Benjamin Preston was born about 1831 in either Great Wratting or Little Wratting, Suffolk, England, the son of John Preston & Rebecca Twitchett. At this point in time I have not been able to learn a great deal about Benjamin’s family in Suffolk, however do know that he had a brother Giles baptised in Little Wratting on 15 September 1833. Giles died in Little Wratting in September 1844.

Benjamin arrived in South Australia in 1851 with the Lamprell family aboard the Marion, which was shipwrecked off Troubridge Shoal. He made his way to the Victorian Goldfields and was one of the many miners at Mt Alexander who entrusted his gold to Alexander Tolmer's first Adelaide Gold Escort in March 1852.

Benjamin married Mary Ann Lamprell, daughter of James & Elizabeth Lamprell, in Adelaide, SA, in 1852 before moving permanently to Victoria. The first evidence of the family in Victoria was the birth and death of Benjamin and Mary Ann’s first child in 1854 at Campbell’s Creek, South of Castlemaine. Their second child John William was born in the Castlemaine area in 1855. Benjamin’s mining ventures continued in one way or another until at least 1856 where he was recorded on the Victorian Electoral Roll, as living at Shicer Gully, Miner's Right, Mount Franklin Division. He and his growing family settled in the Kingston area near Creswick, VIC, by 1859.

By 1872 Benjamin had been joined at Kingston by his brother William born around 1842. William married Annie Garrett on 3 June 1872 and there were four known children to the Marriage - Arthur William born 1878, Edith Sarah May born 1884, Herbert John born 1890 and Norman Charles born early 1898. Sadly Norman died in April 1898. Less than twelve months later William lost his wife Annie.

As yet have not been able to determine if any other siblings of Benjamin or William journeyed to Australia.

List of names associated with the Preston family
Three generations of the Preston family

Roz Voullaire

Created 25 Jun 2001 - Updated 7 Feb 2004

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