Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 827
WILLIAM TURNER PRESTON

William Turner PRESTON (Portrait), a highly respected farmer and stockfeeder, whose beautiful farm-home is on section 10, Harrison Township, has been identified with the interests of Harrison County for the past twenty-three years; has done an extensive business, both as a farmer and dealer in live stock. The time has long gone by since it has been believed that an ordinary and uneducated man can become a successful agriculturalist. But he who makes the calling one of a high standard, and bcomes thoroughly posted regarding this honorable calling, makes experiments himself, reads the best farm journals published, and adopts the best methods, is almost sure to be repaid by an abundant harvest. Such has been the career of Mr. PRESTON, who was reared in New England, where farm life was not what it is in the prairie West, and as a result has brought forth the most paying crops from the broad acres he owns. It is the object of this notice to make a personal mention of this man and his estimable family, and to begin with, it may be stated that Mr. PRESTON is a direct descendant of John and Mary (FORD) PRESTON, who it is supposed were natives of Windham County, Conn.

John PRESTON, was born January 18, 1716, and is a son of one of three brothers, who came from England in the latter part of the seventeenth century. John and Mary FORD were married in 1736, and reared a family of twelve children, their third child being Medina, who was the great-grandfather of our subject. He was born at Ashford, Conn., in 1741, and was a tanner and leather dresser by trade. He married Anna HOWARD, June 7, 1762, and by this union nine children were born, their fifth child being our subject's grandfather, and his name was Shubal PRESTON, who was also born at Ashford, Conn., May 16, 1772, at the old PRESTON homestead. In his younger days he followed school teaching, but later in life was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and died December 24, 1851. November 9, 1794, he was united in marriage to Lucretia MINER, at New London, Conn., where she was born February 1, 1778, and died April 19, 1859.

They had a family of seven children, the fifth child being Miner, the father of our subject, who was born May 24, 1803, at Ashford, Conn. He was reared to farm life and educated in the public schools, and also studied evenings and rainy days, being ambitious to secure an education. He let none of these opportunities go by unimproved, as for an example: while going to mill with a sack of grain before and one behind him on his horse back, he not infrequently took his grammar, and made the most of his journey, by delving into its mysteries. When he reached his manhood, he began teaching which he followed until after he was married. At one time he was interested in a paper mill, which he subsequently disposed of and purchased a farm in Connecticut, and tilled the greater portion of his life, dying in the town of Coventry, Conn.

Mr. PRESTON was a man who took great interest in public affairs, and held many of the official positions in his town and county. In 1856 he represented his township in the Legislature. Politically, he was an old line Whig, but afterwards a Republican. He believed in the great principles of the Christian religion, and was one of the founders of the Congregational Church at Rockville, Conn., as well as an ardent worker in the Sunday-school cause. He was married March 16, 1831, to Betsy THRALL, who was born December 19, 1807, at Vernon, Conn., and is still living, a resident of Coventry, Conn. They were the parents of five children: Jane M., wife of H. B. LYMAN, now residents of Tacoma, Wash.; Anna J., wife of Jabez H. KINGSBURY, of Connecticut; Sarah C., deceased; and our subject William T. Our subject's father died August 8m 1867, and was a man of high character, and of much moral worth in the community.

William T. was born in Vernon, Conn., on the old homestead, August 30, 1840. He received his early education in the common, private and High Schools, and also took a course at Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., from which institution he graduated in July, 1864. His early life was spent assisting his father on the farm, during the summer, and attending school in the winter. When a young man he tuaght several terms of school, and was also employed as a book-keeper, both positions he filled in a satisfactory manner. But life had something in store for this young New Englander. The great sea of life was before him, but he must choose his craft, as well as mark his own course, across an untried sea. To venture alone might prove fatal, so in his twenty-third year, just as he was crossing the threshhold of manhood, he sought the companionship of Miss Anna E. PECK (Portrait), and on April 7, 1863, they were united in marriage. Mrs. PRESTON was born in Coventry, Conn., September 4, 1840. In 1864, our subject and his wife removed to Holyoke. Mass., where he was employed as a packer and shipper of fabrics, in which capacity he served for three years, and then went to Chicopee, Mass., where he acted as overseer in a shipping depot. In March 1868 they came to Iowa, locating at Dunlap.

Mr. PRESTON intended to enter the hardware business at this point, in company with another party, but through some misunderstanding the partnership was not formed, and so he concluded to become a farmer in the West. The first year he operated in conjunction with his brother-in-law, H. B. LYMAN, and during the same year purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land on section 10, of Harrison Township, the same being wild prairie and, upon which surface waved the luxurious growth of prairie grass. In the fall of 1869, Mr, PRESTON erected a frame house, 14x20 feet, making such additions as they could until 1873, when they erected their present commodious farm house, which is among the best built farm residences in Western Iowa. It is nestled within the shade of a charming grove of trees, which he planted out when he first went to the place; the branches of thes trees now tower high, affording a cooling shade in mid-summer, and serve as a good windbreak during the long cold winter.

Our subject has added to his first purchase one hundred acres, and in Willow Township, Monona County, he owns all of section 29 - an even six hundred and forty acres -- which he uses for grazing purposes, while his home farm in Harrison Township is one of the best improved places in this part of the country, and has been wonderfully transformed in the last two decades, by the industrious, skillful manipulations of our subject.

Of Mrs. PRESTON's family history iy may be said that she is the daughter of Ebenezer and Phoebe (KINGSBURY) PECK, who were natives of Connecticut. The father was born in Franklin County, December 5, 1804. His early life was spent in New York City, and was subsequently employed in different manufactures, but finally settled on a farm, where he died September 13, 1856, at Vernon, Conn. He was united in marriage June 9, 1838, to Phoeb KINGSBURY, who was born in Connecticut, June 9, 1810, and died January 6, 1863. They reared a family of two children -- Ann E., the wife of our subject; and Henry, a residnet of Syracuse, Neb. The grandparents of Mrs. PRESTON on the paternal side were Ebenezer and Mary (TRACY) PECK. The former was the oldest of a family of thirteen children, and was born on the old Peck homestead, in Peck's Hollow, Conn., which was also the birthplace of his father. He died in Conn. at the age of ninety-one years, in October, 1863. His good wife, the grandmother of Mrs. PRESTON, Mary (TRACY) PECK, was the daughter of Elisha TRACY, the grandson of Winslow TRACY, who died in 1768, at the age of seventy-nine years. Elisha was the son of Eliphalet TRACY. The TRACY family were among the first families of New England, and figured conspicuously in the political history of that section at an early day.

The mother of Mrs. PRESTON was the granddaughter of Ephraim KINGSBURY, a native of Franklin County, Conn., born the 13th of March 1749, and his wife, Phoebe FRENCH, was born in the same county, October 5, 1741. They were united in marriage in the county of their birth, and reared their family in Coventry, Conn. The fifth child of this family was Jabez KINGSBURY, who was born in Coventry, October 22, 1769, and was there reared, married, and died. His wife was Freelove UTLEY, who was born at Mansfield, Conn. Jabez KINGSBURY was one of the prominent men of his community, and a potent factor in church work. The family were of good old Puritan stock, and believed in every thing that was pure and good, and tried to live in accordance with such belief.

Mr. and Mrs. PRESTON were brought up in the Puritan Congregational Church, of Vernon, Conn., and the age of seventeen became members of the same. Upon coming West they brought their church letters, united, and soon became identified with the Congregational Church, at Dunlap, and Mrs. PRESTON has been an active, faithful Sabbath-school worker for many years, and the result of her labors in this direction cannot fail to make the rising young with whom she has mingled, purer, nobler, better.

Politically, Mr. PRESTON believes in the great principles of the Republican party. Descending as he did from the old line Whig and Puritanic patriots, he very naturally casts his vote with what he believes to be the higher, more progressive party of the age in which he lives.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. PRESTON has been made happy by the advent of two intelligent children: Nellie A., born January 7, 1864, now the wife of William F. COOK, of Harrison County; and Herbert L., born October 23, 1867, a resident of Dunlap, Iowa.

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