Pythagoras Sprague

portrait
Contents

Personal and Family Information

Pythagoras was born on 3 Sep 1799 in Briston, Addison County, Vermont, the son of unknown parents.

He died on 6 Aug 1851 in Benton County, Arkansas .

His wife was Leah Smith, who he married on 24 MAY 1824 in Sanagmon County, Illinois. Their only known child was Jane (1834-1847).

Events

EventDateDetailsSourceMultimediaNotes
Birth3 SEP 1799
Place: Briston, Addison County, Vermont
Death6 AUG 1851
Place: Benton County, Arkansas
Address: date per ancestry trees….
Census24 OCT 1850
Place: Benton County, Arkansas
Age: 50
Address: White River Twp, dwelling 233 family 233 A.D. Sprague, age 25 male carpenter, born Illinois W.L. N. “ age 18 female born Germany Isabel N age 11 months female born Ark Dwelling 234 family 234 G.P. Sprague age 50, male, farmer, born Vermont Leah, age 43 female born Tennessee Shelby age 12 male born Illinois Columbus age 9 m born Illinois Delia age 6 female born Ark Perry age 4 male born Ark John C age 1 male born Ark
BurialAUG 1851
Place: Benton County, Arkansas
Address: Woods Cemetery, Little Flock, no photo, gravestone not found. findagrave 162503952 assume Woods Cemetery, Little Flock Pythagoras Sprague stated in his will 1851, Benton County that he wished to be buried beside daughter Jane. no grave stone or obit for either, unable to find source that places them in Woods Cemetery. person who added Sprague typicall creates memorials without grave photo. zero credit for photos added to others.
WillOCT 1851
Place: Benton County, Arkansas
Address: pages 124 and 125, Benton County Will book
Will-Sprague, G. P.
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Other Event1830
Place: Illinois
Type: Deed
Deed-Sprague,Goras
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Multimedia

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Sprague Ance...
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Sprague Desc...
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GS-Sprague,R...

Notes

Note 1

Sprague family website : https://www.sprague-database.org

THE SPRAGUE PROJECT -- A GENEALOGICAL DATABASE OF OVER 452,000 INDIVIDUALS --

- CELEBRATING OUR TWENTY-THIRD YEAR ON THE INTERNET -

UPDATED ON 15 DECEMBER 2019 Richard E. (Dick) Weber, Developer

Albert Arnold Sprague, IV, Webmaster

https://www.sprague-database.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I69777&tree=SpragueProject

"Supplement to Sprague Families in America", by Dr. Warren Vincent Sprague, 1941, page 88.

Rev. Goras P. Sprague was named Pythagoras but later changed his name.  He was a farmer and Methodist Minister.

     In 1825, Goras and wife were living in Springfield, IL; in 1831, he received title to land near Pino, IL, the deed being signed by President Andrew Jackson; removed to Benton Co., AR in 1842; buried in Wood's Cemetery.

From Delene Hartsfield, correspondent, Letter of August 28th, 2006

     The Reverend Goras P. Sprague was a farmer and a Methodist minister.  In 1831 he received title to land near Pino, Illinois in Edgar County.  The deed was signed by President Andrew Jackson.  This deed was written on sheepskin, and in 1939, was in the possewssion of Warren Sprague of Busby, Kansas, having descended to him through his father, Perry, son of Goras.  Goras eventually moved his family to White River Township, Benton County, Arkansas, in 1842. [1]

Leah Smith,   B. 5 Oct 1806, TN, USA ,   D. 1881, Uniontown, Bourbon Co., KS, USA  (Age 74 years) 

Married 24 May 1824  Curran, Sangamon Co., IL, USA   [3, 4] 

Children 

+

1. Alfred D. Sprague,   B. 22 Mar 1825, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, USA ,   D. 3 Nov 1874, Tumwater, Thurston Co., WA, USA  (Age 49 years)

 

2. Riley Sprague,   B. 12 Dec 1826, IL, USA ,   D. 20 Jun 1850, on the road to Sacramento Co., CA, USA  (Age 23 years)

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3. Guilford F. Sprague,   B. 1 Jan 1829, Edgar Co., IL, USA ,   D. 1919, Crescent City, Putnam Co., FL, USA  (Age 89 years)

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4. Oliver Robert Sprague,   B. 3 Mar 1833, Springfield, Sangamon Co., IL, USA ,   D. 5 Apr 1870, Greenville, Washington Co., MS, USA  (Age 37 years)

 

5. Jane Sprague,   B. 14 Apr 1834, IL, USA ,   D. 16 Feb 1847  (Age 12 years)

 

6. Sabra Sprague,   B. 28 Feb 1836, IL, USA ,   D. 18 Apr 1837  (Age 1 years)

 

7. Shelby Sprague,   B. 1 Jan 1838, IL, USA ,   D. 14 Dec 1868, Baldwin City, Douglas Co., KS, USA  (Age 30 years)

 

8. Wilbur Sprague,   B. 3 Sep 1839, IL, USA ,   D. 20 Jul 1840, IL, USA  (Age 0 years)

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9. Columbus Sprague,   B. 18 May 1841, Decatur, Macon Co., IL, USA ,   D. 13 Feb 1882, Uniontown, Bourbon Co., KS, USA  (Age 40 years)

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10. Delilah Sprague,   B. 25 Aug 1843, Benton Co., AR, USA ,   D. 1865  (Age 21 years)

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11. Perry Sprague,   B. 8 Oct 1846, Benton Co., AR, USA ,   D. 31 Mar 1936, Busby, Elk Co., KS, USA  (Age 89 years)

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12. John Condon Sprague,   B. 12 Dec 1848, Busby, Elk Co., KS, USA ,   D. 1 Feb 1928, Portland, Multnomah Co., OR, USA  (Age 79 years)

father Abraham Sprague 8 Feb 1764, Providence RI to Mar 1847 Macon County Ill.

mother Celestia Freelove Hubbell 4 Nov 1764 Woodbury Ct to 4 Feb 1847 Macon County Ill

Note 2

Sgt Shelby Sprague, BIRTH, 1 Jan 1833 Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, USA

DEATH, 10 Dec 1863 (aged 30) Douglas County, Kansas, USA

BURIAL Baldwin City Cemetery Baldwin City, Douglas County, Kansas, USA Add to Map

findagrave MEMORIAL ID 23926431 ·

Age 30 yrs 11 mos 5 dys

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QuarterMaster Sgt. 1st Kansas LART

Enlisted 24 Jul 1861 Discharged 14 Sept 1864

Res: Prairie City, KS.

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Shelby Sprague Enlisted in Union Army at Prairie City, Douglas Co, KS on July 24, 1861

First Independent Battery, Kansas Light Artillery (LART)

notes him as mustered out Sept 14, 1864

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From a FAG friend:

Son of Rev. Goras (Pythagoras) Sprague (1799-1851),who died in Benton co, AR, & Leah Smith Sprague (1806-1881), who died Uniontown, Bourbon Co, KS.

Shelby moved at age 9 to Benton Co, AR in 1842 with parents & siblings and moved to Kansas circa 1859. He was survived by his mother & siblings: Alfred D., Dr. Guilford F, Oliver R, Columbus, Delila Sprague Reynolds, Perry, and John Condon Sprague. He was preceded in death by his father and by siblings: Riley, Jane, Sabra and Wilbur.

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Delila Sprague Reynolds BIRTH 18 Aug 1844 Benton County, Arkansas, USA

DEATH 18 Aug 1865 (aged 21) Bourbon County, Kansas, USA

BURIAL Baldwin City Cemetery Baldwin City, Douglas County, Kansas, USA Add to Map

findagrave MEMORIAL ID 24469746

Delila Sprague was born in Aug 1844 in Benton Co, AR, the daughter of Rev. Goras P.(Pythagorus) Sprague (1799-1851; he died in Bentonville, AR) and Leah Smith Sprague (1806-1881; she died in Bourbon Co, KS. Delila & mother & siblings moved from Benton Co, AR circa 1855 to Douglas Co, KS. Delila married John Reynolds on 09 Nov 1862 in Centroplis, KS. They had a son, Charles Reynolds, born circa 1864 in KS. She died in 1865 in Douglas Co, KS. Her brother, Sgt. Shelby Sprague, is also buried in same cemetery.

Inscription Wife of J. Reynolds Aged 21 years

Note 3

I was asked to write this bit of history to expand on the families buried in the Woods Cemetery. The first name that caught my eye in our very first meeting was the Sprague family. I guess the name itself was so different from others on the cemetery list and I was drawn to it. In the process, I Googled the name Sprague and found that there was an extensive list of research into the Sprague line.

So, let me begin with Rev. Pythagoras “Goras” Sprague. He was born to Abraham and Celestia Freelove Hubble Sprague on September 3, 1799 in Briston, Addison, Vermont. Rev. Goras P. Sprague was named Pythagoras, but later changed his name. He was a farmer and Methodist minister. In the year 1824, he married Leah Smith in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois. In 1831, he received title to land near Pino, IL in a deed being signed by President Andrew Jackson. To this union was born 9 children and in 1842 they moved to Benton County, Arkansas, where they resided until his death in 1851 at the age of 51. His wife Leah and their children moved to Missouri and then on to Kansas where Leah died in 1881 in Uniontown.

Interestingly, the Reverend's father, Abraham, celebrated a bit of history himself. He was born in Providence Co., Rhode Island in 1764. As a very young man, he served in the Revolutionary War and participated in the Alarm at Providence on July 23, 1778. He died in March 1847 in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois.

We pride ourselves in being able to travel here and there by automobile, plane and train in this day and time, but let us look back at how this man, wife and family moved here and there and then ended up in the Woods Cemetery in Little Flock, Benton County, Arkansas. It would be interesting if we knew the mode of travel and the time it took to move 9 children, a wife and belongings from Pino, IL to Northwest Arkansas.

~ Larry Rogers Member of Woods Cemetery Association . Newsletter Spring 2018, Volume 1, Issue 2

1850 census - found in White River Township of Benton County, Ark