| Notes |
- "Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, page 189.
Hon. Seth Sprague was a Revolutionary soldier. An extended account of him is to be found in Winsor's Hist. Dux. and in the Sprague Mem., 1848, Soule.
"The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution", Volume 49.
Seth Sprague (1760-1847), when a lad, enlisted as private, 1775, and 1778, served in the artillery to guard the arsenal at Springfield. He held through life important civil offices at Duxbury, where he died.
"1990 DAR Patriot Index", page 2764.
He served in the Revolutionary War.
"THE AMERICAN GENEALOGIST", Being a Catalogue of Family Histories.
GENEALOGIES, page 332
Memorial of the SPRAGUE family: a poem recited at a meeting in Duxbury of the descendants and connections of Hon. Seth Sprague, on the occasion of his eighty-sixth birthday, July 4th, 1846. With the family genealogy, and biographical sketches in notes. Boston: James Munroe & Co., 1847. 12mo, 191 pages.
"Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots: Volume 4"
SPRAGUE Seth Mayflower Cem, Duxbury MA 46
From Daniel Wilson Treadway, correspondent.
It is reported that Seth and Deborah lived together 64 years. Seth was Justice of the Peace for 40 years, State Legislator for 27 years, and twice a member of the Electoral College. As a young man he engaged in shore fishing, then went to the Grand Banks for a few years. He expanded his enterprise first by some small trading, then by building, owning, and selling ships and their cargoes. In this old age he was an ardent abolitionist.
From Russell W. Sprague, correspondent, note of March 30th, 2007
Reminiscences of The Olden Times in The Old Colony Town of Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts by Hon. Seth Sprague
Jotted down by him when past his 84th year.
1845
Preface
In reading the few interesting pages of Hon. Seth Sprague's diary, one must bear in mind the very meager opportunities for schooling boys had in his day and at the time of his father's death, when he was only a child of fifteen, he was obliged to devote himself to the whole care of the farm to support his mother and grandmother. He was sixteen years old on the day of the Declaration of Independence, and at nineteen years of age married Deborah Sampson in 1779. He was a highly honored citizen of Duxbury.
For forty years Justice of the Peace. For twenty-seven years in sucession a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, both in the House and the Senate. Several times chosen on of the Counsellers to the Governor of Massachusetts. Twice honored by being chosen a member of the Electoral College, which determine the choice of President and the Vice President of the United States. He was active in all the important movements for the improvements of his native town. In his day the spelling was different than the spelling of today.
Remininscences of Hon. Seth Sprague
I, Seth Sprague, being old and infirm and lonely, for the double purpose of amusing myself and informing my children of the fashions of olden times and of some few things that took place in this town and county at the beginning of the American Revolution, I now sit myself down to write some of them. There were many things that took place at that time too minute and trivial to be recorded in general history that may be somewhat interesting to those who did not live at that day.
The town of Duxbury was truly a Whig town. There were but two Torys in it. One was Gamaliel Bradford, father of the late Col. Gamaliel Bradford, the other was Briggs Alden, father of the late Maj. Judah Alden.
Immediately after the Lexington battles they both made their recantation in writing at the Town Meeting and asked forgiveness. Copies of their letters are now on the town records.
Marshfield was a Tory town, perhaps the most so of any in this state. In the year 1773 and 4, a majority of the people of that town were Torys, there was at that time a great degree of enmity between the Wigs of Duxbury and the Torys of Marshfield. The Torys applied and obtained from Gen. Gage a company of soldiers. They were stationed at the house of Ray Thomas, now owned by Daniel Webster. This company of soldiers were at Marshfield about four months chiefly in the winter of 1775.
The often traveled about the town of Duxbury much to the terror of the women. Immediately on the news of the battle at Lexington, two regiments of what was then called Minutemen marched towards Marshfield in order to take this single company of British soldiers. Had they marched directly to their quarters, they might have been taken prisoners without a drop of blood being shed,as their captain afterwards was heard to say that he should not thought of making any resistance to so formidable a force.
But the American soldiers instead of marching directly to the quarters of the enemy, one regiment quartered on night in Duxbury and the other in Marshfield, two miles from the enemy.
This delay gave an opportunity for the British soldiers to embark on board a vessel that was sent from Boston to receive them. The Torys of Marshfield who had taken an open and active part in favor of the oppressive acts of the British Government went off to the British at Boston, others that had been less active remained at home, but the Whigs of Duxbury searched every house in Marshfield that was thought to be inhabited by a Tory and took all the fire arms they could find. Ray Thomas went off with the British, but he left his family at Marshfield.
A man by the name of Dunbar belonging to Bridgewater bought some fat cattle of Mrs. Thomas and drove them to Plymouth, he killed one of them. Before it was splitten in two, the people found out that it came from Ray Thomas' farm; they put it into a cart, spread it open in such a manner that Dunbar could sit in the body of the Ox. They then commanded him to get in; they seated him in the body of the Ox and put the Tripe over and on his head and drove him on to Kingston. There another set of men took him to Duxbury, then quite a number of Duxbury men drove him on to Marshfield. I was then a great boy about fourteen years old. I was among the rabble of boys that went hooting and hollowing behind the cart.
They drove the cart up within two rods of the front door, told Dunbar to get out, then tipped the cart and let the Ox slide out.
Mrs. Thomas was a well informed, prudent, discreet woman, she opened her front window and addressed the company in such a manner as I have reason to think made some of them, at least, very much ashamed.
I can now remember but a very small part of her speech. She told the company that the Collector was calling on her to pay a large tax, which she felt very anxious to pay and that Mr. Thomas's creditors were calling on her for their due, which she was willing to pay as far as she could. Although it was good fun for me to follow Dunbar with trip on his head, I got somewhat frightened before I got home.
Some of the men began to talk of paying uncle Phineas a visit, meaning my father. One of them observed that 'he expected his pot would be split before Spring'. I fully understood what they meant.
I think such was the excitement at the time, that if it had not been night, or nearly so, when the rabble got back to Duxbury, my father's beef barrel, at least, would have been riffled, for it had at that time some beef in it that came from Ray Thomas' farm.
At the time Ray Thomas went away he was owing my father about $50.00 on the note of hand and he was fearful of losing it. He asked Mrs. Thomas if she would let him have a fat Ox on account of that note and she very willingly let him have the Ox.
This act was thought by some at the time to be very criminal in my father, but my father's fat never split or the Beef poisoned any of the family. Previous to the war, there were Liberty Poles raised in every town in the State. We had a very high one in Duxbury; it stood near where the Gershom Bradford house now stands. There was a great gathering of people at the raising of it. It was somewhat of a terror to the evil doers. If anyone was suspsected of being a Tory, he was threatened to be histed up on the Liberty Pole. I have observed that the love of Liberty which our Pilgrim fathers brought with them when they landed on Plymouth Rock has descended down not only to the third and fourth generation but to the sixth and seventh. A very great proportion of the people in Duxbury are descendants from the Pilgrims who came to Plymouth Rock in the May Flower or in other vessels soon after. It may be interesting to know the particular spots of ground on which the first settlers built their houses. I need not mention in this narrative where Captain Standish, Elder Brewster or John Alden located their houses – that is very generally known. I know of but three farms in this town of Duxbury, at this time owned by men of the same name of the men who first settled on them, I mean those on which our Pilgrim fathers settled. The heirs of the late Major Judah Alden own the farm on which John Alden settled. Barker Hunt owns the farm on which Edmont Hunt settled. Seth Sprague owns the farm on which Francis Sprague settled.
Francis Sprague's house stood on what is commonly called 'Sprague's Neck', a little south of where the stage office now is. Experience Mitchell's house stood where the Stage Office now is.
Edmund Hunt's house stood not far from where Barker Hunt's house now stands. Constant Southworth's house stood nigh where the Duxbury cloth factory, now made into a tack factory.
A man by the name of Howland, whose Christian name I have forgotten settled nigh where the Universal Meeting House now stands.
There once was a Quaker Meeting House, a little south of where the stage office now is, they, like the other Quakers, were persecuted, but not to that degree they were in Massachusetts.
There is a very ancient Burying Ground on the high ground, a little north of the Methodist Meeting House. I think the ground that was occupied for that purpose is about four rods square, it is my opinion, that the Quakers were buried there. Where I was, I could see the graves very plainly, it was well known to the old people, seventy or eighty years now past and gone, that there was a burying place there, I have often heard my father speak of it.
The manner of living and the fashions have greatly changed since I was young. I can remember when there was not a four wheeled charrage of any kind in the town of Duxbury and but one shays, and if that was on hand now, as good as it was that day, it would not sell for ten dollars. People of that day road almost holly on horseback and a horse that would not carry double was considered of little value. By 'carrying double' which is a common expression at that day, ment carrying a man with a woman on a pillion behind him and I myself have rode many a mile on horseback with my wife behind me, with a child in her arms.
I remember when there was but one floor in the town of Duxbury that had a carpet on it and that was of the kind that was at that time call Rag coverlids; it was thought at that time to be very extravagant to put a coverlid on the floor to tread on.
I remember perfectly well the manner of living eighty years now gone. Very little tea or coffee was then used by the people in the country towns. My father was considered to be an independent farmer and lived as well and in as good fashion as the people of the town generally.
In the faul of the year, and for some time after killing their Beef and Pork, for dinners they would have fresh meat but seldom any for supper or breakfast, that was most commonly of milk or broth, as when meat was boiled, either fresh or salt, the broath was to be thickened with Indian meal and it was a common saying, that 'the person who would eat no broath ought to have no meat.'
When meat or fouls were rosted, the fashion was first, to put the gravy and Indian pudding on to the table and let the meat or foul stand by the fire until the company had eaten of the pudding and gravy, this was the fashion when I was a boy say of six or seven years of age; by degrees it altered which occasioned some disputes between the old people and the young.
I remember this when I was a young man or rather a great boy. I happened to be at the house of Thomas Waterman at Marshfield on business. At dinner time, (the family consisted of his mother and himself), his mother was not only an old woman, but an old fashioned woman. They had a piece of rosted beef for dinner; the old woman, according to the old fashion, put the pudding and gravy, on the table, the son says, 'Mother, put the meat on the table.' The old lady says, 'No, eat the pudding and gravy first.' The son says again, 'Mother, do put the meat on the table.' The old lady again answers in somewhat of an angry tone, 'You shall not have the meat until you have eat the pudding and gravy.' The son then arose from the table, took the meat from before the fire, set it on the table, cut a good slice and put it on my plate, the old lady all the time scolding most vemently, so that I dare not eat the meat, until the son said, 'Young man, eat the meat, don't mind mother.'
I remember when I was a boy, in the winter, my father got up early one morning; after making a large fire, he hung on a pot with bean porrage in it and then go to the barn to feed the cattle. My mother would get up soon and crumb bread and put it into pewter the pewter dishes and by the time my father came from the barn, the Bean porridge would be hot. My mother would then take a wooden ladle dip some of the Bean porridge from the pot and put it into the pewter basons, my father and mother would eat out of one bason, myself and two sisters, out of the other. My mother would then put the porrage pot away, wash the two basons, then go to weaving or spinning.
A short time after I was married, I mounted an old team horse and went four miles to fech my wife home. I took her pillion, for girls at that time always kept a pillion and fastened it behind my saddle and so we both rode to the house where she spent the remainder of her days, which was sixty four years. It was nearly supper time when she got to her new home and she made some milk porrage for supper, we both eat out of one dish. The King on his throne with all the luxurys that the world could afford could not be happier. Our furniture consisted of six second-hand old fashioned chairs, one white pine table, three or four pewter plates, two wooden plates and a small quantity of brown earthen ware, made at Charlestown, and a small quantity of hollow ware and our house was as well furnished as was those of young beginners at that day, in country towns generally.
Not only the fashions of living have greatly altered since my first remembrance, but all other fashions.
In olden times the Deacon of the Church, always read the Psalm or Hymn, line by line, for the singers, on the Sabbath, to sing and they always read with a tone lengthing out each word as long as the could blow out their breath and when the choir of singers, first began to sing without the Deacon's assistance, the old people often left the meeting.
In the old times of which I am writing, it was very common to give nick names to both men and women, it was so common that I have known people who did not know the real name of some of the old people.
It was also very fashionable to make short rhymes on each other. There was a very homely man in Duxbury, by the name of Judah West, who used to work in the ship carpenter's yard and divert the company with his rymes. One of the young men of the gang of carpenters, got married and a few days after, asked Uncle Judah to make a verse on him. Uncle Judah said 'he was afraid if he did he would be mad,' but he promised he would not, so Uncle Judah complied with his request and delivered his verse right off without any premeditation –
I pray the Lord
That Thomas Ward
May not increase his seed,
That our town may not abound
With that accursed breed.
For they will steal both meat and meal,
And everything that's good,
Posts and Rails, he never fails
To take for fire wood.
After making a verse on each man working with him in the ship yard, he made one on himself –
There is old Judah by the drogue
With his auger and his gouge
With his cauter hees and white eyes
He ofttimes glories in telling long stories
Which most people take to be lies.
In those olden times there was much more reverence paid to ministers than there is at this time, so much so the children of that day, many of them, at least, thought that they were something more than men. I remember that when I was a boy, Parson Turner used to visit my father's house, he wore a very large white wig, he was a very austere man and I was exceedingly afraid of him.
I will now endeavor to write a few words on the rise, progress and decline of business in the town of Duxbury at the close of the American Revolution.
The people of Duxbury were very poor. It ought to be recorded to the credit of four ship carpenters, all poor and without any literary attainments, Ezra Weston, Nathaniel and Joshua Winsor and Samuel Delano. They were men of good sound common sense, men of uncommon industry, energy, perseverance and economy. The two Mr. Winsors went immediately into Bank Fishing and the humble writer of this narrative went in their employ to the Grand Banks to hall the Cod-line. Ezra Weston and the others followed the example of the Winsors.
The fishing business was then good, Fish selling from five dollars to five and a quarter. The fishing business and the ship carpenter's business increased and a little village sprang up like a mushroom and it became necessary that a publick highway should be laid out to accommodate this new made village and petitions were presented to the selectmen, requesting them to lay out a road, which they did, but the town would not accept of their report. The Court of Sessions which had at that time the power to cut roads,"…(the Journal was never finished but ends here.) [8]
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1760 - 1847 (87 years)
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