Priscilla (Randall) Presbury (abt. 1666 - 1752)

Born about 1666 in Saco, York, Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

Wife of William Presbury — married before 26 May 1685 in Saco, York, Province of Maine [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 23 Apr 1752 at about age 86 in Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Birth

Date: about 1666

Place: perhaps Cape Porpos (now Kennebunkport, York, Maine, United States)

Sources: York Deeds; Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts.

Text: Her testimony of 6 Oct 1727, "Priscilla Presberry of Beverly aged about sixty one Years ... lived with her Father Richard Randall at Capeporpus ... till ... Priscilla came away which was when she was about eighteen years old." This testimony correlates favorably to her death vital record reporting she died 23 Apr 1752, aged 86 yrs.

Children

Date: ca1685-1710

Place: probably Saco (Maine); Beverly, Massachusetts, United States.

Sources: Province and Court Records of Maine; Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts; Essex County, Massachusetts, Probate Files; Records of the First Church in Beverly; York Deeds; Essex County Deeds.

Text: Several sources provide the basis by which some of the children of William Presbury and Priscilla Randall are known. Especially based on the timing of the Saco Court record (1685) and entries about the children born at Beverly (Mass.), it is also possible to surmise or know that not all their children have been identified.

In 1685, William and Priscilla, man and wife, were presented at the court of Saco on a charge of fornication. This means that, by then, a child had been born to the couple. Beginning in January 1691/2, eight more children's births were recorded at Beverly, Mass. At the time of William's death, the names of some of the younger children born Beverly were listed in a guardianship record. About the same time, "the widow Priscilla Prisson" and shortly, three children, "of ye widdow Prisson" were baptized at First Church in Beverly. Still later, widow Priscilla transacted estates and deeds at Saco. These records include a references Edward and/or Stephen Presbury, shipwrights of Newbury (Massachusetts). The kinship of one child, David, is learned from a deed by which he conveyed some Manchester, Massachusetts, property to "my brother Benjamin Presson" also of Manchester.

From these various historical records, the list that follows reports the known children of William and Priscilla (Randall) Presbury. The order of birth for the two eldest children is unknown.

1. David Presson, born about 1688
2. Edward Presbury, born before 1690
3. Nehemiah Presson, born Beverly, 15 January 1691/2
4. Mary Presson, born Beverly, 5 March 1694/5
5. Stephen Presson, born Beverly, 3 May 1697
6. Benjamin Presson, born Beverly, 1 January 1699/1700
7. Randall Presson, born Beverly, 3 April 1702
8. William Presson, born Beverly, 1 January 1705
9. Nathan Presson, born Beverly, 18 May 1707
10. Ruth Presson, born Beverly, 25 March 1710

Death

Date: 23 Apr 1752

Place: Beverly, Massachusetts, United States

Source: _Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849_

Text: She is referred to as "----, wid. William [Presson]"; her death 23 Apr 1752, aged 86 yrs.

Sources

• Maine Genealogical Society, York Deeds Book 12, Part 1 (Bethel Maine: E. C. Bowler, 1903), folio 177; digital images, Internet Archive (accessed 12 June 2013); Sarah West & Priscilla Presbury to Edward & Stepn Presbury. Note: Sarah and Priscilla claim Cape Porpus land granted to their father and convey same to two of Priscilla's sons, Edward and Stephen Presbury of Newbury, Mass., shipwrights. Therein, the two widows claimed they were the "Children & only Heirs of Mr. Richard Rundal late of Cape Porpus Mariner …"

• William Richard Cutter, _Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts_, vol.2 (1908); digital images, _Google Books_ (http://books.google.com : accessed 11 October 2007), 2:873-877, for Presson Family. Note: Refers to "William Presson or Praesbury" as son of John. William's wife as Priscilla Randall. Refers to his father as "John Presson, or Praesbury"; provides information, but says John's "death is recorded in 1687" [perhaps 1678 was intended, as the inventory of John's estate was taken March 1678/9.] http://archive.org/stream/genealogicaland01cuttgoog#page/n372/mode/2up

• Maine Genealogical Society, York Deeds Book 12, Part 2 (Bethel Maine: E. C. Bowler, 1904), folio 224; digital images, Hath Trust (accessed 2021); "Priscilla Presburys test" (testimony of Priscilla Presberry of Beverly ad perpetuam Rei Memoriam in Salem, 6 Oct 1727). Provides information about her age in 1727; her approximate age at marriage; father's name and location of her father's home.

• Maine Historical Society. _Province and Court Records of Maine_. multiple vols: Vol. 1: 1636-1668 (1928; reproduced by Maine Hist. Soc. 1991); see entry, "Court of Pleas, 29 May 1683 SACOE; May 26, 1685" for William Praesbury, Praecilla Presbury, and same date for William Praesbury and Saraih Crocker. (Note: Fornication court records.)

• Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 (1906-1907), 2:533; digital images, Hathi Trust (accessed 2013), for entry, "[Presson, ----, wid. William," reporting she died 23 Apr 1752, aged 86 yrs; cites "Record of deaths made by Col. Robert Hale, and formerly in possession of James Hill, town clerk."

• "Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700"; database, _AmericanAncestors.org_ (http://www.americanancestors.org/ : accessed 2013), William Presson and Priscilla _____ entry.

• "Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700"; database, _AmericanAncestors.org_ (http://www.americanancestors.org/ : accessed 2013), William Presbury and Priscilla [Randall] entry.

• "Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-36333-1936-5?cc=2106411&wc=M9QJ-NZN:1926104704 : accessed 12 Sep 2013), Essex > Deeds 1718-1721 vol 36-37 > image 277-378 of 601 for William Presson est. [Priscilla Preson, admr] to John Cleves, deed (1719) [Essex County deeds 36: 254-265].

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Towns Records, 1579-2001," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-22577-2482-75?cc=2061550&wc=MMBX-XCF:n2079469534 : accessed 13 Jun 2013), Essex > Beverly > Births, marriages, deaths 1653-1890 > image 385 of 589, for William Preston (Priscilla Randall) family entries.

• Charles T. Libby, et al., _Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire_, (Portland, Maine: The Southward Press, 1928), 567-568 for Presbury entries.

• "Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1840," database and digital images, _AmericanAncestors.org_ (accessed 2013), entry for William Preston, file 22728; 31 March 1718, 8 pp. Priscilla Presson/Preston is administratrix. https://www.americanancestors.org/DB515/rd/13790/22728-co1/245911170

• William P. Upham, _Records of the First Church in Beverly, Massachusetts, 1667-1772_ (1905), 155 [note that the annotations therein by Augustus A. Galloupe have been shown otherwise to be often incorrect]; digital images, _InternetArchive_ (accessed 2013), for entry of "Jan. 3, 17179/20," sans annotations as "baptized Wm Nathan & Ruth children of ye widdow Prisson." http://archive.org/stream/recordsoffirstch00beve#page/n315/mode/2up

• William P. Upham, _Records of the First Church in Beverly, Massachusetts, 1667-1772_ (1905), 154 [note that the annotations therein by Augustus A. Galloupe have been shown otherwise to be often incorrect]; digital images, _InternetArchive_ (accessed 2013), for 1719 entry of "July 19" for "baptized, the widow Priscilla Prisson" (footnote to this entry reads, "Widow of William Preston.") http://archive.org/stream/recordsoffirstch00beve#page/n313/mode/2up

Acknowledgements

This person was created through the import of smithwilWTFTM_2011-03-10.ged on 11 March 2011 and liddell3.ged on 30 April 2011.