Problems 1
Is Tristram Sprague of Puddletown the father of Edward Sprague fuller of Upway ?(and in turn grandfather of the puritan migrants )
http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/p/r/Scott-L-Sprague/FILE/0003page.html outlines the problem.
I verified the marriage (Tristram and Elizabeth Cole) in the Puddletown registers and checked the baptisms. The only son baptised there was Richard in 1575. Definitely no Edward, though a gap between 1575 and 1583 which is quite a long gap between children.
I was going to ask if a disputed parents section should be placed on the profiles of Edward and Francis (there seems to be absolutely no link with a 'son' Francis born in Middlesex)
But this morning ( by chance) I found evidence that Tristram Sprague of Puddletown was a fuller .
A Tristram Spra[l]e, tucker, of Puddeltowne, was bound over in Jan 1614/15 in the sum of £10. (tucker another name for fuller) (Casebook of Sir Francis Ashley)
The following month,(Feb 1614/15 ) a Richard Sprake fuller of Broadway (Broadwey and Upwey are adjoining) was also bound over to keep the peace along with another fuller from Broadwey ( on behalf of their wives!)... Could this be Richard, the son of Tristram born 1675 ?
Perhaps just a disputed parents on Francis's profile and the details of the controversy on Edwards?
Problem 2
Tristram Sprague and the two preceding generations have very colourful biographies . They seem to have been provided as part of a project by a class of English as a foreign language students.
We have Tristram who kept bees on the family farm, met his wife Elizabeth in the smelly town and dying of the plague. The next generation back we have Enos Sprague who worked in a coal mine (in 16th C Dorset) and met his wife, Barbara who worked in a textile mill. He apparently died of malaria. His father was Johan who was married to Maria, a pastors daughter. They had children named Mia and Enos. They were protestants during the reign of Mary (who burned protestants and was beheaded) Their house was burned by Catholics and only Enos survived.
These 'biographies' have a citation "
Family History - The First Three Generations of Sprague's Family. Written by students of International Training and Education Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Ms. Kelly Norman, teacher. It is not clear whether this unsourced material is based on research of the actual lives of persons, or whether it is historical fiction intended to illustrate the religion, politics, and health issues of the eras in which they lived. http://rubikgroup.weebly.com/1/post/2013/10/family-history-the-first-three-generations-of-spragues-family.html. Accessed June 7, 2015.
Can anyone provide any evidence for the existence of Enos, Johan, Maria and Mia. If not, then I would propose to put a 'this person may not have existed' template on them.
They weren't created as deliberate frauds but they certainly seem to be fictitious. (and are becoming part of the internet genealogy echo-chamber)
