| Notes |
- "Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, page 18.
John Sprague was a farmer of Lebanon, CT and Carmel, NY. He was a resident of Lebanon at the time of his marriage and when his first child was born. The next we know of him is in 1745 when he was living at what is now known as Lights Corners, near the eastern line of the town of Carmel. He was a Justice of the Peace and an influential member of the Congregational church..
"Supplement to Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, 1940, page 48.
John Sprague settled before 1745 at Southeast, a town in Carmel, now in Putnam Co., NY. He was a Justice of the Peace and an influential member of the Congregational Church.
From Marine S. Damvelt, (76462.1273@compuserve.com, 7 May 1996.
I believe I have made the connection and found the father of John Sprague, b. 4 May 1708 who married Hepsibeth Hartwell, b. 2 Sep 1709.
The connection is solely based on the statement in "The Hartwells of America", by John F. Hartwell, a genealogy of all the Hartwell Families of the United States and Canada, in two volumes, published in Little Rock, AR in 1958. See page 2-4, No. 11 for father John Hartwell and mother Sarah Shepard of Hepsibeth Sprague, No. 39, and also page 4 which provides the identity of the parents of John Sprague as being Ephraim and Deborah (Woodworth) Sprague and the children of John and Hepsibeth.
The only problem that I see is that I have not found that Ephraim Sprague and Deborah Woodworth had a son named John. On page 15 of "Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, published in 1913, No. 6 Capt. Ephraim Sprague, had children Peleg, born 15 May 1707 and Ephraim, born 13 March 1709. Thus, this John could fit between those two children.
From Richard E. Weber, The Composite Sprague Data Base, comments on the above.
I have looked at all records and find nothing to disprove the above listed connection but the evidence in any other source than the Hartwell reference seems to be lacking. The will of Capt. Ephraim does not apparently list a son John. We see in the above comments from "Supplement to Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, 1941, that John had moved to Connecticut nearly 10 years (1745) before Capt. Ephraim died.
Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague does not have the family of Capt. Ephraim defined as well as many of the Sprague descendants. The children are not in proper sequence and nothing is known of Deborah after birth.
From Edgar Morse, correspondent. Let me go through what I have discovered and deduced about John Sprague. My first lead comes from a letter from WVS (presumably Warren Vincent Sprague) in the Boston Transcript, 6/14/1911: *2000. There he gives this John's birth date and mother's name, followed by John's later marriage and travels. The Barbour Collection of Vital Records of Lebanon, CT, Vol. 1, p. 279, gives:
"[Sprague]John, s. Abigail Calkin, b. May 4, 1708" [I also have a copy of the original record which states: "John Sprague son of Abigail Calkin was born May 4th, 1708."] From the absence of a father's name and also including the mother's family name, but not SPRAGUE, I conclude that this was an illegitimate birth. It seems to me that the most likely father would have been John Sprague, the son of Lt. John Sprague (abt 1656, Duxbury-March 6, 1727/8). This son was born about 1690, presumably in Duxbury before his parents moved to Lebanon. That would make him about 18 at the time Abigail Calkin bore John Sprague [See Sprague Families in America, pp. 11-13.] She, in turn was born Sep 8, 1691 in Norwich, CT. [See VR of Norwich, p. 44.] They were both, then, of an age where such a "trysting' might have been expected. This would also resolve the concerns about John fitting into the Ephraim and Deborah Sprague family; he doesn't belong there. Now to the Hartwells of America (1956). I have been able to find there no citations to their source except a general reference to the Densmore Hartwell Genealogy of 1887. I checked that source also, and could find not citations in it [nor for that matter could I decipher Densmore's idiosyncratic system of descent to find Hepzibah Hartwell]. The listing for Hepsibah in the 1956 genealogy is: "39 Hepsibah-4(John-3, John-2, William-1), b. Sept 27, 1709, m. at Lebanon, Conn., Sept 7, 1726, John, son of Ephraim and Deborah Sprague, possibly b. in Lebanon in 1705." That's all that is given. No other support for assigning John to that Sprague family, no exact date of birth, and not even certainty about the place of birth. It seems to me that the author of this entry simply looked around for a plausible family to place him, did so, and didn't consider that he needed to justify such a decision. [He may also have been reluctant to put an illegitimate child in the family tree. WVS in his Boston Transcript note also lists the other John Sprague in that area, but evidently none of them were our John. This also makes it understandable that John and Hepsibah decided to migrate to escape the "taint" of John's origin in Lebanon.
I admit this is speculative but plausible. "The Woodworth Family of America", by Jeanette Woodworth Behan, published in 1988, page 25 also does not mention a son, John. "Supplement to Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, 1941, gives us the information that John named a daughter, Deborah, possibly after mother, Deborah (Woodworth) Sprague. There is no son, Ephraim identified but I do not feel that the details on John are very complete. We don't know when he left Lebanon; only that he was in Putnam County by 1745. We don't know when his wife, Hepsibeth died and when he married Hannah Holly. Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague even suggests that there may have been other children. He was obviously married young (born 1708, married 1726). I think the possibility exists that he left Lebanon well before 1745 and perhaps went north. His son, Eleazer went from Putnam County to Vermont; perhaps he had ties there. Ed Morse reports that Lebanon, CT vital records report that John Sprague, born May 4, 1708 was the son of Abigail Calkin without any mention of a father. even though in the vital records, John was given the Sprague surname. He goes on to say that this John could have been the illegitimate son of Abigail. This would seem to dispute the claim in the Hartwell publication for John being the son of Ephraim and Deborah (Woodworth) Sprague. Is it possible that he was the son of Ephraim and Abigail Calkin, born illegitimately?
From Evelyn F. Rush, correspondent. My known Sprague is the untraced John b. 1708 in Lebanon. My conclusion is that he is the illigit.(?) son of my family's Abigail (Calkins) Spencer Frost, wife of John Frost of Hebron, CT. John,Sprague 1708 m. Hepsibeth Hartwell and moved with the Frost family to southeastern Dutchess Co., N.Y. about 1740. This connection is where we find Spragues marrying later Calkins women Prudence and Polly.
From Elaine S. Vinson, correspondent, note of January 2000
Since the Tax List for Southern Precinct of Dutchess lists a John Jr. 2/1759, some of the later entries may refer to him.
* 1742 - John Sprague on Tax List for Southern Precinct of Dutchess Feb 1742/43-Jun 1751.
* 1745 - Pellatreau's History of Putnam Co. 1897 pg. 283 - John Spragg, on road from Carmel to Brewster, was one of the earliest settlers on Lot 6 of the Philipse lease; location "Sprages" mentioned when roads laid out in 1745, "W branch of Croton to Frost Mills, from thence to Sprages." pg. 133 - "Sprages" was where La Grand Hughson now lives (1897); where N.Y. & Northern RR crosses east line of Town of Carmel.
* 1747 - Bicentenial Edition 1976 Town of Kent by Betty Behrs lists John Sprag as being on a list of those in Fredericks Precinct in 1747, as Freeholder or Tenant.
* 1752 - Pellatreau's History of Putnam Co. pg. 308 - Around 1756 John Sprague mentioned in list of those who called a minister to Giliad Church Carmel. In 1752 this church, as part of Western Society of Phillipi (now Carmel/SE), was paying 1/3 the salary of a minister in connection with Red Mills and Patterson.
* 1756 - Pellatreau's History of Putnam Co. pg. 309 - Apr 4, 1756 Eleazor Spraguefs son Reuben was baptized in this parish.
* 1756 - Putnam Co. Historian: marriage of Hepsibah Sprague 11/3/1756 to Michael Evans by Rev Ebenezer Knibloe, West Philippi Society.
* 1756 - Putnam Co. Historian: John Sprague on 1756-1759 Membership List Society of West Philippi, Rev. Ebenezer Knibloe pastor.
* 1762 - Pellatreau's History of Putnam Co. pg 284: Apr 12, 1762 Lot 6, Town of Carmel, John Sprage was given lease to land he had already been settled on.
* 1767 - Pellatreau's History of Putnam Co. pg 120, prints a 1767 affidavit of Timothy Shaw which states that there were upwards of 300 settlers on the Phillipse Highland Patent before the year 1756 and that John Sprague, among others, had been a tenant of the Upper Patent under Adolph Philipse for over twenty-five years (before 1742). [4]
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