Richard Sprague

Richard Sprague

• Birth: Circa 1605 - Upwey, Dorsetshire, England
• Death: Nov 25 1668 - Charlestown, Suffolk County, MA
• Parents: Edward Sprague, Christian possibly Holland

"The Sprague Family: From Dorset, to Massachusetts & Gibraltar", by Joan Watkins, 1992, correspondent.

Richard married in 1630 but they had no children. He became very interested in Military affairs. When he died in 1668 apart from leaving property to his widow, he left some to Ralph's son Richard which included his Wharf and warehouses with land. He also left to "Harvard 31 sheep and 30 lambs".

"The Ralph Sprague Genealogy", by E. G. Sprague, page 27

In the year in which Richard came to America, the first meeting of the settlers of the town of Charlestown was recorded and his name with his brothers Ralph and William stood at the head of the list. Took the Freeman's Oath May 18, 1631. In an agreement entered into February 10, 1634, for the first government of the town by a body of selectmen, were appended thirty-three names and theirs again appeared. He was mentioned among "some of the cheif" of the one hundred fifty-one members in 1632 who joined in full communion with the Charlestown church when it was separately organized. It appeared in the church record as "Richard, Mary, Sprague," the names of husband and wife being written as one name. He became a member of the Honorable Artillery Company in the year 1638, which company received its charter in that year and was composed of members of different towns in the colony. The General Court granted him one hundred acres of land in 1639 significantly adding as the reason of its vote "haveing borne difficulties in the beginning." For several years he was selectman, and from 1659-1666 he was deputy to General Court. His occupation was merchant. He followed the sea, however, as he was captain of the pink Consent for a time; owned several vessels and was in trade with Barbadoes. He accumulated a large property by grant and purchase as his possessions showed; thirteen lots of real estate comprising many acres, wharf, warehouse, investments in vessels, etc.

His will devised to his wife, Mary, whom he married in England, his nephews Richard, Lieut. John, cousins Samuel and Phineas and Mary Edmands, his brother William of Hingham, Margery Dawse and Alice Lord, to Harvard College, and to the poor of Charlestown, etc. [2]

Citations

1. The Abigail and John Endicott "Passengers known to be on board the Abigail from Weymouth 1628 ... Ralph Sprague of Upwey (son of Edward), Richard Sprague (brother of Ralph), William Sprague (brother of Ralph and Richard)" Sources 
2. [S442] Great Migration Begins, Anderson, Robert Charles, (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1995), Volume III, page 1734..
3. [S76] Book: Sprague, Ralph, Genealogy, Sprague, E. G., (Montpelier, VT:The Capital City Press, 1913), page 29.
4. [S3308] History of Artillery Company, page 79..

Links

• The Sprague Project