Pioneer Sketches
John Presbury to William Presbury to William Presson - Families
This page includes sketches I have compiled from my family history research
for my own use. I am posting them on the Internet in the interest of sharing
this information with interested parties. If you appear to be directly related,
based on the information in the the sketches, or have comments to share
with me about these sketches, I would be happy to hear from you. I do not
do research for others, nor am I particularly interested in speculative
relationships or unrelated surname discussions. There are many other worthy
sites for these activities. I hope you enjoy reading some of these interesting
stories.
This story of our ancestory, as it appears here, now, has been established
through individual contributions of Gene Preston, Elena Anderson, and Bill
Smith during the May-June 1998 period, based, necessarily, on works of many
others, largely anonymous, over the years. We, of course, are just beginning
to assemble pieces of the true story, bit by bit, as we scrape away the
sediment of time. The true story happened. We can but reveal as much of
this truth as is still available, in the records, both oral and written,
for us to find.
Bill Smith, Complier, 7 Jun 1998
NOTE: What's new? 13 Sept 1998:
Documented information on the original John
Presbury of Sandwich, Plymouth Colony, Massachuetts, dating from 1639. NOTE:
You might want to start here, and work you way back through the generations!
Main Menu
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Introduction and Overview
The information on this page is based on the work of Elena Anderson, primarily,
with some additional research and interpretation by Bill Smith, Compiler,
14 June 1998. Any corrections or updates are welcomed, send to the Compiler,
today. Thank you. We would especially like to hear from any descendants
of the persons named on this page.
See additional discussion on background in the later (more recent) generations
sketches.
This page focuses on the family of William Presbury and Priscilla Randall
and their nine children, including William Presson
I (and three of his brothers). In addition, the page has some information
of what is now available about the father of William Presbury, John
Presbury, and four of his sons.
NOTE: 13 Sep 1998 addition of another generation back and confirmation from
several other sources of many other facts.
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William Presbury and Priscilla Randall
Family
The following are believed to be the children of William Presbury (son
of John Presbury) and Priscilla Randall:
1. Edward Presbury, born in Newbury, MA.
2. Nehemiah Presson, born 15 Jan 1691/92.
3. Mary Presson, born 5 Mar 1694/95.
4. Stephen Presson, born 3 May 1697.
5. Benjamin Presson, born 1 Jan 1699/00.
6. Randall Presson, born 3 Apr 1702.
7. William Presson I, born 1 Jan 1704/05, in
Beverly, MA; died 1766.
8. Nathan Presson, born 18 May 1707.
9. Ruth Presson, 25 Mar 1710.
Based on [1, pp. 567-568, I have a copy], interpretation of Elena Anderson,
and which I am putting in my own words, for ease of reading:
William Presbury, son of John Presbury, was under the guardianship of a
Major Pendleton in 1679. He came of age in 1684 (therefore born in 1662,
I assume), at which time he was called by both Presbury and Preston. In
May 1685, the Saco, ME, court dealt with him and his wife, Priscilla Randall,
and also ordered him to maintain the children of Sarah Crocker. The war
sent the family to Beverly, MA. His widow claimed the 50 acre Page Plantation
in his sole right. She died there 23 Apr 1752, at age 86 (making her born
in 1666, I assume).
See related comments under his father, John.
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Edward Presbury Family
Edward Presbury, the son of William Presbury and
Priscilla Randall, was born in Newbury, MA. He married Catherine Pierce
27 Aug 1713 in Newbury, MA.
Children of Edward and Catherine Presbury:
1. Elisabeth Presbury, born 13 May 1714, Newbury, MA. She married George
Goodhu on 31 Jan 1734/35 in Newbury, MA.
2. Abigail Presbury, born 22 Sep 1716, Newbury, MA. She married Samuel Harris
on 1 Feb 1738/39 in Newbury, MA.
3. Sarah Presbury, born 10 Mar 1718/19, Newbury, MA. She married Joseph
Goodhu on 6 Mar 1741/42 in Newbury, MA.
4. Annah Presbury, born 22 Jun 1720.
5. Mary Presbury, born 11 Apr 1723, Newbury, MA. She married Jonathan Greenleaf
on 13 Oct 1744 in Newbury, MA.
6. Daniel Presbury, born 27 Apr 1725.
7. Eunice Presbury, born 9 Mar 1727/28, Newbury, MA. She married Jonathan
Knight on 1 Dec 1747 in Newbury, MA.
8. Unknown Presbury, born 16 Jan 1730/31.
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Stephen Presson Family
Stephen Presson, son of William Presbury and Priscilla
Randall, was born 3 May 1697. He married Abigail Sergent on 3 Jun 1723
in Newbury, MA [5].
Children of Stephen and Abigail Presson (believed to include):
1. Benjamin Presbury, born 1727 [5, p. 429].
2. William Presbury, born 23 Jul 1727.
3. Stephen Presbury, born 18 Aug 1728.
4. Benjamin Presbury, born 1734/35 in Newbury, MA [5, p. 429].
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Nathan Presson Family
Nathan Presson, son of William Presbury and Priscilla
Randall, was born 18 May 1707. He married Martha Collins on 13 Dec 1727
in Salisbury, MA.
Children of Nathan and Martha Presson (included):
1. John Presbury, born 27 Jun 1731.
2. Priscilla Presbury, born 14 Dec 1729.
3. Hannah Presbury, born 9 Aug 1762.
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John Presbury, father of William
Presbury
John Presbury {himself the son of John Presbury},
according to [1, pp. 567-568], was the father of William
Presbury, Nathan Preston, Stephen Presby, and John Presbury (and perhaps
others). He was a resident of Saco, ME, and he and his sons were known from
time to time by Presbyter, Praesbitery, as well as Preston.
"John, shoemaker, Saco, in court Nov, 1665 for common abs(ence) from
meet(ing). That he was s(on) of early John of Sandwich and husb(and) of
Dorcas Bessey is negatived only by the fact that the Saco man's daughter-in-law
claimed for self and ch(ildren) the whole Page plantation at Saco which
he bot from Clement Hardy in 1670, calling her husb(and) William "only
s(on) and heir' and that none of the Martha's Vineyard fam(ily) appeared
as claimants."" [1, pp. 567-568 - () by Elena Anderson] {see more
on this family below}
Continuing: "His inv(entory) 5 Mar 1678-79 incl(uded) "things"
at Pendleton Fletcher's; at his own ho(use) were a kettle and augurs of
Walter Mayer's. Lately dec(eased) and est(ate) feared insolv(ent), adm(inistration)
was gr(anted) 1 Apr 1679 to Maj(or) Pendleton, who relinq(uished) in July
fol(lowing) to Francis Hooke, he in 1684 to s(on) William, bondsman John
Harmon." [1, pp. 567-568 - () by Elena Anderson]
Continuing: "In 1679 son Nathan was ord(ered) to remain appren(ticed)
to Maj. Pendleton who bound him in 1680 to Jos. Cross. As Nathan Preston
he contin(ued) with Cross' widow, then with her new husb(and) Nicholas Morey,
at the carpenter's trade. Cape Porpus wit(ness) 1688. Boston records mar(riage)
of Nathan Presbury and Elizabeth Ganson 16 Feb 1698, and their ch(ildren)
1699-1710; Nathan, Elizabeth, Dorcas." [1, pp. 567-568 - () by Elena
Anderson]
Children of John and Dorcas Presbury, according to [1, pp. 567-568], (and
perhaps others):
1. William Presbury, born ? - perhaps 1665 [6].
2. Nathan Preston, born ? - perhaps 1667 [6]. He married Elizabeth Ganson
16 Feb 1698 in Boston. Children were (during 1699-1710): Nathan, Elizabeth,
Dorcas (and perhaps others).
3. Stephen Presby { also, see comments below}
" Stephen (Presby), who wit(nessed) deliv(ery) of Kit(tery) land from
F. Hooke to Deering 8 Apr 1686 can hardly be anyone but ano(ther) son."
[1, pp. 567-568 - () by Elena Anderson]
4. John Presbury (and perhaps others)
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The Original John Presbury of Sandwich,
Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts
John Presbury [7, pp. xxiv, xxvii] of Sandwich was the father of John
Presbury of Saco, Me. This original John Presbury first appears in Sandwich
on the 1643 list of men "Able to Bear Arms." These are men aged
16-60. (Several of the settlers were then 60+. Among them were George Allen,
Ralph Allen, Thomas Tupper, and Richard Wade) [8]. He died and was buried
[7, pp. 4] 19 May 1648. His widow, Catherine, later married Richard Chadwell
on 22 July 1649 [9, p. 410; 7, p. 5]. John and Catherine Presbury had two
children [9, pp. 410]: John Presbury, born est.
1640; and, Mary Presbury born 10 May 1644 [7, p. 19], she married Lodovix
Hoxie [7, p. 1249].
"Sandwich was the first town on Cape Cod in Plymouth Colony, settled
in 1637" [7, p. xv]. "The actual settlement of the town of Sandwich
dates from April 3, 1637, when as appears from the Plymouth records, "it
is also agreed by the court that these ten men as Saugus, Edmund Freeman,
Henry Feake, Thomas Dexter, Edward Dillingham, William Wood, John Carmen,
Richard Chadwell, William Almy, Thomas Tupper and George Knott shall have
liberty to view a place to set down and have sufficient lands for threescore
families, upon the conditions propounded to them by the governor and Mr.
Winslow"" [10, p. 27]. "The same year came fifty other undertakers,
as the new citizens were called, chiefly from Lynn, or Saugus, Duxbury and
Plymouth, most of them bringing their families, and a Pilgrim Church was
set up the same year under the care of Rev. William Leverich" [10,
p. 27].
An estimated marriage date for John and Catherine Presbury, in Sandwich,
is 1639 [11, p. 602] - this may be based on the estimated birth of John
as 1640, of course. John in mentioned in Sandwich in 1643, as noted above,
of course. The birth of Mary is recorded in Sandwich in 1644, and, of course,
the burial of John in May 1648. Widow Catherine marries Richard in Sandwich
in 1649. Daughter Mary is still in Sandwich to marry Lodowick Hoxie in 1664.
In the Martha's Vineyard story of the family, however, it is the third son
of the younger John Presbury who apparently lived and had his family there.
This third son was Stephen Presbury, born about
1666. He married Deborah Skiff about 1693. Their fourth child, and apparent
only son, John, had only a daughter, Maria, born 1720. Therefore, "the
name of Presbury became extinct in the male line on the Vineyard" [9,
pp. 410-411]. Therefore, it is the Stephen Presbury family that is known
in Martha's Vineyard. It is not known if his father, John, every actually
lived there.
This John was a shoemaker, of course, and "perh. rem. to Salisbury
but certainly to Saco, Me. bef. 1665, where he purchased a considerable
tract of land in 1670. (York Deeds III 42)" [9, p. 410]. Continuing
the account: " He m. Dorcas Bessey, 1664, dau. of Anthony and Jane
Bessey of Sandwich and d. bef. April 1679 when adm. of est. was granted
to Major Bryan Pendleton of Saco. Two months later Major Francis Hooke of
Kittery was substituted as adm. and made guardian of 'the children' of John
Presbury. Inventory of est. was returned 3 Nov 1684 in amount {pounds} 37-3-2.
They had the following named children: William, b. (1664); m. Priscilla
Randall; res. Beverly, Mass.; Nathan, b. (1665); m. Elizabeth Ganson, 16
Feb 1698; res. Boston.; Stephen, b. (1666)." [9, pp. 410-411]. Fourth
son, John, is not mentioned in this account.
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References
[1] Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, Sybil Noyes,
et al, Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., Baltimore, 1979, pp. 567 -
568, and, interpretation by Elena Anderson.
[2] Genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England, Vol. 1 - IV,
James Savage, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1860-62, Reprinted
1965.
[3] History of Chester, New Hampshire, Vol I & II, Benjamin Chase, Heritage
Press, 1869, Reprinted in 1992.
[4] IGI files at Midcontinent Library, Independence, MO, viewed by Bill
Smith, June 1998.
[5] Newbury Marriages, Newbury Vital Records, p. 411.
[6] Compiler estimate.
[7] Vital Records of Sandwich, Massachusetts, to 1885. Volume One. Compiled
by Caroline Lewis Kardell and Russell A. Lovell, Jr. New England Historic
Genealogical Socitey, Boston, 1996.
[8] Cited in [7]: Plymouth Colony Record (PCR), 8:192-193; Freeman, History
of Cape Cod, 2:44.
[9] The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, in Three
Volumes. Volume Iii, Family Genealogies, by Charles Edward Banks, M.D.,
Edgartown, Published by the Dukes County Historical Society, 1966.
[10] Two Hundred adn Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of Sandwich and Bourne
at Sandwich, Massachusetts, September 3, 1889, by Ambrose E. Pratt. Official
Proceedings. 1890.
[11] New England Marriage Prior to 1700, Torrey Clarence.
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This page created 14 Jun 1998. Last updated 13 Sep 1998, by William
L. (Bill) Smith.
