William Sprague (October 26, 1609 – October 26, 1675 in
Hingham,
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...
) left England on the ship ''
Lyon's Whelp'' for
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
/
Salem Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. He was originally from
Upwey, near
Weymouth,
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
Sprague arrived at Naumkeag (Salem) in mid-July 1629 with his brothers Ralph and Richard. They were employed by
Governor Endecott to explore and take possession of the country westward. They explored the land to (present day)
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is the oldest Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Also called Mishawum by the Massachusett, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Bost ...
, between the Mystic and Charles rivers, where they made peace with the local Indians. On February 10, 1634, the order creating a Board of Selectmen was passed, and Richard and William Sprague signed it.
["The Cranston-Johnston Spragues of Rhode Island", transcribed from ''History of Rhode Island'' by Susan W. Pieroth (American Hist. Soc. 1920). Available a]
RI USgenweb archive
Sprague lived in Charlestown until 1636, before moving to Hingham, where he was one of the first planters. His house lot, on Union St. "over the river" was said to be the pleasantest lot in Hingham.
[Sprague, Warren Vincent, ''Sprague Families in America'', Vermont, 1913.] He was active in public affairs, and was
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
,
Fence Viewer, etc. Sprague’s will names his wife, Millicent (Eames), and children, Anthony, Samuel, William, Joan, Jonathan, Persis, Johanna and Mary.
[
Other Sprague relatives became soldiers in the ]American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
and two of them, William Sprague III and William Sprague IV, became governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
.
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
and her brother, Fred Ball, were direct descendants.
References
External links
The Sprague family database
1609 births
1675 deaths
People from Weymouth, Dorset
People from colonial Massachusetts
Sprague family
{{US-hist-stub