Genealogy: Preston

This genealogy of Lucy Preston, wife of Frederick Wickham, 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

Preston Genealogy

The derivation of the name of Preston is in doubt.  Some claim it comes from Prarstans, ‘excellent’, & others that it was assumed by the family from their landed estates in Mid Lothian, Scotland, while there are indications that the estates were named from the fact that the owner somewhere along the line was a priest; thus Priest-town, or Preston. This is almost certainly the case of the city of Preston as the first settlement there was by a company of monks.  This latter theory seems to be borne out, moreover, by the family crest, adopted from the earliest time, which is thus described:  “This crest bore the pretty conceit of a castle from whose high tower rose an eagle, plumed for higher flight with the pions aspiration at its base – Si Diem veult – which freely rendered means, “Leaving the towers of earth we soar D.V. to Heaven.”  Whatever the origin of the name of Preston, it was borne by the family as early as the time of Walcolui I, of Scotland, who reigned from A.D. 944 to 953. (1)

We beareth Rules, three Rarbs; On.

By the name of Preston
(a copy of Preston “Coat of Arms” hung on our living room wall when I was a child)
This coat was formerly borne by Robert Comyn, a Scot, who at the Conquest was Earl of Cumberland and held all that country beyond all the river Lyne; but after William Rufus’ time, he was taken prisoner with Roger Mawbrey, Earl of Northumberland, and was by King Henry I disinherited; and this Arms was accordingly transferred over to another branch of the family to the name of Preston.
Amherst, June 1st, 1799

The Preston Family was in Andover in 1672.

I.   Samuel Preston, married Susanna Gutterson, May 24, 1672.
II.    Samuel Preston, son of Samuel & Susanna, born March 16, 1672.  Samuel (II) married Sarah Bridges, April 2, 1694.
III.    Samuel Preston, son of Samuel & Sarah; born 1708 (this is probably the Capt. Samuel Preston below). (2)

Capt. Samuel, descendant of John Preston of Andover, Settled in Littleton about 1728; married Hannah – April 1728.  He was an active and influential man in the town before the Revolution and besides serving in the French War, Crown Point Expedition, 1755, was Town Treasurer and in other offices. (3)
1.  James, born January 10, 1729.
2.  Hannah, born July 1733.
3.  John, born September 22, 1738.
4.  Mary, born May 13, 1742.
5.  Peter, born February 17, 1743.

IV. Dr. John served at least one campaign as a soldier in the Company of his father Samuel in the French War in 1756.  In 1759, served 32 weeks as surgeon’s mate under Col. Abijah Willard, residence Harvard.  In 1760 he settled in New Ipswich as a physician.  Married Rebecca Farrar, November 29, 1764.  Was elected one of the first board of selectmen and often served the town as Representative in the General Court (State Legislature).  In 1782 was chosen member of Convention for framing State Constitution.  Was a most ardent Whig.  Anecdotes of his wit and humor as a legislator have come down & the records of the town preserves memorials of this trait.  He built the large house in New Ipswich where his descendants still live (1852).  Died February 17, 1803.  Wife survived more than 26 years. (4)
1.  Rebecca, born July 16, 1768; married John Hubbard, a graduate of Dartmouth (1785), August 10, 1791.
2.  John, born February 15, 1770.
3.  Lucy, born December 3, 1771; married Thomas Bancroft of Peppperell, October 16, 1794.
4.  Lydia, born October 26, 1774; married Josiah Bellows of Lancaster, New Hampshire.
5.  Hannah, born January 8, 1776.
6.  Mary, born June 5, 1777.
7.  Samuel, born June 24, 1778; married Esther Taylor.
8.  Stephen Farrar, born June 20, 1780; married Hannah Kimball.
9.  Timothy Farrar, born June 20, 1780 (?).
10. Peter, born June 20, 1780 (?!); died at Cape Breton.
11. Nancy, born August 10, 1784; married October 1808 to Seth King who died in 1851.

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. (5)
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, came to Norwalk, Ohio, December 1819; married Frederick Wickham who was born in New York City, March 11, 1812.  Later they moved to Huron, Ohio, January 15, 1835; died June 19, 1897 at Norwalk, Ohio. (5)

Footnotes:
(1) From the Preston Family Genealogy)
(2) From records sent to Eugene Preston by town clerk of Andover, N.H.
(3) Preston Family Genealogy by William B. Preston, Salt Lake City.
(4) Ibid.
(5) 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