~ 375th anniversary of Malden’s Incorporation as a Town ~

Brothers Sprague – Founders of Charlestown, Malden, & Hingham, Part 8

By Inna Babitskaya

Ralph Sprague’s brothers, Richard and William, also played important roles in colonial life. They were co-founders of Charlestown. On February 10, 1634, both of them signed the order to create a Board of Selectmen of Charlestown.

Richard Sprague (1604–1668) took the Freeman’s Oath in 1631.

In 1638, he became a member of the Honorable Artillery Company. In 1652, he was promoted to first sergeant, in 1659 to ensign, and in 1665 to lieutenant. Later, he became the captain of the town train band.

For several years, he was a Charlestown selectman. In 1644 and 1659–66, he represented Charlestown in the General Court.

In 1639, the General Court granted Richard Sprague one hundred acres of land for “having borne difficulties in the beginning.” Besides land, Richard Sprague received grants and purchased thirteen lots of real estate, which included a wharf, a warehouse, investments in vessels, etc. He was captain of the Pink Consent and several other vessels, and he participated in trade with Barbados.

Richard married Mary Sharp (1608–1672) in 1630. They had no children. When Richard Sprague died in 1668, his estate was valued at over 2,357 pounds. Apart from leaving property to his widow, he left to his brother William of Hingham his sword and to his nephew Richard Sprague (1627–1703) his wharf and warehouses with land. He also left to Harvard College 400 pounds, 31 sheep, and 30 lambs, and to the First Church of Charlestown, 30 pounds.

In 1634, the youngest brother, William Sprague (1609–1675), married Millicent/Millesaint Eames (1615–1694/95), a daughter of Anthony Eames, who had served Hingham as first militia captain, a selectman, and Deputy in the General Court. In 1636, William Sprague moved from Charlestown to Hingham. He traveled there in a boat, landing on the east side of the Bare Cove (future Hingham), on a tract afterward granted to him by the town.  His house lot on Union St. over the river was “considered to be the pleasantest one in the town and was situated about two miles north of the Patent Line which formerly divided the Mass Bay Colony from the Plymouth Colony.”

Many parcels of land were granted to him from 1636 to 1647. These gifts showed the esteem in which he was held by his fellow townsmen. In 1645, William Sprague was one of seven men chosen to order the prudential affairs of the town. In 1649, “William Sprague, a godly Christian but not an ordained minister, did preach the word” to residents. In 1662, he was disbursing officer of the Hingham, as well as a constable and fence-viewer. William Sprague and his wife had eleven children.

During the bi-centennial celebration of the arrival of Winthrop at Charlestown, the Hon. Edward Everett said: “Ralph, Richard and William Sprague were the founders of the settlement in this place, and were persons of substance and enterprise, excellent citizens, generous public benefactors, and the head of a very large and respectable family of descendants.”

Ralph Sprague’s eldest son, John Sprague (1624–1692), emigrated at the age of 5 with his parents. In 1650, John Sprague succeeded his father in his homestead, and was engaged in shipping and foreign trade with his Uncle Richard.

He married in Malden on May 2, 1651, to Lydia Goffe, daughter of Edward Goffe and Joyce Frost. Like John, she too had been born in England, and traveled to New England with her parents in 1635. John and Lydia had ten children. They lived at Pound Farm, Malden (now Melrose). Their house stood near Barrett’s Mound on the southerly side of Maple Street and some of the early town meetings were held there.

In 1652, John Sprague bought the Ell Pond farm from his brothers Richard and Samuel. He owned many parcels of real estate, including four acres near the top of Bunker Hill.

On May 18, 1653, John took the Freeman’s oath.

In 1654, John joined the Malden Militia as an Ensign. In 1664, he was promoted to Lieutenant. He served with Major Simon Willard in King Philip’s War in 1676. He was commissioned Captain and remained with the Foot Company of Malden from 1685-89.

Captain John was described as “tall of stature and of fine appearance,” and was a much-respected citizen.

He also devoted a lot of time to the civil service. He was chosen selectman for Malden, then representative in the General Court 1685-89/1689-91 and moderator and clerk of the writs in 1687. Later, he was appointed to be one of a committee of three to lay out the county’s highways between two new towns: Redding (now Wakefield) and Winnesmett (now Chelsea and Revere).

Captain John Sprague died in 1692 and was buried in the Bell Rock Cemetery.

The younger son of Ralph Sprague, Richard Sprague (1627/8–1703), inherited part of his uncle, Richard Sprague’s, estate and the foreign shipping trade with Barbados in 1668.

In 1681, he joined the First Church in Charlestown and became a Representative in the General Court for Charlestown.

During the Dutch War (1674), he commanded an armed vessel of twelve guns and cruised in Long Island Sound for the protection of the coast trade. On March 16, 1680/81, Capt. Richard Sprague commanded Charlestown’s 2nd train-band. He was also recruited as a member of the Artillery Company, and in 1683-84 became first sergeant. On April 18, 1689, he marched with his company into Boston, and assisted in the revolt against Edmund Andros (1637–1714), English Governor of the Dominion of New England (1683-89).

Richard Sprague was appointed to the “Council for the safety of the people and conservation of the peace, which was established for the provisional government of the colony; but when the convention of the colony was subsequently chosen, besides taking temporary measures for public safety, assumed to institute a new government without the sanction of the crown, he, with other leading citizens, protested and appealed to their majesties, William and Mary, believing the action of the convention unconstitutional and contrary to their oaths of allegiance. He was thereupon deprived of his captaincy, expelled from the House of Representatives for ‘his contemptuous carriage against the government’, and was arranged before the court for ‘seditious libel.’ He was, however, acquitted of the charge and was elected to represent the town in the General Court until his death.”

To be continued…

(Inna Babitskaya is a Malden Historian, a Member of Malden Historical Commission and author of historical books “From Maldon to Malden”, “Time of Converse” & “Fellsmere Park – Emerald of Malden”)

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