William J. Sprague (1749 - 1816)

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

Private William Sprague served with 6th Lincoln County Regiment, Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution.

William J. Sprague was born 19 Nov 1740, ^[1] and baptized at First Church, South Berwick, Maine, 16 May 1749, the son of Terah Sprague and Love Hooper; ^{[2] [3]} drowned at Sussex, New Brunswick, 20 Jan 1816. ^[2]

He married, say 1772 (if age 25 at time of marriage), Elizabeth (_____). ^[2]

Had much Revolutionary War service: ^{[3] [4]}

SPRAGUE, WILLIAM, Narraguagus. Private, Capt. Francis Shaw, Jr.'s co. ; enlisted Sept. 9, 1775 ; service, 4 mos. 1 day, in defence of seacoast ; company stationed at Gouldsborough, No. 4, Narraguagus, and Pleasant River; also, Lieut. Thomas Parrat's detachment ; enlisted June 25, 1777 ; discharged June 30, 1777 ; service, 6 days, at Machias; detachment drafted from militia ; roll sworn to at No. 4; also, payroll of a detachment under Lieut. John Bohannan belonging to Col. Foster's (Lincoln Co.) regt. ; entered service Dec. 19, 1778; discharged Dec. 21, 1778 ; service, 3 days ; detachment called out by Lieut. Col. Campbell in defence of State stores on board the " Merry Sheet," from Boston, bound to garrison at Machias; also, Capt. Timothy Heald's co., Col. Samuel McCobb's regt. ; entered service June 30, 1779 ; discharged Sept. 25, 1779 ; service, 2 mos. 27 days, on the Penobscot expedition.

From Early Narraguagus Families: ^[2]

He sold his farm on the west side of the Narraguagus River in Cherryfield to Elisha Small for £60 on 10 April 1782 (Washington Co Deed 1:251),^[3] then moved his family, including his mother, to Sussex, Kings County, New Brunswick, and later settled (by 1786) on the Salmon River, where he operated a grist mill.

Sources

1. ↑ The Sprague Project (online database), William Sprague. Cit. Date: 27 Jul 2022.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Lamson, Darryl B. & Tibbetts, Leonard F., Early Narraguagus River Families of Washington County, Maine (Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, 2002, 1491 pages, continuously paginated in two volumes, ISBN: 0-89725-452-X), p. 904. Cit. Date: 27 Jul 2022.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Sprague, Warren Vincent, Supplement to Sprague Families of America (Chauncey, Ohio, 1940), p. 181. Cit. Date: 27 Jul 2022.
4. ↑ Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary of State, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Wright and Potter Printing Company, State Printers, Boston, 1896-1908, 17 volumes), Vol. 14, p. 764. Cit. Date: 27 Jul 2022.