Sacramento County
Biographies
MOSES SPRAGUE
MOSES SPRAGUE, a farmer of Sutter
Township, was born in Batavia,
Genesee County, New York,
February 19, 1820, a son of Jeremiah and Martha (nee Sprague) Sprague.
His father was born in Greenfield, Saratoga
County, New York, in
1793. Starting with his wife and children, on February 15, 1830, after a
wearisome journey they reached the town of Westfield, Medina
County, Ohio, locating on land on the Western
Reserve. Subsequently he settled near Huntington,
Lorain County,
where he remained until April 6, 1886, the date of his
death. His wife’s death occurred April 14, 1865. During their
residence in Ohio five children
were born to them, making a total of twelve, namely: Lucy, Moses, Charles,
Ruth, A. J., Minerva, Alonzo, F. A., William B., Louisa, Sophia and Lamira. Of this number, three daughters are dead, and
the remainder of the family are scattered in Ohio, Michigan
and California. Mr.
Sprague, whose name heads this sketch, was brought up on a farm; when eighteen
years of age he went to Huron County, Michigan;
thence he traveled through the Maumee Swamp
to the railroad at Sylvania, where he took the cars for Adrian, that
being the first train of cars he had ever seen, except at a distance. He
remained in Michigan until 1841, employed in farm work;
and (one season) as carpenter and joiner in Adrian.
He next purchased fifty acres of land in Hillsdale,
Michigan. In August, 1841, he went to
Steuben County, Indiana, where he
followed the trade of carpenter until he started for California
March 18, 1852. He went from St. Louis to Council
Bluffs on the steamer “Robert Campbell,” being eleven
days on the trip. May 9, 1852, the train crossed the Missouri
River, the first movement on its long journey “across the plains,”
arriving in Hangtown August 27. From there he
went to Stockton, and after visiting several points came
to Sacramento the day before the election of Franklin
Pierce as President of the United States.
He was permitted to vote at the election. He was married February 17,
1846, to Miss Nancy M. Smith, who was born in Otsego County,
New York, April 14, 1821, of New
York parents. In March, 1854, she came by way
of the Nicaragua route to California,
reaching Sacramento May 6.
Until August following Mr. and Mrs. Sprague were in Colusa
County; they then located upon the
place where they now reside. It contains 135 acres, and has been improved
until it is equipped with all that is necessary to make life comfortable.
In 1876 Mr. Sprague visited in the East, meeting his father and his brothers
and sisters, but was willing to return to California
to spend the remainder of his life. He is a member of Sacramento Grange,
No. 12, Patrons of Husbandry, and is still an active and busy man, prospering
in the vocation of farming and dairying. Mr. and Mrs. Sprague have a
family of three children, namely: Helen I., now Mrs. E. W. Brainard,
of Sacramento County, California;
Frederick D., of Seattle, Washington,
and Hattie S., widow of Hugh C. Jones, of Sutter County,
California.
Transcribed
by Karen Pratt.
Davis, Hon. Win. J., An
Illustrated History of Sacramento County,
California. Page 553. Lewis Publishing
Company. 1890.
© 2006 Karen Pratt.