The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-30
AN OLp rANILY BIBIE.

Interesting Memoranda-A Reminder of
 Mary Haynes. Taken Captive by the in-
 disns.
 An ancient family Bible. bearing marks of long service by several gener- ations. belongs to Mir Henry E. Pres
 ton of Mapping. It was originally
 bound in thick and heavy leather. but one of the covers. hard and stifr as a half inch board. has been broken of, and nearly one hundred Of its pages are gone. Among these is the title page. but evidences remain showing the book to be eighty-three years old. It is printed in old style and contains the Apocrypha.
 The Bible has come down to Mir. Pres ton from his grandfather. .Shubael Pres ton. The first name on the family rec ord is that of Mir. Preston's grandfa- ther's grandfather. John Preston. born in I7i6. There have been many Johns in the Preston line. which Is noted for longevity. Silas Preston died last year in Eastford at the age of ninety-tive. Many others in the line have lived to be ninety.
 Old John Preston was in the habit of making notes of passing events up- on the blank spaces of his Bible. Many of these have reference to the weather, among which the following are inter- esting:
 .Locusts very numerous In 1913, and again in 1885. December 19, 1885, re- marka bly, cold: great fire in New York. Very severe cold all the winter follow ing; sleighing till past 20th of March. April r, 1921, began to snow in the morning and continued for twenty-four hours without intermission. Grass Hill road Qn WestforD blocked up with snow five or six feet deep in many plac- es Stage went into Hartford on run ners the 18th nst;snow on level twelve to IS inches deep at least. May 25, 1924, great frost killed leaves of oak, chest nut and many other trees, with all mulberry leaves and vegetables. No vember ', 1927, snow foot and a half deep on level. November 30. 1927. great
 
 24 and 25, 1892. very cold and rainy; snow covered the ground an inch or more and lay on the ground till noon next day"
 MT. Pfeston's grandfather was evil dently a pious man and most assid- uous reader of the Scriptures, which fact helps to account for the worn con dition of the venerable Bible: On one page is written the following memoran- dunn: Began to read the Testament July 10, 1926, and ended 1t October 15." .Anotber entire broad page is filled with closely written references to each chapter and verse in the Bible in which wine is mentioned. Nothing appears to indicate the motive of this inquest. Without the aid of concordance, it must have required much time and pa tience.
 The book contains list of the dead in Eastford formerly the home of the Prestons) for long series of years. This list was faithfully kept by MT. Preston's grandmother, Lucretia. In it many quaint names are found, such as Hovey, Zera, Jared, and the like. Mir. Preston remembers hearing his grandmother tell of the burning of New London, which occurred while she was living in Norwich.
 A brother of MT. Preston's grandfa- ther was soldier in the revolution. He captured Britisher of rank, and delivered his prisoner to General Wash igton in person.
 The father of Henry B. Preston's grandfather's grandfather, born in 1867, married Mary Haynes, whose name is one of historical interest. When nine teen years old Mary was taken captive by the Indians and carried into Canada from Haverhill, Mass. She was subse- quently ransomed for one hundred pounds of tobacco. The tobacco was taken to Canada on a hand sled, and Mary was triumphantly drawn home to Haverhill on the same sled. Afterward she became Mary Preston. removed to Windham county, had, fourteen chil- dren. and lived to be ninety years old.