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{{Short description|Continental Army officer, pioneer to the Ohio Country}}
{{Infobox Military Person
{{Infobox military person
|name= Ebenezer Sproat
|name= Ebenezer Sproat
|image=[[Image:EbenezerSproatPortrait.jpg|300px]]
|image=EbenezerSproatPortrait.jpg
|caption= Ebenezer Sproat (aka Sprout)
|caption= Ebenezer Sproat (aka Sprout)
|born= {{Birth date|1752|2|9}}
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1752|2|9}}
|died= {{Death date and age|1805|1|7|1752|2|9}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|1805|1|7|1752|2|9}}
|placeofbirth= [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]]
|birth_place= [[Middleborough]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]], [[British America]]
|placeofdeath= [[Marietta, Ohio]]
|death_place= [[Marietta, Ohio]], U.S.
|placeofburial= [[Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)]]
|placeofburial= [[Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)]]
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|allegiance=[[United States|United States of America]]
|allegiance={{flag|United States of America|1777}}
|branch=[[Continental Army]]
|branch={{flagicon image|Gadsden flag.svg}} [[Continental Army]]
|rank=[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]
|rank=[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]
|commands=
|commands=
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|laterwork=[[American pioneers to the Northwest Territory|pioneer]] to the [[Ohio Country]], [[Surveying|surveyor]], [[Militia (United States)|militia]] officer during the [[Northwest Indian War]], first sheriff in the [[Northwest Territory]]
|laterwork=[[American pioneers to the Northwest Territory|pioneer]] to the [[Ohio Country]], [[Surveying|surveyor]], [[Militia (United States)|militia]] officer during the [[Northwest Indian War]], first sheriff in the [[Northwest Territory]]
}}
}}
[[Image:EbenezerSproatMarker.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ebenezer Sproat marker at [[Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)|Mound Cemetery]]]]
[[Image:OhioSheriffMotto.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"First to Serve Since 1788" motto on Ohio sheriff vehicles, referring to service of Sheriff Sproat]]


'''Ebenezer Sproat''' (1752–1805), surname also spelled '''Sprout''', was an officer of the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]], a [[American pioneers to the Northwest Territory|pioneer]] to the [[Ohio Country]], and one of the founders of [[Marietta, Ohio]], the first permanent [[United States|American]] settlement in the [[Northwest Territory]]. He served throughout the entire American war of independence, from April 1775 through November 1783, achieving the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]]. After the war, he was a pioneer and [[Surveying|surveyor]] in the Northwest Territory, and became a leader of the [[Militia (United States)|militia]] at Marietta during the [[Northwest Indian War]]. He was the first [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]] in the Northwest Territory and Ohio, serving fourteen years as sheriff of [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington County]], the oldest county in [[Ohio]].
'''Ebenezer Sproat''' (February 9, 1752 – January 7, 1805), surname also spelled '''Sprout''', was an officer of the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]], a [[American pioneers to the Northwest Territory|pioneer]] to the [[Ohio Country]], and one of the founders of [[Marietta, Ohio]], the first permanent [[United States|American]] settlement in the [[Northwest Territory]]. He served throughout the entire American war of independence, from April 1775 through November 1783, achieving the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]]. After the war, he was a pioneer and [[Surveying|surveyor]] in the Northwest Territory, and became a leader of the [[Militia (United States)|militia]] at Marietta during the [[Northwest Indian War]]. He was the first [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]] in the Northwest Territory and Ohio, serving fourteen years as sheriff of [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington County]], the oldest county in [[Ohio]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Ebenezer Sproat was born in [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]] in 1752. He was the son of Ebenezer Sproat, who owned a farm and was the proprietor of the Sproat Tavern in Middleborough. During his boyhood and youth, he assisted his father in cultivating the farm. When quite young he became interested in the public affairs of the colony. Like his father Ebenezer grew to be a tall man and was of perfect proportions.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 230">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 230.</ref><ref name = "Weston 322">Weston, ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', 322.</ref>
Ebenezer Sproat was born in [[Middleborough]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]] in 1752. He was the son of Bathsheba (Wood) and Ebenezer Sproat, who owned a farm and was the proprietor of the Sproat Tavern in Middleborough. During his boyhood and youth, he assisted his father in cultivating the farm. When quite young he became interested in the public affairs of the colony. Like his father Ebenezer grew to be a tall man and was of perfect proportions.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 230">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 230.</ref><ref name = "Weston 322">Weston, ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', 322.</ref>


==Revolutionary War==
==Revolutionary War==
Ebenezer Sproat was in the field with the [[Continental Army]] throughout the [[American Revolutionary War]],<ref name = "Heitman 513">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 513.</ref><ref name = "Massachusetts Soldiers 777">''Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, Vol 14'', 777.</ref> and was engaged in the battles of [[Battle of Trenton|Trenton]], [[Battle of Princeton|Princeton]], and [[Battle of Monmouth|Monmouth]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 231">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 231.</ref> He was a disciplinarian, but also of cheerful disposition, and was a favorite with both officers and enlisted ranks.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 231" />
Ebenezer Sproat was in the field with the [[Continental Army]] throughout the [[American Revolutionary War]],<ref name = "Heitman 513">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 513.</ref><ref name = "Massachusetts Soldiers 777">''Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, Vol 14'', 777.</ref> and was engaged in the battles of [[Battle of Trenton|Trenton]], [[Battle of Princeton|Princeton]], and [[Battle of Monmouth|Monmouth]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 231">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 231.</ref> He was a disciplinarian, but also of cheerful disposition, and was a favorite with both officers and enlisted ranks.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 231" />


He initially served with Colonel Theophilus Cotton’s Massachusetts Regiment during 1775. He joined as captain in April 1775, several days after the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], and was promoted to major in June 1775.<ref name = "Massachusetts Soldiers 777" /><ref name = "Heitman 32 513">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 32, 513.</ref> During 1776 he served with Colonel [[Ebenezer Learned]]’s [[3rd Continental Regiment]].<ref name = "Heitman 20">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 20.</ref> He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant colonel of Colonel [[William Shepard]]’s [[4th Massachusetts Regiment]] and served with this regiment from January 1777 to September 1778.<ref name = "Heitman 37">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 37.</ref> While with this regiment, he was one of the officers who wintered at [[Valley Forge]] with General [[George Washington]] during the winter and spring of 1777 and 1778.<ref name = "Heitman 11">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 11.</ref> He was said to be the tallest man in his regiment.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 230" /> Ebenezer subsequently transferred to the [[12th Massachusetts Regiment]], where he served until from September 1778 through year-end 1780.<ref name = "Heitman 39">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 39.</ref>
He initially served with Colonel Theophilus Cotton's Massachusetts Regiment during 1775. He joined as captain in April 1775, several days after the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], and was promoted to major in June 1775.<ref name = "Massachusetts Soldiers 777" /><ref name = "Heitman 32 513">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 32, 513.</ref> During 1776 he served with Colonel [[Ebenezer Learned]]'s [[3rd Continental Regiment]].<ref name = "Heitman 20">Heitma, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 20.</ref> He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant colonel of Colonel [[William Shepard]]'s [[4th Massachusetts Regiment]] and served with this regiment from January 1777 to September 1778.<ref name = "Heitman 37">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 37.</ref> While with this regiment, he was one of the officers who wintered at [[Valley Forge]] with General [[George Washington]] during the winter and spring of 1777 and 1778.<ref name = "Heitman 11">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 11.</ref> He was said to be the tallest man in his regiment.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 230" /> Ebenezer subsequently transferred to the [[12th Massachusetts Regiment]], where he served until from September 1778 through year-end 1780.<ref name = "Heitman 39">Heitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 39.</ref>


Ebenezer Sproat next joined the [[2nd Massachusetts Regiment]] where he served from January 1781 until November 1783.<ref name = "Heitman 37" /> During January 1781, he was executive officer under General [[Robert Howe (soldier)|Robert Howe]] with a detachment of five hundred men, ordered out to suppress a [[mutiny]] of the [[2nd New Jersey Regiment]] at Pompton, New Jersey. Three of the ringleaders of the mutiny were tried on the spot, with Lieutenant Colonel Sproat being president of the [[court-martial]]. This was a sorrowful duty for Colonel Sproat; two of the men were sentenced and executed.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 231-33">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 231-33.</ref> He often said that duty was the most painful ever imposed upon him.<ref name = "Weston 324">Weston, ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', 324.</ref> Ebenezer Sproat was promoted to colonel during September 1783,<ref name = "Heitman 513" /> shortly before the end of his eight and one-half years of service in the Continental Army.
Ebenezer Sproat next joined the [[2nd Massachusetts Regiment]] where he served from January 1781 until November 1783.<ref name = "Heitman 37" /> During January 1781, he was executive officer under General [[Robert Howe (Continental Army officer)|Robert Howe]] with a detachment of five hundred men, ordered out to suppress a [[mutiny]] of the [[2nd New Jersey Regiment]] at Pompton, New Jersey. Three of the ringleaders of the mutiny were tried on the spot, with Lieutenant Colonel Sproat being president of the [[court-martial]]. This was a sorrowful duty for Colonel Sproat; two of the men were sentenced and executed.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 231-33">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 231–33.</ref> He often said that duty was the most painful ever imposed upon him.<ref name = "Weston 324">Weston, ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', 324.</ref> Ebenezer Sproat was promoted to colonel during September 1783,<ref name = "Heitman 513" /> shortly before the end of his eight and one-half years of service in the Continental Army.


An anecdote illustrating Colonel Sproat’s good nature with the enlisted ranks concerns a furlough early in the war when he was home visiting his mother. Three private soldiers asked for lunch at his parents’ tavern, and when finished eating, asked him the cost. He informed them that the cost was about a shilling for each man. To their surprise, instead of collecting the money from them, he paid each man a shilling and wished them a good journey.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 234">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 234.</ref> Colonel Sproat was also on good terms with the officers such as General [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben|Von Steuben]], and was a friend of General Washington.<ref name = "Weston 322-23">Weston, ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', 322-23.</ref>
An anecdote illustrating Colonel Sproat's good nature with the enlisted ranks concerns a furlough early in the war when he was home visiting his mother. Three private soldiers asked for lunch at his parents' tavern, and when finished eating, asked him the cost. He informed them that the cost was about a shilling for each man. To their surprise, instead of collecting the money from them, he paid each man a shilling and wished them a good journey.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 234">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 234.</ref> Colonel Sproat was also on good terms with the officers such as General [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben|Von Steuben]], and was a friend of General Washington.<ref name = "Weston 322-23">Weston, ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', 322–23.</ref>


==Post-war in Rhode Island==
==Post-war in Rhode Island==
After the war, Ebenezer Sproat lived in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], where he married Catherine Whipple, daughter of Commodore [[Abraham Whipple]] of the [[Continental Navy]]. He purchased a store, and worked as a merchant, but was not successful. In 1786 he was appointed as [[surveying|surveyor]] for the state of [[Rhode Island]]. In that role, he participated in the surveying of the [[Seven Ranges]] in the [[Ohio Country]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 234-35">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 234-35.</ref><ref name = "Smith and Vining">Smith and Vining, ''American Geographers, 1784-1812'', 197.</ref>
After the war, Ebenezer Sproat lived in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], where he married Catherine Whipple, daughter of Commodore [[Abraham Whipple]] of the [[Continental Navy]]. He purchased a store, and worked as a merchant, but was not successful. In 1786 he was appointed as [[surveying|surveyor]] for the state of [[Rhode Island]]. In that role, he participated in the surveying of the [[Seven Ranges]] in the [[Ohio Country]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 234-35">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 234–35.</ref><ref name = "Smith and Vining">Smith and Vining, ''American Geographers, 1784–1812'', 197.</ref>


==The Ohio Country==
==The Ohio Country==
Ebenezer Sproat became a shareholder of the [[Ohio Company of Associates]], and was engaged as a surveyor with the company.<ref name = "Smith and Vining" /><ref name = "Hulbert Vol 1 26">Hulbert, ''Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I'', 26.</ref> On April 7, 1788, Ebenezer Sproat and a group of [[American pioneers to the Northwest Territory]], led by [[Rufus Putnam]], arrived at the confluence of the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Muskingum River|Muskingum]] rivers to establish [[Marietta, Ohio]] as the first permanent [[United States|American]] settlement in the [[Northwest Territory]].<ref name = "Hildreth Pioneer 206">Hildreth, ''Pioneer History'', 206.</ref><ref name = "Hulbert Vol 1 24">Hulbert, ''Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I'', 24.</ref><ref name = "Cutler 15-17" >Cutler, ''Founders of Ohio'', 15-17.</ref> Ebenezer’s wife, daughter, and Commodore Whipple joined him at Marietta the following year.
Ebenezer Sproat became a shareholder of the [[Ohio Company of Associates]], and was engaged as a surveyor with the company.<ref name = "Smith and Vining" /><ref name = "Hulbert Vol 1 26">Hulbert, ''Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I'', 26.</ref> On April 7, 1788, Ebenezer Sproat and a group of [[American pioneers to the Northwest Territory]], led by [[Rufus Putnam]], arrived at the confluence of the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Muskingum River|Muskingum]] rivers to establish [[Marietta, Ohio]] as the first permanent [[United States|American]] settlement in the [[Northwest Territory]].<ref name = "Hildreth Pioneer 206">Hildreth, ''Pioneer History'', 206.</ref><ref name = "Hulbert Vol 1 24">Hulbert, ''Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I'', 24.</ref><ref name = "Cutler 15-17" >Cutler, ''Founders of Ohio'', 15–17.</ref> Ebenezer's wife, daughter, and Commodore Whipple joined him at Marietta the following year.


Colonel Sproat, with his tall and commanding presence, was a notable member of the pioneer settlement of Marietta. He greatly impressed the local [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]], who in admiration dubbed him "Hetuck", meaning "eye of the buck dear", or "Big Buckeye".<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 237">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 237.</ref><ref name = "Ohio Forestry">Ohio Division of Forestry, ''Ohio…The Buckeye State'', brochure.</ref><ref name = "Goodman 54">Goodman and Brunsman, ''This Day in Ohio History'', 54.</ref> Some historians believe this is how Ohio came to be known as the Buckeye State, though a more commonly accepted explanation involves the later presidential campaign of [[William Henry Harrison]].<ref name = "Ohio Forestry" />
Colonel Sproat, with his tall and commanding presence, was a notable member of the pioneer settlement of Marietta. He greatly impressed the local [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]], who in admiration dubbed him "Hetuck", meaning "eye of the buck dear", or "Big Buckeye".<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 237">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 237.</ref><ref name = "Ohio Forestry">Ohio Division of Forestry, ''Ohio…The Buckeye State'', brochure.</ref><ref name = "Goodman 54">Goodman and Brunsman, ''This Day in Ohio History'', 54.</ref> Some historians believe this is how Ohio came to be known as the Buckeye State, though a more commonly accepted explanation involves the later presidential campaign of [[William Henry Harrison]].<ref name = "Ohio Forestry" />


During the [[Northwest Indian War]] he was authorized by [[Secretary of War]] [[Henry Knox]] to superintend the military affairs of the United States in [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington County]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 237" /> He was a founding member of the [[Society of the Cincinnati]],<ref name = "Drake 463-64">Drake, ''Memorials of the Society of Cincinnati'', 463-64.</ref> and helped form the American Union Lodge No. 1 of [[Freemasons]] at Marietta<ref name = "Summers 294">Summers, ''History of Marietta'', 294–95.</ref> along with others including Rufus Putnam, [[Benjamin Tupper]], and [[William Stacy]]. Ebenezer Sproat was the first [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]] in the Northwest Territory, serving fourteen years from 1788 to 1802 as sheriff of [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington County]], the oldest county in [[Ohio]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 237" /> At that time, the county encompassed lands from the Ohio River in the south, to [[Lake Erie]] in the north, embracing half of the eventual state of Ohio. Sheriff Sproat was cheerful and fond of company, and quite attached to horses and dogs. As sheriff, he always rode a horse during his long journeys through the county, accompanied by two or three large dogs.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 238">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 238.</ref> He filled the office of sheriff with dignity, and exhibited a great kindness in his execution of the law. He was often known to furnish a poor family with his own money for repayment of a debt, rather than to make an arrest.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 238-39">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 238-39.</ref>
During the [[Northwest Indian War]] he was authorized by [[Secretary of War]] [[Henry Knox]] to superintend the military affairs of the United States in [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington County]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 237" /> He was a founding member of the [[Society of the Cincinnati]],<ref name = "Drake 463-64">Drake, ''Memorials of the Society of Cincinnati'', 463–64.</ref> and helped form the American Union Lodge No. 1 of [[Freemasons]] at Marietta<ref name = "Summers 294">Summers, ''History of Marietta'', 294–95.</ref> along with others including Rufus Putnam, [[Benjamin Tupper]], and [[William Stacy]]. Ebenezer Sproat was the first [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]] in the Northwest Territory, serving fourteen years from 1788 to 1802 as sheriff of [[Washington County, Ohio|Washington County]], the oldest county in [[Ohio]].<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 237" /> At that time, the county encompassed lands from the Ohio River in the south, to [[Lake Erie]] in the north, embracing half of the eventual state of Ohio. Sheriff Sproat was cheerful and fond of company, and quite attached to horses and dogs. As sheriff, he always rode a horse during his long journeys through the county, accompanied by two or three large dogs.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 238">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 238.</ref> He filled the office of sheriff with dignity, and exhibited a great kindness in his execution of the law. He was often known to furnish a poor family with his own money for repayment of a debt, rather than to make an arrest.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 238-39">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 238–39.</ref>


==Later life==
==Later life==
In his latter years he was fond of physical labor and of cultivating the land.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 239">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 239.</ref> Ebenezer Sproat died in Marietta in early 1805, either on January 7,<ref name = "NewEnglandAncestors">Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, ''Ebenezer Sprout'', online database.</ref> or perhaps during February,<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 240">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 240.</ref> with his oft-repeated wish of a sudden exit fully answered.<ref name="Hildreth Settlers 240"/> He is buried adjacent to his father-in-law, Commodore Whipple, and near many other American Revolutionary War soldiers and pioneers at [[Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)|Mound Cemetery]] in Marietta.
In his latter years he was fond of physical labor and of cultivating the land.<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 239">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 239.</ref> Ebenezer Sproat died in Marietta in early 1805, either on January 7,<ref name = "NewEnglandAncestors">Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, ''Ebenezer Sprout'', online database.</ref> or perhaps during February,<ref name = "Hildreth Settlers 240">Hildreth, ''Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', 240.</ref> with his oft-repeated wish of a sudden exit fully answered.<ref name="Hildreth Settlers 240"/> He is buried adjacent to his father-in-law, Commodore Whipple, and near many other American Revolutionary War soldiers and pioneers at [[Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)|Mound Cemetery]] in Marietta.<ref name = "Hawley 415">Hawley, ''Mound Cemetery'', 415.</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 58: Line 57:
* Drake, Francis S.: ''Memorials of the Society of Cincinnati of Massachusetts'', Boston (1873).
* Drake, Francis S.: ''Memorials of the Society of Cincinnati of Massachusetts'', Boston (1873).
* Goodman, R. and Brunsman, B. J.: ''This Day in Ohio History'', Emmis Books, Cincinnati, Ohio (2005).
* Goodman, R. and Brunsman, B. J.: ''This Day in Ohio History'', Emmis Books, Cincinnati, Ohio (2005).
* Hawley, Owen: ''Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio'', Washington County Historical Society, Marietta, Ohio (1996).
* Heitman, Francis B.: ''Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution'', Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., Washington, D.C. (1914).
* Heitman, Francis B.: ''Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution'', Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., Washington, D.C. (1914).
* Hildreth, S. P.: ''Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', H. W. Derby and Co., Cincinnati, Ohio (1852).
* Hildreth, S. P.: ''Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio'', H. W. Derby and Co., Cincinnati, Ohio (1852).
Line 66: Line 66:
* ''Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol 14'', Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Wright and Potter Printing Co., Boston (1906).
* ''Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol 14'', Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Wright and Potter Printing Co., Boston (1906).
* Ohio Division of Forestry: ''Ohio…The Buckeye State'', Ohio Department of Natural Resources brochure (rev 11/1998)
* Ohio Division of Forestry: ''Ohio…The Buckeye State'', Ohio Department of Natural Resources brochure (rev 11/1998)
* Smith, B. A. and Vining, J. W.: ''American Geographers, 1784-1812'', Praeger Publishers, Westport, Connecticut (2003).
* Smith, B. A. and Vining, J. W.: ''American Geographers, 1784–1812'', Praeger Publishers, Westport, Connecticut (2003).
* Summers, Thomas J.: ''History of Marietta'', The Leader Publishing Co., Marietta, Ohio (1903).
* Summers, Thomas J.: ''History of Marietta'', The Leader Publishing Co., Marietta, Ohio (1903).
* Weston, Thomas: ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', Houghton Mifflin and Co., Riverside Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1906).
* Weston, Thomas: ''History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts'', Houghton Mifflin and Co., Riverside Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1906).
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{{Refend}}
{{Refend}}


==External links==
{{Persondata
|NAME = Sproat, Ebenezer
* {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Sproat, Ebenezer|year=1900 |short=x}}
* {{Find a Grave}}
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Sprout, Ebenezer

⚫
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = [[Continental Army]] officer, pioneer to the [[Ohio Country]]
{{Authority control}}
|DATE OF BIRTH = February 9, 1752

|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]], [[United States]]
|DATE OF DEATH = January 7, 1805
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Marietta, Ohio]], [[United States]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sproat, Ebenezer}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sproat, Ebenezer}}
[[Category:1752 births]]
[[Category:1752 births]]
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[[Category:Ohio sheriffs]]
[[Category:Ohio sheriffs]]
[[Category:American surveyors]]
[[Category:American surveyors]]
[[Category:Burials at Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)]]
[[Category:American people of the Northwest Indian War]]
[[Category:People from colonial Massachusetts]]
[[Category:American city founders]]

Latest revision as of 22:23, 6 August 2024

Ebenezer Sproat
Ebenezer Sproat (aka Sprout)
Born(1752-02-09)February 9, 1752
Middleborough, Massachusetts, British America
DiedJanuary 7, 1805(1805-01-07) (aged 52)
Marietta, Ohio, U.S.
Place of burial
Mound Cemetery (Marietta, Ohio)
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch Continental Army
RankColonel
Battles / warsAmerican Revolutionary War
RelationsAbraham Whipple (father-in-law)
Other workpioneer to the Ohio Country, surveyor, militia officer during the Northwest Indian War, first sheriff in the Northwest Territory

Ebenezer Sproat (February 9, 1752 – January 7, 1805), surname also spelled Sprout, was an officer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, a pioneer to the Ohio Country, and one of the founders of Marietta, Ohio, the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory. He served throughout the entire American war of independence, from April 1775 through November 1783, achieving the rank of colonel. After the war, he was a pioneer and surveyor in the Northwest Territory, and became a leader of the militia at Marietta during the Northwest Indian War. He was the first sheriff in the Northwest Territory and Ohio, serving fourteen years as sheriff of Washington County, the oldest county in Ohio.

Early life

[edit]

Ebenezer Sproat was born in Middleborough, Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1752. He was the son of Bathsheba (Wood) and Ebenezer Sproat, who owned a farm and was the proprietor of the Sproat Tavern in Middleborough. During his boyhood and youth, he assisted his father in cultivating the farm. When quite young he became interested in the public affairs of the colony. Like his father Ebenezer grew to be a tall man and was of perfect proportions.[1][2]

Revolutionary War

[edit]

Ebenezer Sproat was in the field with the Continental Army throughout the American Revolutionary War,[3][4] and was engaged in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth.[5] He was a disciplinarian, but also of cheerful disposition, and was a favorite with both officers and enlisted ranks.[5]

He initially served with Colonel Theophilus Cotton's Massachusetts Regiment during 1775. He joined as captain in April 1775, several days after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and was promoted to major in June 1775.[4][6] During 1776 he served with Colonel Ebenezer Learned's 3rd Continental Regiment.[7] He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant colonel of Colonel William Shepard's 4th Massachusetts Regiment and served with this regiment from January 1777 to September 1778.[8] While with this regiment, he was one of the officers who wintered at Valley Forge with General George Washington during the winter and spring of 1777 and 1778.[9] He was said to be the tallest man in his regiment.[1] Ebenezer subsequently transferred to the 12th Massachusetts Regiment, where he served until from September 1778 through year-end 1780.[10]

Ebenezer Sproat next joined the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment where he served from January 1781 until November 1783.[8] During January 1781, he was executive officer under General Robert Howe with a detachment of five hundred men, ordered out to suppress a mutiny of the 2nd New Jersey Regiment at Pompton, New Jersey. Three of the ringleaders of the mutiny were tried on the spot, with Lieutenant Colonel Sproat being president of the court-martial. This was a sorrowful duty for Colonel Sproat; two of the men were sentenced and executed.[11] He often said that duty was the most painful ever imposed upon him.[12] Ebenezer Sproat was promoted to colonel during September 1783,[3] shortly before the end of his eight and one-half years of service in the Continental Army.

An anecdote illustrating Colonel Sproat's good nature with the enlisted ranks concerns a furlough early in the war when he was home visiting his mother. Three private soldiers asked for lunch at his parents' tavern, and when finished eating, asked him the cost. He informed them that the cost was about a shilling for each man. To their surprise, instead of collecting the money from them, he paid each man a shilling and wished them a good journey.[13] Colonel Sproat was also on good terms with the officers such as General Von Steuben, and was a friend of General Washington.[14]

Post-war in Rhode Island

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After the war, Ebenezer Sproat lived in Providence, Rhode Island, where he married Catherine Whipple, daughter of Commodore Abraham Whipple of the Continental Navy. He purchased a store, and worked as a merchant, but was not successful. In 1786 he was appointed as surveyor for the state of Rhode Island. In that role, he participated in the surveying of the Seven Ranges in the Ohio Country.[15][16]

The Ohio Country

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Ebenezer Sproat became a shareholder of the Ohio Company of Associates, and was engaged as a surveyor with the company.[16][17] On April 7, 1788, Ebenezer Sproat and a group of American pioneers to the Northwest Territory, led by Rufus Putnam, arrived at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers to establish Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.[18][19][20] Ebenezer's wife, daughter, and Commodore Whipple joined him at Marietta the following year.

Colonel Sproat, with his tall and commanding presence, was a notable member of the pioneer settlement of Marietta. He greatly impressed the local Indians, who in admiration dubbed him "Hetuck", meaning "eye of the buck dear", or "Big Buckeye".[21][22][23] Some historians believe this is how Ohio came to be known as the Buckeye State, though a more commonly accepted explanation involves the later presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison.[22]

During the Northwest Indian War he was authorized by Secretary of War Henry Knox to superintend the military affairs of the United States in Washington County.[21] He was a founding member of the Society of the Cincinnati,[24] and helped form the American Union Lodge No. 1 of Freemasons at Marietta[25] along with others including Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Tupper, and William Stacy. Ebenezer Sproat was the first sheriff in the Northwest Territory, serving fourteen years from 1788 to 1802 as sheriff of Washington County, the oldest county in Ohio.[21] At that time, the county encompassed lands from the Ohio River in the south, to Lake Erie in the north, embracing half of the eventual state of Ohio. Sheriff Sproat was cheerful and fond of company, and quite attached to horses and dogs. As sheriff, he always rode a horse during his long journeys through the county, accompanied by two or three large dogs.[26] He filled the office of sheriff with dignity, and exhibited a great kindness in his execution of the law. He was often known to furnish a poor family with his own money for repayment of a debt, rather than to make an arrest.[27]

Later life

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In his latter years he was fond of physical labor and of cultivating the land.[28] Ebenezer Sproat died in Marietta in early 1805, either on January 7,[29] or perhaps during February,[30] with his oft-repeated wish of a sudden exit fully answered.[30] He is buried adjacent to his father-in-law, Commodore Whipple, and near many other American Revolutionary War soldiers and pioneers at Mound Cemetery in Marietta.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 230.
  2. ^ Weston, History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, 322.
  3. ^ a b Heitman, Officers of the Continental Army, 513.
  4. ^ a b Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, Vol 14, 777.
  5. ^ a b Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 231.
  6. ^ Heitman, Officers of the Continental Army, 32, 513.
  7. ^ Heitma, Officers of the Continental Army, 20.
  8. ^ a b Heitman, Officers of the Continental Army, 37.
  9. ^ Heitman, Officers of the Continental Army, 11.
  10. ^ Heitman, Officers of the Continental Army, 39.
  11. ^ Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 231–33.
  12. ^ Weston, History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, 324.
  13. ^ Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 234.
  14. ^ Weston, History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, 322–23.
  15. ^ Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 234–35.
  16. ^ a b Smith and Vining, American Geographers, 1784–1812, 197.
  17. ^ Hulbert, Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I, 26.
  18. ^ Hildreth, Pioneer History, 206.
  19. ^ Hulbert, Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I, 24.
  20. ^ Cutler, Founders of Ohio, 15–17.
  21. ^ a b c Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 237.
  22. ^ a b Ohio Division of Forestry, Ohio…The Buckeye State, brochure.
  23. ^ Goodman and Brunsman, This Day in Ohio History, 54.
  24. ^ Drake, Memorials of the Society of Cincinnati, 463–64.
  25. ^ Summers, History of Marietta, 294–95.
  26. ^ Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 238.
  27. ^ Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 238–39.
  28. ^ Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 239.
  29. ^ Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, Ebenezer Sprout, online database.
  30. ^ a b Hildreth, Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, 240.
  31. ^ Hawley, Mound Cemetery, 415.

References

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  • Andrews, Martin R.: History of Marietta and Washington County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois (1902).
  • Barker, Joseph: Recollections of the First Settlement of Ohio, Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio (1958); original manuscript written late in Joseph Barker's life, prior to his death in 1843.
  • Birthplace of the Northwest Territory, Northwest Territory Celebration Commission, Marietta, Ohio (1938).
  • Cutler, Julia Perkins: The Founders of Ohio, Brief Sketches of the Forty-Eight Pioneers, Robert Clarke and Co., Cincinnati, Ohio (1888).
  • Drake, Francis S.: Memorials of the Society of Cincinnati of Massachusetts, Boston (1873).
  • Goodman, R. and Brunsman, B. J.: This Day in Ohio History, Emmis Books, Cincinnati, Ohio (2005).
  • Hawley, Owen: Mound Cemetery, Marietta, Ohio, Washington County Historical Society, Marietta, Ohio (1996).
  • Heitman, Francis B.: Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution, Rare Book Shop Publishing Co., Washington, D.C. (1914).
  • Hildreth, S. P.: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of the Early Pioneer Settlers of Ohio, H. W. Derby and Co., Cincinnati, Ohio (1852).
  • Hildreth, S. P.: Pioneer History: Being an Account of the First Examinations of the Ohio Valley, and the Early Settlement of the Northwest Territory, H. W. Derby and Co., Cincinnati, Ohio (1848).
  • Hulbert, Archer Butler: The Records of the Original Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume I, Marietta Historical Commission, Marietta, Ohio (1917).
  • Hulbert, Archer Butler: The Records of the Original Proceedings of the Ohio Company, Volume II, Marietta Historical Commission, Marietta, Ohio (1917).
  • New England Historic Genealogical Society, The Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati Profiles: Ebenezer Sprout, online database, NewEnglandAncestors.org (2004).
  • Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol 14, Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Wright and Potter Printing Co., Boston (1906).
  • Ohio Division of Forestry: Ohio…The Buckeye State, Ohio Department of Natural Resources brochure (rev 11/1998)
  • Smith, B. A. and Vining, J. W.: American Geographers, 1784–1812, Praeger Publishers, Westport, Connecticut (2003).
  • Summers, Thomas J.: History of Marietta, The Leader Publishing Co., Marietta, Ohio (1903).
  • Weston, Thomas: History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts, Houghton Mifflin and Co., Riverside Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1906).
  • Zimmer, Louise: True Stories of Pioneer Times, published by Broughton Foods company, Marietta, Ohio (1987).
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  • "Sproat, Ebenezer" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
  • Ebenezer Sproat at Find a Grave Edit this at Wikidata
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