Richard Preston, of Patuxent in Maryland

Brother or cousin of Thomas Preston, of Calvert County

Speaker of the Assembly of Maryland, sometimes referred to as "king of the Quakers."

A brief biography: https://archive.org/stream/jstor-20083479/20083479_djvu.txt

"He probably came from Great Britain, in 1635, in the vessel " Paul of London," " aged twenty-one years ;" but this is not certain. The Land Records of Virginia show that, in 1636, a Richard Preston, " of Virginia," in consideration of the transportation of his " now wife" and two other persons, not named, received a grant in that province of one hundred and fifty acres. In 1639 he received two grants ; one of one hundred and fifty acres and one of five hundred acres. In 1641, five hundred acres, and in 1651, another of five hun- dred acres, adjoining a former grant. This land was situated in Norfolk County, where, since the early part of the seven- teenth century, Puritans from England had been settled under the protection of the stanch old non-conformist families of "Wyatt and Bennett. Here they had established a little colony, notwithstanding the adverse influence of the Church of England, which, with variable effect, harassed them for several years, until, about the beginning of the latter half of the century, the persecution became so intense that sev- eral families availed themselves of the refuge offered by Captain William Stone, acting Governor of the Province of Maryland, under Cecil, Lord Baltimore, and accepted the offers of land and liberty for all new-comers.

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Preston-619

Richard Preston "of Chucktuck" was living in Norfolk County, Virginia before 1644 when his name appears in the court records as being bound to pay a London mariner 12,000 pounds of tobacco. [1] When the English Civil War ended with the execution of the king of England in 1649, many of the Puritans living in Norfolk County removed to Maryland upon the invitation of Governor William Stone and the promise of freedom of religion. Richard Preston, along with his wife and seven children was among this group of settlers from Virginia. [2] Richard settled with his family and other Puritans on the Pautuxent River near the present town of Lusby in Calvert County. He was a leader of the Puritan community and represented Calvert County in the Lower House.[3]

https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/...

PRESTON, RICHARD (ca. 1618-ca. 1669/70).
BORN: ca. 1618, in England.
IMMIGRATED: probably in 1649, definitely by 1650, as a free adult with his wife and seven children from Virginia.
RESIDED: in Calvert County; Dorchester County by 1669.
MARRIED Margaret.
CHILDREN.
SONS:

1. Richard (?-by 1669), who married Margaret (?-1688), daughter of Thomas Marsh (ca. 1615-ca. 1656);
2. James (?-by 1673/74); and
3. Samuel.

DAUGHTERS:

1. Naomi (?-1663), who married William Berry (ca. 1636-1691);
2. Margaret;
3. Rebecca, who married Lovelace Gorsuch (?-ca. 1703); and
4. Sarah, who married first, William Ford (?-1678/79), and second, Edward Pindar (?-ca. 1692/93).

PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Protestant, with Puritan leanings; converted to Quakerism sometime in the 1650s.
SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: resident of Upper Norfolk, Virginia, by 1636; transported 10 servants on arrival in Maryland; came to Maryland with other religious dissenters from Virginia; had considerable wealth and status on arrival; called the "Great Quaker" by Charles Calvert in 1663; had one of the longest and most active legislative careers in seventeenth-century Maryland.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: planter.

Family notes

Some researchers have placed Richard Preston of Calvert County as the son of Thomas Preston of Norfolk, England. More proof is needed to establish any parents for this Richard Preston.

Thomas Preston "upon the Clifts" mentioned in Richard's will is probably a brother (or first cousin?) since they were about the same age (born between 1615 and 1620). Thomas was born in Yorkshire, England, and Richard probably was as well. Weblink to wikitree profile of Thomas: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Preston-5074

from Richard Preston, Sr., Puritan Quaker of Maryland. page 215
< link >

After his death, his son, Richard Preston, Jr., the father of Samuel, of Philadelphia, became a member of the Assembly, representing, first, Dorchester, and, subsequently, Calvert County. Samuel Preston's father died in 1669, and his mother, Margaret, married the widower William Berry, a prominent Quaker citizen of Calvert County, whose first wife was a daughter of Richard Preston, Sr. By this marriage William Berry became the stepfather as well as uncle of Samuel Preston, the only child of Richard, Jr., and Samuel became an inmate of his family until he came of age, when he proably took formal possession of the plantation on Patuxent River, left to him by the will of his grandfather Richard, which had been in the occupancy of Benjamin Lawrence.

James and Samuel, the other sons of Richard Preston, Sr., I have been unable to definitely trace. Rebecca and Sr., I have been unable to definitely trace. Rebecca and Sarah, the two younger daughters, who were born after their parents' arrival in Maryland, married, respectively, Lovelace Gorsuch and Edward Pinder, the latter serving several years as Sheriff of Dorchester County.

The children of the second marriage of Samuel Preston's mother were Benjamin, Joseph, and Richard, all of whom died young, and Thomas, born in 1678, who married Sarah Godard. This was the one called in the will of Samuel Preston, of Philadelphia, " my dear brother Thomas Berry."

Will

Richard Preston left a very long and complicated will. An abstracted version follows: 7 SEP 1669 Richard Preston of Patuxant in Maryland

• to my son James Preston (if he be now living & shall live to come again to Maryland) the whole of this plantation where I now live until my grandchild, Samuel Preston shall attain the age of 21, at which time the plantation to Samuel & his heirs.
• if my son never again come to Maryland my plantation to be sold for the use of Samuel Preston until he attain to the age aforesaid at which time the proceeds of the plantation to be at the use of Samuel.
• Samuel to have sufficient maintenance during his minority for food, raiment and education unless his mother, my daughter-in-law Margaret Preston shall think it more convenient for her to have the ordering of her son until he comes of age.
• my land lately purchased of Walter Douch laid out for 600 acres be to my two daughters, Rebecca and Sarah Preston, equally between them. If either of my daughters dies without issue then her part to belong to the other that shall survive and if both die to my son James.
• 500 acres of land at the head of Little Choptank River (1/3 part I have already given to my kinsman Ralph Dossey) that the other 2 thirds to belong to John Dossey and his heirs. There is a covenant with William Fick a Dutchman relating for the delivery of some cattle, when it expires Ralph Dossey shall have the use of the cattle.
• Edward Norman, my now overseer, be paid his full wages at the end of his service.
• Thomas Brockson be paid his full wages, 500 pounds of tobacco & one good milch cow.
• to William Purnell one milch cow, some tools, nails, rugs, clothes & shoes, and to be free for himself the 20th of Dec. next year.
• to my kinsman John Dossey besides the land before mentioned, goods to the value of 20 Pounds sterling.
• to George Hawes 20 pounds sterling to be paid half in goods if he come from England this year, the other half in such debts as due to me in tobacco is due to him by promise when he went with my son James for England or to be paid him next year.
• to my two grand children Willilam and James Barry 5000 pounds of tobacco.
• to my grandchild Rebecca some plate which is this year coming from England to the value of four pounds sterling and ten cows and one ram amongst the said 3 children.
• to James Dossey 4000 pounds of tobacco.
• to my daughter-in-law Margaret Preston to what she has already to the value of 27 pounds sterling and 10,000 of this years sweet scented crop of tobacco plus other furniture and items around the house and plate if any come into me this year in the value of 500 pounds sterling.
• to my son James Preston, half the money which I have sent by James Conaway to be brought in this year, if my son be living in England. If he be dead the money to be divided among the overseers of my will, the other half to Friends in the ministry to be disposed of according to the discernment of the overseers of my will.
• to Thomas Preston upon the Clifts what tobacco he owes unto me.
• to Isaac Hunt goods worth 5 pounds sterling.
• to William Harper what is due to me from him
• I appoint my dear friends Wm. Barry, Peter Sharpe, Thomas Taylor of Kent and John Meares upon the Clifts or any 2 or more of them to be overseers.
• The will was witnessed by Enoch Coomes, George Devlin, Thomas Peake and William Jones. It was presented to the probate court on 8 JAN 1669/70.[5]

  ---

https://earlysettlers.msa.maryland.gov/

Preston, Richard, Mr.
AB&H:139,140 Film No:
In Maryland in 1650, when he was Commander of the North Side of Patuxent River; transported himself, Margaret Preston, the elder, Richard Preston, the younger, & James, Samuel, Neomy, & Margaret Preston
Transcript: 16:74
Original: WT:71
MSA SC 4341-

References

1. WikiTree contributors, "Richard Preston (abt.1619-bef.1669)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Preston-619 : accessed 01 October 2024). cites
   1. Walter, Alice Granbery. "Lower Norfolk County, Virginia Court Records. Clearfield, Baltimore:1994
   2. Gibb, Dr. Carson. “The New Early Settlers of Maryland” [earlysettlers.msa.maryland.gov]
   3. [1]
   4. Papenfuse, Edward C. "A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature" published online [2]
2. 3 Prerogative Court Wills Liber 1 folio 357 [msa.maryland.gov
3. Troth, Samuel. “Richard Preston, Sr., Puritan Quaker of Maryland, Grandfather of Samuel Preston, Mayor of Philadelphia.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 16, no. 2, 1892, pp. 207–15. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20083479. Accessed 14 Jul. 2022.
   1. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20083479.
   2. https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/...
4. https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I3253...
5. https://latrobefamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I24407&tree=mytree...
6. https://www.hmdb.org/Photos/9/Photo9822o.jpg?11252005
7. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=3462