HEZEKIAH SPRAGUE AND ABIGAIL JEFFERS

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Hezekiah Sprague was born 10 Nov. 1775, at Buckland Township Mass. (From patriarchal blessing). The third child of Ebenezer Sprague and Lois Cross.

The Spragues had come into England from Holland. The name of Sprague is derived from the Dutch word "Spraak" and means speech or language. Edward Sprague was born in Upway County, Dorset, England about 1560 and died in Upway, England in 1614. He married Christiana Holland about 1597. He was a man of faith and worshipped God. In his will he wrote: "I do bequeath my soul to Almighty God, my Savior and my Redeemer, and my body to be buried within the Church yard."

Hezekiah’s first American ancestor was William, who came from England in the ship “Abigail” in 1628 with Governor Endicott. William and Brothers Ralph and Richard, were founders of the City of Charleston, Mass., in 1638. “They were persons of character, and substance, and enterprise - excellent citizens and public benefactors, as were many of their descendents. “--from “The Life of Archibald Gardner” pp 155)

(“Hezekiah’s father, Ebenezer served in the Revolutionary war; first as Sargent in 1777 and then as First Lieutenant in Capt. Samuel Taylor’s 6th Company, Hampshire Co. Regiment, commissioned 18 Nov. 1779.)

Hezekiah married Abigail Jeffers in 1793. She was born 8 July 1772 at Sheffield, Conn... They lived at Oxford, Chenango Co., N.Y. In 1809 he sold out to a brother Basil and moved about 55 miles Northwest into Cayuga Co. Here Abigail and Henry were born. About 1822 Hezekiah sold out again, and again went west with his wife, Abigail, and children Lois, Rausel, Ithamer, Gad, Abigail and Henry. They located in Switzerland Co., Indiana; there we find them in the 1830 and 1840 Census.

Hezekiah acquired a good deal of property for himself near the Ohio River. While here his children Abraham, Rausel, and Lois Sprague Nichols, died.

About 1840 when the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints first visited him in Switzerland Co., Ind., he attacked their doctrine. "Mr. Sprague. it is written, that sometimes we entertain angels unawares!" After hesitating a moment Hezekiah said. "All right, come in!" Being a learned man of the Bible, they sat up all night discussing the Principles set forth by the Elders. The following morning he asked for baptism. His wife, two Sons and their wives, and a daughter, Abigail, and her husband, Hial, were also baptized at or near the same time.

He was a true friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and on several occasions’ loaned money to the Prophet during his troubles in Nauvoo. One time Joseph Smith promised Hezekiah they would be neighbors in the “Hereafter”. On 11 June 1843 Hyrum Smith the Prophet’s brother, and Church Patriarch, gave Hezekiah a Patriarchal blessing and was declared of the lineage of Jacob. He was ordained a High Priest in Nauvoo 7 Jan 1844.

He and Abigail must have been staunch Latter Day Saints because at ages 71 and 74 they prepared to cross the plains. They seemed to have left Nauvoo in the exodus of 1846 and went as far as Winter Quarters, Neb... There on 22 January 1847 Abigail Jeffers Sprague, age 74 years 6 months and 14 days, died of hardship. According to a letter written by her daughter Abigail Bradford. “.. she had good health until the day before she died, she seemed just to sleep away.” She gave her life for her testimony.

At Mt. Pisqua, Hezekiah’s son Ithamer, his wife and five children stopped with a company of Saints for the winter. There due to sickness and hardship, the wife and all of his children died.

Hezekiah’s son, Henry, started west with the Saints but lost his cattle. In searching for them he got a few days behind the company, too long to rejoin them. He settled his family a few miles down river from Burlington and never went west.

In June 1847 Hezekiah, his son Ithamer and daughter Abigail Bradford and her five children joined Edward Hunter’s wagon Co. Hezekiah was ill nearly the whole journey. They arrived in Salt Lake City 1 Oct. 1847. He seemed to have lived with his daughter most of the time, as Ithamer went to Nevada and later back to Utah.

Hezekiah died at Salt Lake City in July 1850, and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. (I think this shows 75 1/2 years of faith and courage we can be proud of - L. B. Jones)

References:

Record of Edwin B. Sprague, Ruth Sprague Dowly, 230 Linden Ave #405, Long Beach CA. Book “Life of Archabald Gardner” &(Gs. Early Church History & Pat. Blessings Vol.3 p 112) Cs. 9-19-36 pp7c.s. Deseret News; Salt lake Cemetery Rec. for 1850; and a letter written by Abigail Sprague Bradford Gardner to her sister Electa, dated 4 Feb 1861

(Compiled by Lavon B. Jones — June 1979). In May 1987 I found a tiny brass marker in the Salt Lake Cemetery with Hezekiah Spragues name on it. (Sextons record #47 P.2 it says: Plat-C-block 1. Lot 10) – L.B. Jones