| 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 gathered significant documentation on the Sprague family. Because of information not available when Watkins was conducting her research, we now know that Joanna Warren's father was Richard Warren, as shown in the descendants' list of this database. Fordington St George parish records show that Joanna Warren and Ralph Sprague were married 15 Aug 1623. Their sons John and Jonathan were baptized at St George in 1624 and 1625, respectively. Jonathan may have died in childhood--1626 parish records are damaged and 1629 records are 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 Richard Eames and moved to the Dorchester area to live near Puddletown. Ralph followed and went to Fordington. It is thought that being still in his teens, he was apprenticed to his grandfather Tristram's mill, thus easing the burden on his mother in Upwey.
In 1623 he married Joanna Warren whose father Thomas Warren was thought to have lived in the Manor House at Fordington. In 1624 their first son John was born and baptised in the Church of Fordington St. George. Jonathan followed in 1625, (although there is no later mention of Jonathan it could be that he died in childhood.)
Religion in England was still going through a very discordant time, especially when King Charles I ascended the throne in 1623 and married a Catholic French Princess. The town of Dorchester was also experiencing hard times as a result of two devastating fires in 1613 and again in 1622. The prosperity of West Country began to wane too. The taste in clothing and textiles were changing. The King and his entourage were demanding finer woven woolens, silks and cotton, none of which were available locally and had to be imported from the Continent. Added to this there were years of poor harvests and great cold in the winters, with the rural population suffering many hardships and becoming restive by lack of employment and near starvation.
Meanwhile, a forceful Puritan Cleric, Rev. John White began to play a significant part in Ralph Sprague's future. As early as 1606 the Rev. white was appointed Rector of two churches in Dorchester. The Holy Trinity and St. Peters. This Patriarch, as he became known, with his great energy and religious zeal, spread his strong Puritan influence gradually throughout the County and in fact assumed the role of Religious Leader to the West Country. At the same time he endeavored to maintain his loyalty to the Church of England, but dedicated his life to the service of Almighty God with a simplicity of lifestyle and strong convictions.
The Rev. White became very interested, when in 1623 a religious body by the name of 'Pilgrim Fathers' organised an expedition and set sail from Plymouth for "New England". He began to look towards this new country as a place to further his own religious ambitions. The change in fortunes in Dorset and the West Country as a whole played a large part in his campaign. He tried to organise a Charter to colonise the area known as Massachusetts. In order to obtain financial backing, he had to battle against City Magnates and well-to-do personalities who themselves had begun to see the great possibilities of wealth and trade, as opposed to those of a purely religious nature. He had a few abortive attempts.
Eventually he succeeded and the Company of New England was formed. According to Francis Higginson's diary written at the time, the following is an extract: "The Company of New England consisted of many worthy gentlemen of the City of London, Dorchester and other places, aiming at the glory of God, the propagation of the Gospel of Christ, the conversion of the Indians and the enlargement of the King's Majesty's dominions in America, and being authorised by his Royal Letters Patent for that, and at their very great costs and charge furnished five ships to go to New England for the further settling of the English Plantations that had 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 of the Rev. John White. Somehow he was persuaded to uproot his family and join this scheme. According to records, Ralph, his wife Joanna and son John (aged about 4) together with his brothers Richard and William (only 19) agreed to join and set sail it is thought on the "Lyon's Whelp".
What impelled the Spragues to make this great decision to leave England can only be conjecture. being friends of the Patriarch John White, the underlying motive must have been religion. It was a mammoth undertaking, fraught with dangers but the overwhelming desire was to search for a land where the true principles of faith and morality could be practised, which was proving difficult in England. Added to this there must have been a great spirit of adventure in an age of increasing discoveries. A hope too of gaining a better way of life than they could enjoy in Dorset. Their courage to face such a voyage with a young family must have been daunting.
They were bolstered and encouraged by Ministers saying they would find honour and glory in the works of the Almighty God beyond the seas. It was thus they embarked on the "Lyon's Whelp" in 1629. Ralph's younger brother Edward remained at Upwey with his Mother Christian, who later married 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 mariners and forty planters specially from Dorchester an thereabouts with provision and 4 goats. On 10th May 1629 the ship was in the port of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight ... Monday morning 11th May blew a fair wind from east southeast, the Lyon's Whelp having taken in all her provisions for passengers about three o'clock in the afternoon we hoisted sail and ... by God's guidance safely passed the narrow passage (the Needles) and entered into the sea....".
On 11th June they reached the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Here they encountered frightening mountains of ice in the sea. Towards night came a thick fog and the "Lyon's Whelp" became lost and spent many hours the next day trying to locate the other ships in their company. They continued to experience fogs and difficulties for more than two weeks until 19th June when Mr. Higginson writes: "This day by God's blessing and the directions (from Pilots) we passed the curious and difficult entrance into the large spacious harbour of Naimkecke." (Which became known as Salem.)
The landing and uploading of the ships took many days but when complete the Spragues together with several compatriots, by joint consent and approbation of Mr. John Endicott, the Governor who had arrived in 1628, they undertook to travel on further afield westwards. For days they explored the uncouth wilderness in search of a suitable site. Eventually they came to the Charles River, where on the North side was a fertile neck of land full of stately timber, bounded on the East by the Mystic River. the surrounding countryside was inhabited by Indians called Aborigians. Their old Sachem (Chief) being recently dead, his eldest son called John Sagamore had taken over. He was a man of gentle and good disposition by whose free consent the Spragues and their compatriots were permitted to settle about the hill (called Mishawum) by the natives.
According to the New England Charter the records read: "It was jointly agreed and concluded that this place on the north side of the Charles River be called Charlestown .... Mr. Graves, (an Engineer employed by the New England Company" do model and lay out the form of the Town and streets abut the hill. It is jointly agreed that each inhabitant have a two acre plot to plant upon and to fence in common... upon which Ralph Sprague and others began to build their houses and to prepare fencing for their lots which afterwards set up almost in a semicircular form on the 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 the beginnings of Charlestown, which developed in the future years to include such places as Malden, Woburn, Stoneham, Hurlington, Somerville, a large part of Medford, a small part of Cambridge, West Cambridge, and Reading. The Charlestown 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 the south eastern slope of the hill for governor Winthrop and his associates who were due to arrive in 1630. The Great House was also to serve as a Meeting House for the first few years.
Their first months in Charlestown was spent in clearing lands, felling trees in order to build the homes. There had not been much time to plant crops and the icy blasts of winter came before they were totally prepared. That winter of 1629/30 was particularly severe in a climate none of them had ever experienced before. They became short of provisions and suffered great hardships.
In the Spring of 1630 there was a conspiracy among the Indians who planned to cut off the English. The faithful Sagamore however revealed the Indian plot an so all the people of Charlestown agreed to make a small fort with palisades and flankers on the top of the Town Hill. All hands men, women an children laboured at the digging and building until the work was done. The nearby town of Salem joined in the counter attacks that ensued with their big guns, and after quite a number of skirmishes the Indians were scattered. After this experience Charlestown felt themselves compelled to organise a form of Militia to prevent any future incursions.
When the Governor arrived later in 1630 he "found the Colony in a sad and unexpected condition. No less than eighty had died during the very cold winter and those that had survived could hardly procure the means of subsistence." Gradually the summer saw a general improvement. More Settlers arrived in New England and trade and cultivation of the lands soon began. However, the Puritan moral codes and strictures still dominated the scene.
According to the Massachusetts Records, Ralph took the Freeman's Oath in May 1630 and was appointed Constable of Charlestown in the same year. It is also recorded that in 1634 he was commissioned with two others to advocate certain interests of the town before the General Court, and the next year 1635 he was chosen Selectman, and continued in 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 Court granted him 100 acres of land "having borne great difficulties in the beginning." Their home stood in Crooked Lane, later called Bow Street near the Great House and what is now part of the City Square.
During these years there were further additions to the family: 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 boundaries between the Mystic River and Charlestown. He also joined the Militia and later became a member of the Boston Artillery Company. The records of the time state: "the Sprague family were noted persons of character, substance and enterprise, excellent citizens and generous public benefactors." Just before Ralph died in 1650, he petitioned among others for their own lands on the Mystic side of Charlestown to be known as Malden. This was granted.
(
NOTE: continued in notes for Ralph's brother, Richard Sprague.)
"Ancestral File" Ralph Sprague [LT] (AFN:GVLW-87)
"Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, page 123.
Birth year is reported as 1603 in England. Ralph Sprague was a farmer and one of the founders of Charlestown, MA. Frothingham in History of Charlestown, says, "He was a prominent and valuable citizen, active in promoting the welfare 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 to Charlestown in 1629. Other sources have listed his wife as Joanna Warren, daughter of Richard Warren; The Genealogical Register lists his wife as Joan Corbin, daughter of John of Fordington, County Dorset.
"The Genealogical Register", after April 1946.
Ralph Sprague was husbandman, and fuller of Upwey, County Dorset, England. He emigrated to Salem, MA in 1628, was made a constable in Watertown in 1630, served as deputy in 1635, and afterwards, and finally settled in that part of Charlestown which became Malden. In this issue, his wife is 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 of Salem, to have come to America in the ship "Abigail" with Mr. Endicott, leaving Weymouth June 20, and arriving at Salem September 6, 1628. "After Mr. Endicott arrived at Naumkeag [Salem], he commissioned Messrs. Ralph, Richard and William Sprague and others to explore the country about Mishawum, now Charlestown. Here they met with a tribe of Indians, called Aberginians. By the consent of these, they commenced a plantation." He and his wife Joan were members of the First Church, Boston, but, with thirty-one others, were dismissed October 14, 1632, "to enter into a new church body at Charlestown." He was a brother of Richard Sprague, and father of Richard. He became a freeman October 19, 1630, and was the first person chosen to the office of constable at Charlestown, in 1630. He was active in military matters, and successively became sergeant in 1634, ensign in 1646, lieutenant in 1647, and captain. He represented Charlestown in the General Court in May, 1635, and afterwards, in all for nine years, --being a deputy when the charter of the Artillery Company was granted.
He was one of the first selectmen of Charlestown, chosen February 10, 1634. His homestead, consisting of one acre of "earable land, ... with a Dwelling house upon it west upon the highway," was situated "at the east end of the common, butting south and west upon the highway," having Mystic River on the northeast. The Charlestown land Records, p. 53, describe twelve different pieces of real estate as the possession of Ralph Sprague.
He died November, 1650.
"American Families--Genealogies and Biographical Information from Most Authentic Sources Including Much Valuable Material Drawn from Hitherto Unpublished Family Records with Accurate Reproduction--and Descriptions of Ancient Emblazonry Compiled by Masters of Genealogic and Heraldic Science", published by The American Historical Society, Inc., New York, 1921, pages 30-40.
Ralph Sprague came to Salem, Mass., in 1628, with his two brothers, Richard and William, his wife and two little boys, John and Richard. Whether actuated by the desires for religious liberty or by hopes of gain, there is some controversy. With several others they journeyed twelve miles to a hill on the north side of the Charles river, and on the south and southeast slope they made a settlement in 1628, building their homes in a semi-circle on the two acres of land Gov. Endicott granted to each of them. This settlement, called Charlestown, was within the present city limits of Boston. Here they found upon their arrival one solitary white man, Thomas Welford, an Englishman, living in a palisado house. This territory was owned and occupied by the Massachusetts Indians, a powerful but friendly tribe, with Sagamore John as sachem, who gave them permission to settle. Whether the Spragues came to America in the Abigail or the Lyon's Whelp is immaterial, but their arrival 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, with one hundred others, joined them.
On Sept. 28, 1630, Ralph Sprague was one of a jury impaneled; this was the first jury in Massachusetts. In his short life of forty-seven years he was a very prominent man. On Oct. 19, 1630, he made requisition to be admitted as a freeman of the colony, and took the freeman's oath May 18, 1631. At General Court this month he was made constable, 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 his wife were dismissed from the "Congregation of Boston" to enter into a new body at Charlestown. In 1634 he was made one of the first selectmen of Charlestown; in May, 1635, he was a representative and frequently afterwards, 1636-1636, 1644-1645; in 1639 he became a member of the Artillery Company. Nine years from the settlement in Charlestown, Ralph and Richard owned large tracts of land along the opposite side of Mystic river, near Ell Pond, which the called "Pond Feilde." This was in the west part of Malden, now Melrose. Ralph had ninety acres and Richard sixty acres. At Ralph's death he bequeathed his homestead and its farm to his sons John and Phineas, and his farm in Pond Feilde" to his sons Richard and Samuel. His home was located in what is now Mountain avenue. By a letter dated Mar. 25, 1651, one John Corbin of Upwey, England appears to have been Ralph's father-in-law. A copy of this letter is to be found in the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register," IV, 289. In "Lochford's Note Book" are several legal papers and letters of 1638-39 from Ralph Sprague and Joan, his wife, wherein it is expressly stated that her father had died, and that his name was Richard Warren, so that instead of John Corbin being her father he had probably married her mother the Widow Warren. Besides the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register," much information can be obtained form Bradford's "History of Massachusetts," Frothingham's "History of Charlestown," and from the "Glimpse of the Beginning of the Massachusetts Bay Settlement", by H. H. Sprague and others. The Charlestown Land Records, page 53, describe (1638) twelve different pieces of real estate in Ralph's possession. His homestead consisted on one acre of "earable--with a dwelling house upon it and other apitnances," and was situated at the east of the common, butting south and west upon the highway, having Mystic river on the northeast. Ralph Sprague, some time of Fordington, Dorset, fuller, afterwards of Charlestown, 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, of Dorchester, England, gentleman, to demand and receive such portion as might come to them from Warren's estate, and remit the same through Sprague's sister Alice (Sprague) Eames, of Pomberry Mill, near Dorchester, and a letter was sent the same day by Ralph to his sister Alice about this same matter. In Aug. 1640, Ralph and his wife Joan made John Holland, on Tinckleton, Dorset, fuller, and attorney to receive John Cox, of Bowlington, and Elizabeth, his wife, executors of Richard Warren, deceased, seven pounds given by his will to said Joan and her children John, Jonathan, Richard, Samuel, Mary, Phineas, or any other sum due upon them.
He died in Sept. 1650, at the age of forty-seven, in Malden, Mass., which has been the home of some of his descendants during all of these two-hundred and fifty years. His will was dated June 11, 1650, and entered in 1651.
"The Brothers Ralph & William Sprague and some of Their Descendants", by Frank William Sprague, 1909, page 3.
Ralph Sprague came to Salem, Mass., in 1628, and from there went to Charlestown in 1629.
ABRIDGED COMPENDIUM, Frederick Virkus, pages 3528 and 3529.
SPRAGUE, Ralph (1603-50); brother of William), from Eng. to Salem, 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 Joan Warren.
Lt. Ralph Sprague was born about 1595 in Upwey, Dorsetshire, England. He was christened on 20 Jun 1599 in Upwey, County Dorset, England. He died on 24 Nov 1650 in Malden, Middlesex Co., MA. "Ancestral File" Ralph Sprague (Lt) (AFN:GVLW-87)
Notes from Harry Sprague.
Was born in 1603 in Upwey, Dorset County, England and married Joan Warren in Fordington, St. George Church, Dorchester, Dorset County, England August 15, 1623; came to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1628 with his two brothers, Richard and William, his wife and two little boys, John and Richard. Whether actuated by desires for religious liberty or by hopes of gain there is some controversy. With several others, they journeyed twelve miles to a hill on the north side of the Charles River, and on the south and southeast slope they made a settlement in 1628, building their homes in a semi-circle on the two acres of land Governor Endicott granted to each of them. This settlement, called Charlestown, was within the present city limits of Boston (1913). Here they found one solitary white man, Thomas Welford, an Englishman, living in a pallisadoed house upon their arrival. This territory was owned and occupied by the Massachusetts Indians, a powerful but friendly tribe, with Sagamore John as Sachem, who gave them permission to settle. Whether the Spragues came to America in the Abigal or the Lion's Whelp is immaterial but their arrival has been convincingly shown by the Hon. H.H. Sprague, to be in 1628. 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. This was the first jury in Massachusetts. In his short life of forty-seven years he was a very prominent man. On October 19, 1630, he made requisition to be admitted as a freeman of the Colony, and took the freeman's Oath May 18, 1631. At General Court this month he was made constable and became in regular succession, sergeant, ensign, lieutenant and captain of militia. May 18, 1631, he was admitted as a Freeman. October 14, 1632, he and his wife were dismissed from the "Congregation of Boston" to enter into a new body at Charlestown. In 1634 was made one of the first selectmen of Charlestown, Massachusetts. In May, 1635 was Representative, and frequently afterwards, 1636-1638, 1644-1645. In 1639, he became a member of Artillery Company. Nine years from the settlement in Charlestown, Ralph and Richard owned large tracts of land on the opposite side of Mystic River, near Ell Pond, which they called "Pond Feilde." This was in the west part of Malden, now Melrose, Massachusetts. Ralph had ninety acres, and Richard, sixty acres. At Ralph's death, he bequeathed his homestead, and its farm, to his sons John and Phineas, and his farm in "Pond Feilde" to his sons Richard and Samuel. His home was located near what is now Mountain Avenue. By a letter dated March 25, 1651, one John Corbin of Upwey, England, appears to have been Ralph's father-in-law. A copy of this letter is to be found in the N.E.H. and G. Reg. IV 289. In Lochford's Note Book are several legal papers and letters of 1638-9 from Ralph Sprague and Joan his wife wherein it is expressly stated that her father had died and that his name was Richard Warren, so that instead of John Corbin being her father, he had probably married her mother, the widow Warren. Besides the N.E.H. abd G. Reg. much information can be obtained from the Bradford's History of Massachusetts, The Young's Chronicles and Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts. Frothingham History of Charlestown and from the "Glimpse of the Beginning of Massachusetts Bay Settlement" by H.H. Sprague, et. al. The Charlestown land records, page 53, describes (1638) twelve different pieces of real estate in Ralph's possession. His homestead consisting of one acre of "earable land----with a dwelling house upon it and other aptinances" was situated at the east of the common, butting south and west upon the highway, having Mystic River on the northeast. Ralph Sprague, sometimes of Fordington, husbandman, sent in 8-9-1638 power of attorney to Wm. Derby of Dorchester, England, gentleman to demand and receive such portion as might come to them from Warren's estate and remit the same through Sprague's sister Alice (Sprague) Eames of Pomberry Mill near Dorchester, and a letter was sent the same day by Ralph to his sister Alice about this same matter. In August, 1640, Ralph, and his wife Joan, made John Holland of Tinekleton, 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 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 in September, 1650, at the age of 47, in Malden Massachusetts, which has been the home of some of his descendants during all of these 250 years (1913). His will was dated June 11, 1650 and entered in 1651. Joan his widow, married Deacon Edward Converse of Woburn, Massachusetts, September 2, 1662. She died there February 24, 1680.
American Biographical Library: The Biographical Cyclopædia of American Women, Volume II
American Biographical Notes, S, The Chicago Historical Society, page 374
SPRAGUE, RALPH, came to America, a. 25; was prominent in the early settlement of Charlestown, Mass., where he was several years a selectman; in 1630, first constable, in 1639 lieut. and in 1637 and 8 years after, a representative; 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, of Upway. Dorset, fuller, "sometimes of Fordington, co. of Dorset," came with his bro. Richard to Salem in 1628. They made their way through the woods to Charlestown in the spring of 1629, and were there when the party arrived to build the Great House and make other preparations for the coming 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 and afterward. 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 empowered John Holland of Tinckleton, Dorset, fuller, to collect this for her, 29 (6) 1640. [L.] She was adm. to the chh. with her husband in 1630, and joined with him in the organization of the Charlestown church in Nov. 1632, and in that of Malden in 1649. His father-in-law, John Corbin, 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, above said, and will of their father Edward, in Reg. XLIX, 264.], Charlestown 1629. Frm. May 18, 1631. Town officer. One of the appraisers of Thompson's Island in 1657. Lieut. His wife Mary was memb. chh. Boston with him in 1630, and in that of Char. at its organization In 1632. He d. Nov. 25, 1668, ae. 63. Will dated 17 (7) prob. 11 Dec. 1668, beq. to wife 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 Thomas Lord; to Harvard College; a liberal amount to the church of Char. His widow deeded to the chh. 1 March, 1671, her shop and chamber over it adjoining the meeting house, fronting on 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. Thomas King,) Hannah b. Feb. 25, 1654, d. 31 March, 1659.
He d. 26 Oct. 1675. Will dated 19 Oct. 1675. To wife Millicent; ch. Anthony, Samuel, William, John, Jonathan, Persis, wife o[ John Doggett, Johanna, wife of Caleb Church, and Mary, wife of Thomas King. To Anthony the sword that was his bro. Richard Sprague's. The widow d. 8 Feb.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 came to this country. He was on what is thought to have been the first jury empaneled in this country. He was lieutenant of the train band. He was admitted a freeman May 18, 1631; appointed by the general court constable of Watertown in 1630; deputy to general court in 1635 and afterward. He removed to the part of Charlestown that was set off as Malden. He died November, 1650. The distribution of his estate was made February 6, 1650-51, to widow Joanna and children John, Samuel, Mary and Phinehas. The widow married Edward Converse. He married Joane, daughter of Richard Warren of Fordington, England, who left legacies to her and her children. She gave a power of attorney to John Holland of Tinckleton, England, to collect these bequests. She was a member of the Charlestown and later of the Malden church. Descendants of Ralph located at 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 and Richard. Whether actuated by desires for religious liberty or by hopes of gain there is some controversy. With several others, they journeyed twelve miles to a hill on the north side of the Charles River, and on the south and southeast slope they made a settlement in 1628, building their homes in a semi-circle on the two acres of land Governor Endicott granted to each of them. This settlement, called Charlestown, was within the present city limits of Boston. Here they found one solitary white man, Thomas Welford, an Englishman, living in a pallisadoed house upon their arrival. This territory was owned and occupied by the Massachusetts Indians,a powerful but friendly tribe, with Sagamore John as Sachem, who gave them permission to settle. Whether the Spragues came to America in the Abigail or the Lion's Whelp is immaterial but their arrival has been convincingly shown by the Hon. H. H. Sprague, to be in 1628. 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. This was the first jury in Massachusetts. In his short life of forty-seven years he was a very prominent man. On October 19, 1630, he made requisition to be admitted as a Freeman of the Colony, and took the Freeman's oath May 18, 1631. At General Court this month he was made constable and became in regular succession, sergeant, ensign, lieutenant and captain of militia. May 18, 1631, he was admitted a Freeman. October 14, 1632, he and his wife were dismissed from the "Congregation of Boston" to enter into a new body at Charlestown. In 1634 was made one of the first selectmen of Charlestown. In May, 1635 was Representative, and frequently afterwards, 1636-1638, 1644-1645. In 1639, he became a member of Artillery Company. Nine years from the settlement in Charlestown, Ralph and Richard owned large tracts of land on the opposite side of Mystic River, near Ell Pond, which they called "Pond Feilde." This was in the west part of Malden, now Melrose. Ralph had ninety acres, and Richard, sixty acres. At Ralph's death, he bequeathed his homestead, and its farm, to his sons, John and Phineas, and his farm in "Pond Feilde" to his sons Richard and Samuel. His home was located near what is now Mountain Avenue. By a letter dated March 25, 1651, one John Corbin of Upwey, England, appears to have been Ralph's father-in-law. A copy of this letter is to be found in the N. E. H. and G. Reg. IV 289. In Lochford's Note Book are several legal papers and letters of 1638-9 from Ralph Sprague and Joan his wife wherein it is expressly stated that her father had died and that his name was Richard Warren, so that instead of John Corbin being her father, he had probably married her mother, the widow Warren. Besides the N. E. H. and G. Reg. much information can be obtained from the Bradford's History of Massachusetts, The Young's Chronicles and Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts, Frothingham's History of Charlestown and from the "Glimpse of the Beginning of the Massachusetts Bay Settlement." by H. H. Sprague, et. al. The Charlestown Land Records, page 53, describes (1638) twelve different pieces of real estate in Ralph's possession. His homestead consisting of one acre of "earable land ____ with a dwelling house upon it and other aptinances" was situated at the east of the common, butting south and west upon the highway, having Mystic River on the northeast. Ralph Sprague, sometime of Fordington, Dorset, fuller, afterwards of Charlestown, N. E., planter and his wife, Joan, dau. of Richard Warren of Fordington, husbandman, sent in 8-9-1638 power of attorney to Wm. Derby of Dorchester, England, gentleman to demand and receive such portion as might come to them from Warren's estate and remit the same through Sprague's sister Alice (Sprague) Eames of Pombery Mill near Dorchester, and a letter was sent the same day by Ralph to his sister Alice about this same matter. In August, 1640, Ralph, and his wife, 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 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 in September, 1650, at the age of 47, in Malden, Mass., which has been the home of some of his descendents during 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 Marge and I dropped in to visit the Sprague place of worship when we were in Upwey visiting the sites where that side of our family lived, worked and worshiped. Chris stopped the project he was doing at the time, and gave us an 'insiders' tour along with a wonderful discussion about the history of the church and the contents of the building with Sprague connections.
The information that Chris passed along in the message below gives some indication the Sprague brothers did not all travel to North America on the same vessel, or at the same time. Up to now, I had assumed they did. But earlier information I have speaks to their immigration on the Lion's Welp in 1629--a year later than this information reveals about Ralph. It also confirms the father'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
I
mmediately 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 of cheese-cloth or sack-cloth. Langland highlighted the uncomfortable and impractical nature of unfulled cloth as well as noting the processes closely associated with fulling - raising and shearing. Also the cloth still retains, clinging to its fibres, a significant amount of oil or grease, introduced to facilitate weaving. This must be removed if the cloth is to be dyed, since oils and grease will inhibit the binding action of the dyes.
Fulling, also known as felting, was one in a sequence of processes involved in the production of woollen cloth and fulfilled two functions that were necessary for the proper finishing of the cloth: scouring and consolidation of the fibres of the fabric.
The few days that Marge and I were in Dorsetshire, our home was a room in Weymouth--on the coast just a short distance south of Upwey. The bus stop nearest the Sprague home and mill is a few blocks away, so we had a delightful walk through some of the residential area getting there. Below Chris' message is a couple of Upwey photos taken along our walk--the first showing a thatched roof, and the second is a wider view of that same street along the walk from the bus. Delightful village! And these views are only a short distance from where our ancestors lived.
Hi Don, Thanks for mail and attachment I am sure the Sprague cousins will be interested that you have shown them where their roots started here in Upwey,Dorset,England. I have been given some information concerning Ralph Srague (1599-1650) which might be of interest to you. Ralph was the son of Edward Sprague ,a fuller Miller of Upwey Dorsetshire, and a friend of the Rev John White of Dorchester. When Charles I ascended the English throne in 1625 and married a Roman Catholic, Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henry I V of France. At that time the town of Dorchester was suffering hardships due to bad harvests and fire. This puritan-cleric John White began to play a significant part in Ralph Sprague's future. the Rev White became very interested in the New World, when in 1623 a religious body by the name of the PILGRIM FATHERS set sail-from Plymouth for New England. Possibly religion played a great part in Ralph Sprague's leaving England. He sailed with a Mr Endicott on the ship Abigail from Weymouth on June 20th 1628 arriving at Salem Sept 6th 1628. The rest is American History. Ralph's younger brother Edward remained in Upwey with his Mother who later married a John Corben of Dorchesterr.
BEST WISHES to you and yours. CHRIS CARTER . [2, 11, 12]
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Abt 1599 - 1650 (~ 51 years)
Abt 1578 - 1651 (~ 73 years)
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