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From Lynn Fonde.
In 1803 William Washington Alexander married Lucy Sprague (of the Connecticut Francis Sprague family). Lucy was the daughter of Thomas Sprague who settled in Erie Co., PA. Her brother, Perez Sprague, is noted for his service in the War of 1812. We believe this marriage took place in Erie Co., PA but have no proof of this. Nor do we know how William Alexander came to be in Erie Co. It is also unknown how this branch of the Sprague family came to Erie Co. from Connecticut. The census for this period lists Thomas Sprague (58) and a Thomas Alexander (58A), suggesting near neighbors. What the relationship of William Alexander would be to this Thomas is unknown.
In a petition for the pension of his father William located in the National Archives pension file, William Washington notes that his mother, Elizabeth, went "south" in 1813 and was never heard from again. It has been suggested by a Carruthers researcher that she went to North Carolina to live with her sister Rachel, who married Nicholas Harper and settled in Virginia. We have been unable to verify this.
William Washington Alexander and Lucy had four children, all presumed born in Erie Co., PA. In 1814, William and Lucy, along with members of the Sprague family moved to Knox Co., OH, settling in Mt. Vernon. Our efforts have been frustrated by burned and lost marriage, birth, and various other county records, during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 in Cecil Co., Erie Co., and Knox Co. In addition, the Rock Church early records were destroyed by a fire in the church custodian's home. The old Sharpe cemetery located behind the church has been badly neglected and many tobmstones are no longer visible, or are illegible.
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