The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-01
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TENDER 3.llS05 Legatees: Wife. Mar
, tina: sons. Benjamin. Richard, Francis
and Laurence; susannah walthall: son,
Thomas Spencer walthall: grand
daughter, Polly Archer Paup. daughter
! of Betty Archer Paup: daughter Nancy
| Gibbon walthall
There have been so many Preston
| queries that we feel sure that the
following paper on that distinguished
family printed by the st. Louis Times
Democrat. several years ago. will be
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
! OF all the so-called local names in
/ England. Preston Ia one of the most
| usual; and of all the English names
! in America. II Is surely one of the
most illustrious. In fact. so ulustrious
have the American members of this
| family rendered the name that the
Prestons need not turn to England to
claim distinguished origin.
But the fact Is that Preston Is a
| very old name, and was established
as surname as early as the time OF
Malcolm I. OF Scotland, in the tenth
century. The derivation Is simple and
undoubted by the authorities. 1t was
| originally Preastons-tun or priests
| Enclosure or homestead. and the frst
Prestons adopted II from the deslgna-
tion OF the locality in which they
lived. A family of this name was said
to have been founded in England by
| one of tho Scotch mobiles chosen by
Edward l. of England at the death of
| his Scotch wife, Margaret. to arbitrate
| between Ballot and Bruce for the
crown OF Scotland This family long
! resided In westmoreland. and. IL Is as
sumed, gave rise to most, II not all,
I, Of the Prestons, who emigrated to this
| country
The most distinguished branch in
America, SO far as national reputation
! goes. Is known as the Virginia branch.
came from Londonderry. Ireland.
whittier his father and three uncles
| had migrated under King William.
| William Preston married Elizabeth
Patton and came to Virginia in 1910
with her father, Colonel James Patton,
He commanded a merchant ship ana
had grant OF 10000 acres OF land
| lying above the Blue Ridge Mountains.
| Williams first residence was In Spring
Hill. Augusta county. but In 174s he
moved to the vicinity OF Stanton.
where he soon after died. His wife
| and children moved to Greenfield,
+! where she died in 1875.
The children Of William Preston. all
born in ireland, were Letitia, who mar
ried Colonel Breckenridge. OF Ken
lucky: Margaret. who married the
I V.
| lege and Kentucky: William and Ann.
| who married Francis Smith. of Nir-
| ginia.
One New England family of the name
was descended from Gearge Preston,
who had been settled at Valley Field.
Yorkshire, England. He and his six
children. Edward. Daniel. Elijah,
| Sarah. Mary and John. came to this
country IN 1929 in the True Love. and
| had four children born on this side
l of the Atlantic; thes, were Jekiel, who
settled in stratford. Conn; Hackaiish,
who settled in Woodbury.: Eliasa phi,
who settled in stratford. and Joseph.
Daniel. who was born In 1872. settled
/ In Dorcester, Mass.
! Another promoter Of this family,
Roger. was born In England In 1914.
and sailed for this country with his
| wife. Martha, in the Elizabeth and
Ann. They lived frst in Ipswich, the
child of the witchcraft martyr named
Morse.
Another Preston of distinction was
! from Huddersneld England, and set
tied in PENNSYLVANIA. His son Jones
was a physician OF Chester, Pa. whose
son. also Jones, born in Chester in
I1s64, was the we'll known philanthropist
who founded Preston Hospital.
| Another branch OF the family which
| Is doubles In some way connected
with the Londonderry family OF Vir-
| glnta was founded Ivy Philip Preston.
who was born probably In 1716. He
settled in Franklin county. and had
| FIVE sons. Stephen, born in 1850. mar
| rled four times. One OF his Brandsons
was William Bowker Preston. who In
1854 was made president bishop OF
| the Church Of the Latter Day Saints.
| 1t has been claimed by some of the
| proud hearers OF this name that the
Prestons tlone have been OF more
| consequence to the country than have
been ali the Mayfiowers descendants
put together. Although this statement
sounds rather bold, and is Just a state.
ment anyway. surely very few single
families can claim a moro distinguished
roll-call during the last 300 years.
The arms OF the westmoreland Pres
tons are blazoned: Argent two bars
| gulcs on canton of the last a cindue
foil or. The crest OF this family. adopt
| ed In this country as WELL Is On a
ruined tower argent a felcon volant
of the same. beaked. legged and belled
or. The motto accompanying this crest
is: Isl Dieu veult." or IF God Wills
Berkeleys Of Virginia and England.
| We printed Berkeley paper In 1910.
but there have been since then several
| queries about this family which we
have not had time to answer, but to
which we now reply with much pleas
ure.
William n. Berkeley owned tho
! splendid estate Aide in London coun-
| ty, He and his four brothers raiseu
| a company In London for the Confed-
crate service. This company was at.
tached to the eighteenth regiment OF
which General Hinton became colonel
William N. Berkeley had three broth
ers, Colonel Norborne Berkeley. Lieu
tenant-Colonel Edmund Berkeley and
Senior Captain Charles Berkeley. He
himself was major. All four was
wounded in the famous charge Of
Picketts Division. Three OF them
I was Imprisoned. Norborne Berkeley
/ succeeded General HuntOO colonel