William Preston (1754 - 1842)

Born 6 Jul 1754 in Chester, New Hampshire

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Clark) Preston — married 10 May 1779 in Rumney, Grafton, New Hampshire, United States

Husband of Mary (Herbert) Preston — married 21 Jan 1808 in First Church of Concord, New Hampshire

Descendants

Died 17 Jan 1842 at age 87 in Rumney, Grafton, New Hampshire, United States

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Biography

Sergeant William Preston served with 1st New Hampshire Regiment (1775), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

William Preston is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A092985.

William Preston is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: 273598
Rank: Sergeant

Major William Preston was a Prisoner of War during American Revolution.

Maj. William Preston, born Chester, New Hampshire, 6 July 1754, son of William and Hannah (Healey) Preston.^[1] He died Rumney, New Hampshire, 17 January 1842.^[2][3]

William Preston moved to Rumney with his parents ca. 1767.^[4] They settled on the east side of Baker’s River, at the base of Rattlesnake Mountain.^[5]

Military

William Preston was a soldier at Bunker Hill, in Quebec Expedition, and three years in 3rd NH Regiment. He was twice taken prisoner during the war. Still later, William served in the state militia. He was a revolutionary pensioner at the time of his death.

William Preston was a Revolutionary War soldier. In early May 1775, he enlisted as a private in Capt. Joshua Abbot’s Company, Col. John Stark’s Regiment; he marched to Winter Hill at Charlestown and fought at Bunker Hill.^[6] William remained with that unit until September, when he enlisted in Capt. Henry Dearborn’s Company, Colo. Benedict Arnold, Commander, for the Quebec expedition.^[7]

With Arnold’s army, William made the trip from Boston to Canada, up the Kennebec River and through the harsh, wintery Maine woods.^[8]

On the day of the Quebec battle, 31 Dec 1775, he was taken captive with some 375 other soldiers.

William remained a prisoner at Quebec more than seven months. On 24 February 1776, he wrote in his journal,^[9]

“...some say that we shall be hanged & some say that we shall be sent to Boston to be Exchanged but we Expected to be Released by our men taking the town‐‐”

The week of 9 August 1776, William left Quebec aboard the Mermaid, arriving New York about 11 September 1776, where the ships lay at harbor for some time.^[10]

The British released William on parole at Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Once ashore, William made his way to the army post at Kingsbridge, New York, and then home to Rumney.^[11]

The terms of his parole prohibited William from serving in the army until a formal prisoner exchange was arranged.^[12]

William was exchanged sometime after the Battle of Trenton,^[13] and in early 1777, he enlisted again for three years in Capt. Benjamin Stone’s company, 3rd New Hampshire Regiment, Alexander Scammell, Commander.

William served in the Battle of Ticonderoga and in the Saratoga Campaign, where he was captured again, but escaped and returned to his unit before the taking of Burgoyne.

William fought at the Battle of Monmouth and was part of Sullivan’s Expedition, including the Battle of Newtown. William Preston, Sergeant (promoted 1 Jan. 1778), was discharged by Brig. Gen. Enoch Poor and Maj. James Norris, 21 January 1780 at Danbury, Conn.

After the war, he continued to serve in the state militia. From 1800 to 1802, William Preston served as Major, 1st battalion, 14th NH Regiment. He was a Revolutionary pensioner at the time of his death.

He served as a Rumney Selectman, held other town offices and represented Rumney in the General Court.

Death

William died 17 Jan 1842 in Rumney, Grafton County, New Hampshire: "in the 88 yr of his age.” ^[14] Maj. William Preston and his first wife, Elizabeth, are buried at Rumney Depot Cemetery, Rumney, New Hampshire. Mary (Herbert) Preston removed from Rumney to Ogdensburgh, New York, and then to Elgin, Kane, Illinois where she resided but a few years.

Family

William married first at Rumney, Grafton, New Hampshire, 10 May 1779 to Elizabeth Clark.^[15] She was born about 22 February 1760,^[16] probably at Connecticut. Elizabeth died Rumney, 19 June 1807.^[17][18]

William married second, at Concord, Rockingham, New Hampshire, 21 January 1808, to Mary Herbert.^[19] She was born Concord, 11 February 1769, the daughter of Richard Herbert and his wife, Hannah Hall.^[20] Mary died William's widow at Elgin, Kane, Illinois, 26 October 1857.^[21]

Maj. Preston had twelve children with his first wife, Elizabeth Clark, ^[22] eleven of whom survived her,^[23]

1. William Charles Preston, born 30 December 1780, died at then Williams County, Ohio, 1837 (family tradition says he drowned in the Auglaize River); married at then Wood County, Ohio, 7 December 1820, Asenath Butler, daughter of John Butler, as her first husband.
2. Collins Preston, born 23 May 1782, died at Boston, Massachusetts, about 8 October 1812.
3. Benjamin Preston, born 1 April 1784, died, probably at Rumney, 12 April 1828; married, probably Plymouth, New Hampshire, about 1807, Ann Williams Robie, daughter of Edward and Abigail (Silver) Robie.
4. Elizabeth Preston, born 23 April 1786, died probably Wentworth, New Hampshire, 18 June 1847, buried Wentworth Village Cemetery, married at Rumney, 17 November 1808, Lemuel Keyser, son of Lemuel and Anna (Clark) Keyser.
5. Henry Dearborn Preston, born 16 February 1788, died at Hill, New Hampshire, 6 June 1853, buried Bunker Hill Cemetery, Hill; married at Methuen, Massachusetts, Persis Bodwell, daughter of Isaac and Betsey (Messer) Bodwell.
6. John Preston, born 5 December 1789, died at Defiance, then William County, Ohio, 7 May 1919; marriage intention, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 22 June 1811, Mary Cook; married at Miami County, Ohio, 13 October 1814, Sophia Charlotte Ewing, daughter of Alexander and Charlotte (Griffith) Ewing, as the first of her three husbands.
7. Michael Preston, born 4 July 1782, died at Hill, New Hampshire, 18 September 1849, buried Bunker Hill Cemetery; married (1) at Warren, about 28 June 1816, Mary Merrill, daughter of Joseph Merrill and his wife, Sally Copp. Michael married (2) at Newton, Massachusetts, 19 October 1838, Mary Eleanor Kenrick, daughter of John and Mehitable (Meriam) Kenrick (granddaughter of John Kendrick).
8. Wells Preston, born 4 March 1794, died at Boston, Massachusetts, 09 September 1816.
9. Hannah Preston (twin), born 6 May 1796, died Rumney, 4 March 1797.
10. Col. Joseph Preston (twin), born 6 May 1796, died probably Rumeny, 1868; married (1) 11 November 1819, Elizabeth Burnham, daughter of Abraham and Nancy (Blair) Burnham; married (2) at Newton, Massachusetts, 4 July 1830, Vestra Kenrick, daughter of John and Mehitable (Meriam) Kenrick (granddaughter of John Kendrick); married (3) Roxana Hickok.
11. Washington Preston, born 26 September 1798, died Concord, New Hampshire, 5 September 1825; married at Chester, New Hampshire, about 24 December 1821, Abigail Lane.
12. Adams Preston, born 16 June 1801, died Bradford, Vermont, 16 March 1878, buried Upper Plains Cemetery; married at Wentworth, New Hampshire, Jane Parkinson.

With his second wife, Mary Herbert, Maj. William Preston had two children,

1. Jonathan H. Preston, born July 1809 [sic], died young.
2. Hannah Herbert Preston, born 16 June 1811, died Waukegan, Illinois, 6 June 1889; married at Rumney, 3 October 1833, Hazen Webster, son of Amos and Esther (Gould) Webster.

Research Notes

• Major William Preston Sources. This free-space page reports 61 or more sources about Maj. William Preston.
• Annette's Rumney Graves, annotated

Sources

1. ↑ "New Hampshire, Birth Records, Early to 1900," index and images, FamilySearch, citing Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire, FHL microfilm 1001028; William Presson, 06 Jul 1754; remarks this is the second child born to the mother.
2. ↑ "Another Revolutionary Hero Gone.--," obituary of Mr. William Preston, The (Baltimore, Maryland) Sun, Wednesday, June 1, 1842 (Morning ed.), page 2, column 2; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (accessed 19 November 2007), "Historical Newspapers" collection; see also, same publication, pg. 2, col. 6, death notice for William Preston.
3. ↑ William Preston memorial 31670278; web content, FindAGrave.
4. ↑ Jesse A. Barney, Rumney, Then and Now, History (Rumney, NH: Town of Rumney, 1967), pg. 187-88 (Preston); digital images, FamilySearch Books, (filmed pages 198-99).
5. ↑ Hannah (Preston) Webster, oral family history recorded by Charles H. Herbert at Elgin, Ill., 15 September 1887; "War journal and letters, 1852-1865" (Charles H. Herbert papers), MS 1989-128, pages 219-217; New Hampshire Historical Society Library, Concord; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008. Hannah (Preston) Webster was the daughter of Maj. William Preston m2 Mary Herbert.
6. ↑ Citing NHSP 14:217 and remarking "A. P." in George C. Gilmore, State Senators 1784-1900 : New Hampshire Men at Bunker Hill (1899), 63; digital image, Internet Archive. See page 29 for reference to abbreviations. "A. P." notes those taken prisoner at Quebec.
7. ↑ "Payroll of Capt. Henry Deaborns Company in Colo. Artnolds detachment for Canada inlisted out of Colo. Starks and Colo. Poo's Regiments from the time of entry in said Regiments to Sept 1, 1775," New Hampshire, [Provincial and state papers], 40 vols., 14:215; digital images, Hathi Trust.
8. ↑ William Preston and Charles H. Herbert, "Journal of Maj. William Preston," ms 1989-128, New Hampshire Historical Society Library; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008. Note: Preston's original journal was inherited by Hannah (Preston) Webster. Her cousin, Charles H. Herbert (born Concord, 1825) "made such copy of the dilapidated little square manuscript rescued from fire and wrongly served--as I could decipher" on about 16 September 1887 at Elgin, Illinois during a visit to Hannah's home. As of 2009, Preston's original journal remained privately held by descendants of Hannah (Preston) Webster.
9. ↑ William Preston and Charles H. Herbert, "Journal of Maj. William Preston," ms 1989-128, New Hampshire Historical Society Library; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008.
10. ↑ William Preston and Charles H. Herbert, "Journal of Maj. William Preston," ms 1989-128, New Hampshire Historical Society Library; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008.
11. ↑ William Preston and Charles H. Herbert, "Journal of Maj. William Preston," ms 1989-128, New Hampshire Historical Society Library; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008.
12. ↑ William Preston and Charles H. Herbert, "Journal of Maj. William Preston," ms 1989-128, New Hampshire Historical Society Library; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008.
13. ↑ William Preston and Charles H. Herbert, "Journal of Maj. William Preston," ms 1989-128, New Hampshire Historical Society Library; digital images, supplied by Bill Copeley, Reference Librarian, correspondence of 21 November 2008.
14. ↑ William Preston memorial 31670278; web content, FindAGrave.
15. ↑ Preston-Clark 1779 marriage, "New Hampshire, Marriage Records, 1637-1947," index and images, FamilySearch, William Presson and Elisabeth Clark, 10 May 1799 [sic]; FHL microfilm 1001290; digital image reports the date as "May 10 1779."
16. ↑ "New Hampshire, Birth Records, Early to 1900," index and images, FamilySearch, citing Rumney, Grafton, New Hampshire ... FHL microfilm 1001028; Elizabeth Preston, 22 Feb 1760.
17. ↑ Elizabeth Preston 1807 death, "New Hampshire, Death Records, 1654-1947," index and images, FamilySearch, citing Bureau Vital Records ... FHL microfilm 1001099; Elizabeth Preston, 19 Jun 1807.
18. ↑ "Died," obituary of Elizabeth Preston, The Sun, Dover (New Hampshire) Gazette, and County Advertiser, Saturday, June 27, 1807, pg. 3, col. 1; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (accessed 5 January 2008), "Historical Newspapers" collection; reports her death on the 19th, that she leaves eleven children to morn.
19. ↑ "First Congregational Church Records, Concord, NH 1780-1905," New Hampshire Genealogical Record, 6 (1909):161; digital images, Hathi Trust; marriages by Rev. Asa McFarland [1808] "Jany 21. William Preston of Rumney & Mary Herbert of Concord were married."
20. ↑ Citing information from Miss Alma J. Herbert, Nathaniel Bouton, The history of Concord : from its first grant in 1725 ... (1856), 667-670 (The Herbert Family). at 665; digital images, Hathi Trust.
21. ↑ Certificate/Pension to Mary Preston, widow of William Preston, William Preston (Mary), file W[idows] 2667, S[oldier] 3222, BLWt 5079-160-55, "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files," micropublication M804 (Washington: National Archives, 19__), roll 1972; digital image(s) from archival media, Footnote.com (accessed 28 November 2007), filmed as page number 09 (Page 9.jpg), containing notations about various correspondence including comment that Mary Preston, the widow, died 26 Oct 1857, with the initials "A. B."
22. ↑ All births from collection, New Hampshire Vital Records; children all born Rumney; duplicate entries appear (Presson) for the first four children (the last eight children recorded only under surname Preston) all births to William Presson or Preston and Elisabeth.
23. ↑ "Died," obituary of Elizabeth Preston, The Sun, Dover (New Hampshire) Gazette, and County Advertiser, Saturday, June 27, 1807, pg. 3, col. 1; digital image, GenealogyBank.com; reports her death on the 19th, that she leaves eleven children to morn.

See Also ---

• Scott A. Bartley, Vermont Families in 1791. 2 vols., 2 (St. Albans, Vermont: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1992), page 165, entry for William Preston (child 2), b. 06 July 1754 at Chester, NH, son of William and Hannah (citing Rumney vital records). Bartley attributes the Preston genealogies (2: 159-167) to Barbara Preston (Rowe) Sprague (Vernon, Vermont)

• Major William Preston Sources. This free-space page reports 61 or more sources about Maj. William Preston.

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 2022-04-01), "Record of William Preston", Ancestor # A092985.

• Documents Relating to Towns in New Hampshire (1867-); Vol. 14, p. 215,7

Acknowledgments

• A profile about this person was created through the import of smithwilWTFTM_2011-03-10.ged on 11 March 2011.
• A profile about this person was created through the import of liddell3.ged on 30 April 2011.