This genealogy of the Blanchard, Converse and Taylor ancestors of Lucy Preston is an excerpt from the transcription of a handwritten notebook I discovered in my grandmother’s papers. The family history in this notebook was the work of two women, Agnes Caroline Wickham and her daughter, Harriott Benedict Wickham Barton (my grandmother), who separately researched and made entries in it over a period of seventy years. Agnes Wickham wrote roughly half of the entries in the notebook from 1909 to 1915. In 1915, she gave handwritten copies of her work to each of her five children: Eleanor, William, Lucy, David and Harriott. Harriott continued her mother’s work off and on for the next sixty years, adding entries as late as 1977.
Dave Barton
Blanchard, Converse and Taylor Genealogy
Blanchard
1. Thomas, a Huguenot, came from Lorraine, France to London, thence to Charlestown in 1639; died May 21, 1654. A descendant of Alaine Blanchard, a brave Patriot of Rouen, who was put to death at its surrender to the British, 1418.
2. John Blanchard, married Hannah Bracket Kinsely.
3. Joseph, married May 25, 1696 to Abiah Hassell, who died Dec. 8, 1746, about 70 years old.
4. Rachel Blanchard, born March 23, 1712; died 1801; married Joshua Converse.
[below is from Converse Genealogy Page]
5. Joshua Converse of Woburn, Dunstable, Leicester, Naticork New Hampshire (now Merrimac), born January 3, 1704; married July 31, 1729 to Rachel Blanchard, daughter of Joseph & Abiah (Hassell) Blanchard; died 1744.
6. Rachel Converse, born at Leicester, April 30,1730 married (?) Timothy Taylor, born September 1, 1718 at Dunstable, son of Abraham & Mary.
7. Timothy Taylor, born 1754; married (?) Esther French, born 1754 (?), daughter of Benjamin & Mary (Lovewell) French.
* Eugene Preston had information that James Convers married Anna, daughter of Robert & Sarah (Taylor) Long. Sarah Taylor, baptized May 29, 1595 at St. Albans, England; died December 12, 1630 at Dunstable, Devonshire; was daughter of John & Margaret (Wilmote) Long. Elizabeth mentioned above may have been Anna’s stepmother.
[below is from Taylor Genealogy Page]
III. Timothy, born 1754 in Merrimac, N.H.; died 1851; married Esther, daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Lovewell) French – she was born in 1757; died July 1, 1843 in Norwalk, Ohio. Timothy served in the American Revolution as a volunteer from Hillsboro Connecticut; came to Ohio in 1819; died at Norwalk and buried in Episcopal cemetery. Timothy Taylor (1754-1851) is among the volunteers from Hillsboro Connecticut who served in the Revolution. Born in Merrimack New Hampshire (Dunstable); died in Norwalk, Ohio. (1)
1. Esther, born June 19, 1781; died September 3, 1826.
IV. Esther, born June 19, 1781 at Merrimac New Hampshire; married Samuel Preston; died September 3, 1826.
(1) Volume 26: List of D.A.R. No. 25130. M.W. Kellogg. His name is also in “list of Revolutionary Soldiers from Merrimack” in History of Hillsborough, N.H. page 532.
[below is from Preston Genealogy Page]
V. Samuel, born June 24, 1778 at New Ipswich, New Hampshire; married Esther, daughter of Timothy Taylor and Esther French of Merrimac, New Hampshire; died March 3, 1852 at Norwalk, Ohio. (1)
1. George Albert, born July 16, 1805; died January
14, 1815.
2. Catherine, born March 12, 1807; died April 15, 1818.
3. Charles Lauris, born July 23, 1812; died January 18, 1815.
4. Lucy Bancroft, born March 27, 1814; died January 19, 1897.
5. Charles Albert, born January 22, 1816; died June 14, 1868. Had daughter Nellie, born April 1860 & son Charles – both went to live in Denver. Charles & wife died young & “Cousin Nellie” brought up his children (Mignon Bee & Lucy) Mignon’s daughters are Mignon Pearl & Jo Lytton of Colorado.
VI. Lucy Bancroft Preston, born at Nashua New Hampshire March 27, 1814. (1)
Footnotes:
(1) History of the Western Reserve, p. 1690).
NOTE: Agnes and Harriott cited their sources in the margins of original notebook. I included these citations as footnotes, attempting to keep them as close as possible to where they appear in the original notebook.
I would appreciate critiques and corrections of this genealogy. Please comment below. Thank you.
© 2006, 2009 by David W. Barton. All rights reserved
Firelands History Website 
The first Blanchard family in your first statement in the Blanchard genealogy has been shown to be a very distant DNA relation to the family in the second statement.
— Rannie, a descendant of Rachel’s brother, Col. Joseph
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You mentioned that you had the genealogy from Deacon Edward Convers to Joshua Converse but do not list it here. I have his genealogy from across the water in England onward to myself. My mother was a Converse. If there is anything I can share with you just let me know. This is a very nice article you have posted.
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Thank you for your comment and kind words, Alyse. Please look on the page entitled “Genealogy: Converse and Taylor.” The link is in the middle column of this site under “Pages.” On this page, I started the Converse line where it connected with the Blanchard family line, which is why it does not start with Deacon Edward Convers.
I have seen a genealogy that covered an earlier Converse line, but I believe it is at my mother’s home. I’ll try to locate it. Perhaps then we can share notes to see if there is a connection.
Thanks again for your interest in my story.
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