Oliver Gustaf Sproule Jacobs

I am very lucky that people get in touch from time to time to ask me about their Sproule connection and they always provide me with more Sproule family information in the course of our discussions. Unfortunately, sometimes I have to tell the person enquiring that there is actually no Sproule connection in their family at all. They may have been misled by an Ancestry myth or perhaps they themselves have jumped to the wrong conculsion. 

I actually thought a lady called Sandy Vosper might be one of those when she first got in touch in late 2020, but I was totally wrong. Through perserverance and good research, Sandy brought her ancestor, Oliver Gustaf Sproule Jacobs, and his very many descendants, onto the correct family tree.

Sandy had written in her email;

“My ancestor Susannah Mary Jacobs born in 1802 Harwich, Essex, gave birth to a son Oliver Gustof Sproule Jacobs 18th February 1825 in Harwich.  On his birth certificate, the name of his father is missing but for his occupation there is written 'Doctor'.”

Sandy was asking me, would I know who this doctor Oliver Sproule is.  I explained that there were Sproules in England or Scotland as well as Ireland, and this doctor could have been from anywhere. It would be difficult to pin down. Sandy was not put off at all by this, and off she went to do just that, to pin down her Oliver Sproule, the doctor.

Of course, I knew there were a lot of Sproule doctors, but I knew of only one Oliver Sproule that had been a doctor, and he was in the Royal Navy. This was a definite possibility alright, but could it be proven? 

Oliver the doctor was the son of Oliver Sproule of Stroancarbadagh, and the family lived Brook Hill, outside Omagh.  Oliver, the father, was a barrister who became a Queens Council, with rooms in Dublin and Omagh. He was an affluent man who had acquired his Stroancarbadagh land when he had married Elizabeth Elliot in Dec 1771. [1]

I knew that his son, Oliver Sproule of Brook Hill, was indeed a Surgeon in the Royal Navy,  and also Oliver had died on 17 Feb 1869, aged 82 years. So the timing was right for this Oliver to be the father of Sandy's ancestor, Oliver Gustaf Sproule Jacobs. At the end of his life Oliver was living in retirement in the family home in Brook Hill with his two older sisters, Rebecca and Elizabeth, and, rather sadly, all three died there within a month of each other. [2]

I also checked into the beautifully named Oliver Gustaf Sproule Jacobs. He was definitely real! There are quite a few records on Ancestry for him. There is his baptism record from Harwich, Essex, with his birthdate of 18 Feb 1825. His mother's name is given as Susan Jacobs.[3]  Oliver Gustaf was married twice and had about18 children! The name Oliver Sproule seems to be passed down through the generations. [4]

I had left the research of Oliver Sproule of the Royal Navy to Sandy, and, after a short time, Sandy came back to me having researched Oliver Sproule, Surgeon, in the Royal Navy, and she had done a terrific job. Sandy had a lot of his records and she demonstrated clearly that Oliver Sproule, surgeon, was on HMS Brisk in British waters in 1824. There was no other Oliver Sproule, doctor, about at that time, only our Oliver Sproule of Brook Hill. 

Oliver Sproule's Navy Record, National Archives Kew,  ADM 196/8/300

Now there was very little doubt that Sandy's ancestor was indeed our Oliver Sproule of Brook Hill. I was very happy to congratulate Sandy and to add Oliver Gustoff Sproule Jacobs and his many descendants to the family tree.

Sandy's information was that Oliver Sproule R.N. was appointed Assistant-Surgeon to the Batavier Hospital Ship on 26 July 1814. He was on the List of Medical Officers who served and was Assistant-Surgeon at Algiers.

The Convict Ship 'The Larkins'

Oliver was appointed Surgeon on 16 Sep 1816, and Surgeon to the ship Brisk in 1822. At a later date he was surgeon on convict ships travelling to Australia, and his journals and records are in the National Archives in Kew. This is an extract from one of his Journals on a ship, the Larkins, which arrived in Port Jackson on 12 December 1829;

We were generally speaking healthy on board the Larkins during her voyage to New South Wales consequently I have but few remarks to offer. To this healthy state of the ship I attribute the mild weather which we experienced off the Cape. The thermometer seldom ranging below 60° at noon, and also to the particular attention which was paid at all times to the comfort and cleanliness of the convicts both in their berths and in their persons besides having them all on deck when the weather permitted, by which means the air of the prison was always pure and sweet when they were sent below.

Besides the cases given in my journal there were 178 others who received medical assistance and medicine during the voyage, but whose cases were of such a trifling nature that were I to insert them they would not only be tedious but irksome to the reader. One case of scurvy however, appeared about ten days previous to our arrival at Sydney, the symptoms of which were spongy gums and enlargement of the left knee accompanied with a considerable degree of rigidity of the muscles and tendons and a livid discolouration of the skin. Suffice it to say that fresh diet, an extra allowance of lime juice and a little bark and wine administered daily kept the disease in check the five days we were in harbour, so far as to walk to Barracks the day the convicts were disembarked. [5]

Oliver Sproule finished his career as Surgeon Superintendant.

Oliver's son Oliver Gustaf Sproule Jacobs, was a sea faring man himself, but was a fisherman. He married twice, and had a large family, so there is a whole branch of Sproule descendants here!

Surgeon Sproule had at least one other child that we know of, Sarah Sproule of Brook Hill. We don't know who Sarah's mother was, but we do know that Sarah had married a Mr John Cuthbertson of Canada West, on 7 Sep 1843 in Ballynahatty Church.(Londonderry Sentinel) Sarah seems to be the only child in Ireland as she was his sole heir. [6]

On my recent visit to PRONI, I was delighted to be able to get the Will of this Oliver of Brook Hill, Surgeon and I found in it that Sara Cuthbertson was actually living in Brook Hill with her family at that time. Later, the family went back to Canada.

References;

[1] 1771 Marriage of Oliver Sproule son of Andrew Sproule of Grennan and Elizabeth Elliot

[2] Deaths of Oliver and his two sisters as recorded in Londonderry Sentinel;

Published date 23 Feb 1869 - "Feb 17, at Brook Hill, near Omagh, Oliver Sproule, Esq., surgeon Royal Navy, aged 82 years."

Published date 26 Feb 1869 - "Feb 21, at Brook Hill, near Omagh, Miss Rebecca Sproule, aged 92 years."

Published date 19 Mar 1869 - "March 13, at Brook Hill, near Omagh, Miss Elizabeth Sproule, aged 84 years."

[3] The Family of Oliver Sproule of Stroancarbadagh and Oliver Gustaf Sproule Jacobs

[4] Essex, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1921, Ancestry.com

[5]  Medical journal of the Larkins, convict ship from 19 June to 31 December 1829 by Oliver Sproule, surgeon and superintendent in which daily latitude and longitude readings are also recorded. Reference: ADM 101/42/4

 [6] Will of Oliver Sproule of Brook Hill in PRONI,  Ref T810/12, No 641