659.He d. 26 Oct. 1675. Will dated 19 Oct. 1675. To wifeMillicent; ch. Anthony, Samuel, William, John, Jonathan,Persis, wife o[ John Doggett, Johanna, wife of CalebChurch, and Mary, wife of Thomas King. To Anthony the swordthat was his bro. Richard Sprague's. The widow d. 8Feb.1695-6.
"Genealogical and Family History of Northern New York",page 477-481
(II) Ralph, son of Edward Sprague, was born in Dorsetshire,England. He was about twenty-five years old when he cameto this country. He was on what is thought to have beenthe first jury empaneled in this country. He waslieutenant of the train band. He was admitted a freemanMay 18, 1631; appointed by the general court constable ofWatertown in 1630; deputy to general court in 1635 andafterward. He removed to the part of Charlestown that wasset off as Malden. He died November, 1650. Thedistribution of his estate was made February 6, 1650-51, towidow Joanna and children John, Samuel, Mary and Phinehas.The widow married Edward Converse. He married Joane,daughter of Richard Warren of Fordington, England, who leftlegacies to her and her children. She gave a power ofattorney to John Holland of Tinckleton, England, to collectthese bequests. She was a member of the Charlestown andlater of the Malden church. Descendants of Ralph locatedat Lebanon, Connecticut.
"The Ralph Sprague Genealogy", by E. G. Sprague, page 25
Ralph came to Salem, Mass., in 1628 with his two brothers,Richard and William, his wife and two little boys, John andRichard. Whether actuated by desires for religious libertyor by hopes of gain there is some controversy. Withseveral others, they journeyed twelve miles to a hill onthe north side of the Charles River, and on the south andsoutheast slope they made a settlement in 1628, buildingtheir homes in a semi-circle on the two acres of landGovernor Endicott granted to each of them. Thissettlement, called Charlestown, was within the present citylimits of Boston. Here they found one solitary white man,Thomas Welford, an Englishman, living in a pallisadoedhouse upon their arrival. This territory was owned andoccupied by the Massachusetts Indians,a powerful butfriendly tribe, with Sagamore John as Sachem, who gave thempermission to settle. Whether the Spragues came to Americain the Abigail or the Lion's Whelp is immaterial but theirarrival has been convincingly shown by the Hon. H. H.Sprague, to be in 1628. The following spring Mr. Bright, aminister and Mr. Graves, an engineer, with a hundredothers, joined them. September 28, 1630, Ralph was one ofa jury impaneled. This was the first jury inMassachusetts. In his short life of forty-seven years hewas a very prominent man. On October 19, 1630, he maderequisition to be admitted as a Freeman of the Colony, andtook the Freeman's oath May 18, 1631. At General Courtthis month he was made constable and became in regularsuccession, sergeant, ensign, lieutenant and captain ofmilitia. May 18, 1631, he was admitted a Freeman. October14, 1632, he and his wife were dismissed from the"Congregation of Boston" to enter into a new body atCharlestown. In 1634 was made one of the first selectmenof Charlestown. In May, 1635 was Representative, andfrequently afterwards, 1636-1638, 1644-1645. In 1639, hebecame a member of Artillery Company. Nine years from thesettlement in Charlestown, Ralph and Richard owned largetracts of land on the opposite side of Mystic River, nearEll Pond, which they called "Pond Feilde." This was inthe west part of Malden, now Melrose. Ralph had ninetyacres, and Richard, sixty acres. At Ralph's death, hebequeathed his homestead, and its farm, to his sons, Johnand Phineas, and his farm in "Pond Feilde" to his sonsRichard and Samuel. His home was located near what is nowMountain Avenue. By a letter dated March 25, 1651, oneJohn Corbin of Upwey, England, appears to have been Ralph'sfather-in-law. A copy of this letter is to be found in theN. E. H. and G. Reg. IV 289. In Lochford's Note Book areseveral legal papers and letters of 1638-9 from RalphSprague and Joan his wife wherein it is expressly statedthat her father had died and that his name was RichardWarren, so that instead of John Corbin being her father, hehad probably married her mother, the widow Warren. Besidesthe N. E. H. and G. Reg. much information can be obtainedfrom the Bradford's History of Massachusetts, The Young'sChronicles and Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts,Frothingham's History of Charlestown and from the "Glimpseof the Beginning of the Massachusetts Bay Settlement." byH. H. Sprague, et. al. The Charlestown Land Records, page53, describes (1638) twelve different pieces of real estatein Ralph's possession. His homestead consisting of oneacre of "earable land ____ with a dwelling house upon itand other aptinances" was situated at the east of thecommon, butting south and west upon the highway, havingMystic River on the northeast. Ralph Sprague, sometime ofFordington, Dorset, fuller, afterwards of Charlestown, N.E., planter and his wife, Joan, dau. of Richard Warren ofFordington, husbandman, sent in 8-9-1638 power of attorneyto Wm. Derby of Dorchester, England, gentleman to demandand receive such portion as might come to them fromWarren's estate and remit the same through Sprague's sisterAlice (Sprague) Eames of Pombery Mill near Dorchester, anda letter was sent the same day by Ralph to his sister Aliceabout this same matter. In August, 1640, Ralph, and hiswife, Joan, made John Holland of Tinckleton, Dorset,fuller, an attorney to receive of John Cox of Bowlington,and Elizabeth his wife, executors of Richard Warren,deceased, seven pounds given by his will to said Joan andher children John, Jonathan, Richard, Samuel, Mary,Phineas, or any other sum due unto them. (Ref.-N. E. H. andG. Reg LI 1897 105.)
He died in September, 1650, at the age of 47, in Malden,Mass., which has been the home of some of his descendentsduring all of these 250 years. His will was dated June 11,1650 and entered in 1651.
From Don Whitman, correspondent, note of February 11th, 2007
Below is a message I received from Chris Carter of Upwey,Dorsetshire. Chris is the historian at the Upwey St.Lawrence Church very near the Sprague home and mill sites.He is the person who happened to be present the day Margeand I dropped in to visit the Sprague place of worship whenwe were in Upwey visiting the sites where that side of ourfamily lived, worked and worshiped. Chris stopped theproject he was doing at the time, and gave us an 'insiders'tour along with a wonderful discussion about the history ofthe church and the contents of the building with Spragueconnections.
The information that Chris passed along in the messagebelow gives some indication the Sprague brothers did notall travel to North America on the same vessel, or at thesame time. Up to now, I had assumed they did. But earlierinformation I have speaks to their immigration on theLion's Welp in 1629--a year later than thisinformation reveals about Ralph. It also confirms thefather's name of Edward as well as the younger brother,Edward. Far as I can tell, I am descended from William.Chris' message also confirms they were 'fuller'millers. Here is a brief explanation of that process:
The Fulling or Tucking Process
Immediately after a piece of woollen cloth has been woven,the fibres of its fabric are loose, airy and unmeshed,similar in texture and appearance to a piece ofcheese-cloth or sack-cloth. Langland highlighted theuncomfortable and impractical nature of unfulled cloth aswell as noting the processes closely associated withfulling - raising and shearing. Also the cloth stillretains, clinging to its fibres, a significant amount ofoil or grease, introduced to facilitate weaving. This mustbe removed if the cloth is to be dyed, since oils andgrease will inhibit the binding action of the dyes.
Fulling, also known as felting, was one in a sequence ofprocesses involved in the production of woollen cloth andfulfilled two functions that were necessary for the properfinishing of the cloth: scouring andconsolidation of the fibres of the fabric.
The few days that Marge and I were in Dorsetshire, our homewas a room in Weymouth--on the coast just a short distancesouth of Upwey. The bus stop nearest the Sprague home andmill is a few blocks away, so we had a delightful walkthrough some of the residential area getting there. BelowChris' message is a couple of Upwey photos taken along ourwalk--the first showing a thatched roof, and the second isa wider view of that same street along the walk from thebus. Delightful village! And these views are only a shortdistance from where our ancestors lived.
Hi Don, Thanks for mail and attachment I am sure theSprague cousins will be interested that you have shown themwhere their roots started here in Upwey,Dorset,England. Ihave been given some information concerning Ralph Srague (1599-1650) which might be of interest toyou. Ralph was the son of Edward Sprague ,afuller Miller of Upwey Dorsetshire, and afriend of the Rev John White of Dorchester.When Charles I ascended the English throne in 1625and married a Roman Catholic, Henrietta Maria, daughter ofKing Henry I V of France. At that time the town ofDorchester was suffering hardships due to bad harvests andfire. This puritan-cleric John White began to play asignificant part in Ralph Sprague's future. the Rev Whitebecame very interested in the New World, when in 1623 areligious body by the name of the PILGRIM FATHERS setsail-from Plymouth for New England. Possibly religionplayed a great part in Ralph Sprague's leaving England. Hesailed with a Mr Endicott on the ship Abigail from Weymouthon June 20th 1628 arriving at Salem Sept 6th 1628. The restis American History. Ralph's younger brother Edwardremained in Upwey with his Mother who later married a JohnCorben of Dorchesterr.
BEST WISHES to you and yours. CHRIS CARTER . [2, 11, 12]
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Abt 1599 - 1650 (~ 51 years)
[3, 4, 5, 6, 7] 
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