Walter Preston 1756-1834
Other Walnut Grove Prestons.

Walter Preston, b. 12-25-1756 d. 8-9-1834, son of John and Eleanor Fairman Preston of Walnut Grove, was born in Ireland and came to this country with his parents in 1775 and settled in Washington County Virginia. Walter's brother Robert was already in this country, having come over in 1773 by himself.  Walter was a soldier under General William Campbell in the Revolutionary War. He was Deputy Surveyor of Washington County and held other civil offices. On October 18, 1785, he married Miss Anne ("Nancy") Montgomery b.1761 d. 2-8-1808. Anne was the daughter of Captain James Montgomery, who moved from Lancaster, PA to southwest Virginia, and who was a Captain in the Virginia forces during the Indian Wars and the Revolution. Walter married secondly, one of Anne's cousins, Letitia Robinson on March 3, 1809. Walter Preston and Anne Montgomery had eight children:

  1. Alexander Montgomery Preston b. 11-5-1786 d. 1793
  2. John Montgomery Preston I, b. 8-5-1788 d. 9-14-1861 married twice. First to Ellen Wilson on 7-26-1818 and second to Miss Maria Thornton Carter Preston, daughter of Gen. Francis Preston (Smithfield Prestons, p41)
  3. Mary Robinson Preston, b 2-10-1790 d. 12-11-1856, m. on 4-24-1821 Chiles Coleman b. 1798 d. 1-12-1853 and they had six children.
  4. James Montgomery Preston b. 10-30-1791 d. 4-11-1879 moved to Kentucky and died unmarried.
  5. Robert Robinson Preston, b. 10-21-1793 d. 3-5-1866 m. Elizabeth Cummings, daughter of Mary Campbell and James Cummings. She was the granddaughter of Rev. Charles Cummings of Revolutionary fame and his wife Mildred Carter Cummings. They had 10 children.
  6. Alexander Montgomery Preston (No.2) b. 7-8-1796 d. 8-1866 m. Miss. Clark and went to Kentucky to live. They had four children.
  7. Fairman Holmes Preston b. 5-13-1799 d. 1869 m. Sarah ("Sallie") Gibson on 11-29-1825. Sarah was born 1803. They had five children.
  8. David Robinson Preston b. 4-25-1803 d. 3-5-1850 m. Janet Creigh of Lewisburg, West Virginia and they had six children.

Walter Preston married secondly on 3-3-1809, Letitia Robinson, a cousin of his first wife. Letitia was born in 1772 and died in 1858. They went to Kentucky to live and are buried there, in Clark County, KY. They had a home and farm there which they called "The Rye Patch". They had five children.

  1. Gertrude VanLear Preston b. 9-1-1811 d. 4-9-1840 m. 10-1833, Loring Reynolds and had three children.
    • Letitia Robinson Reynolds married Frederick O. Merriweather.
    • Gertrude Preston Reynolds married in Sept. 1859, Malcolm Braeme Stuart and they had 5 children:
      • Letitia Stuart
      • William Stuart
      • Walter Stuart
      • Willis Stuart
      • Gertrude Stuart
    • William Preston Reynolds.
  2. Benjamin Howard Preston b. 9-1-1817 d. married Orpha Blair and had no children.
  3. Rev. William Preston b.9-1811 d. 4-1846
  4. Samuel Preston b. 5-31-1813 d. 8-29-1840
  5. Cyrus Alfred Preston b. 4-9-1815 married and had two children. No more info.

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Original 7/27/97
Last updated 4/9/2007
Page by F. L. Preston