Mrs. Mary F.. (Murphy) Preston Obituary
New Ipswich Historical Society
September 8, 1924
September 8, 1924
NEW IPSWICH
Mrs. Mary F.. (Murphy) Preston died at her home Sept. 8 of pneumonia. She was a native of New Ipswich, the daughter of Daniel G. and Randilla B. (Farmer) Murphy, and was born Aug. 17, 1845. On May 13, 1867 she was married to Frank Whipple Preston, who died Aug. 29, 1905. To them three sons were born, William Arthur, Frank Herbert and Herbert French, Mrs. Preston was devoted to her home and family. She was interested in everything connected the welfare of her native town. She was a member of the Parent-Teacher association, the Historical society and the Order of the Eastern Star.
The survivors are a stepdaughter, Miss Katharine Preston, who since the death of her husband has been her devoted companion; three sons, William A. of New Ipswich, Frank H. of Springfield, Mass., and Herbert F. of Newport, R. I.; two grandsons, Frank W. of Springfield, Mass., and John Preston of New Ipswich, and three sisters, Mrs. George A. Hartshorn of Clinton, Mass., Mrs. E. F. Spaulding of Long Beach, Calif., and Mrs. E. J. Wilson of Townsend, Mass.
The funeral was held at the home Friday afternoon. Rev, George Jarvis Prescott, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Boston, officiated. Burrial was in the Preston lot at the Central cemetery. Herbert F. Preston, who teaches in St. Georges school, Newport, R. I., Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Preston and son, Frank W. of Springfield, Mass., and Mrs. Albert James of Cleveland, Ohio, were in town to attend the services.
Photo Archives
William Preston’s fireman badge
James Roger diary entry
14th March 1913 - Sick all night
Rain. David choring round. I was sick and vomiting and purging all night, which disturbed David and his mother as they could not get sleep. Stopped in bed most of the day.
Rodger, that is. I hate spell check programs that second-guess every word one types.
Notice how those identified as the deceased’s surviving sisters are not listed by their own names but by married social titles. “Mrs. This” and “Mrs. That.” Who were these near-anonymous but worthy ladies? Am I missing something here? Yet that’s the way some women thought it should be. You were nobody if you were female and not married. And confirmed bachelors also were viewed with vague suspicion by some in our family. Nobody stopped to consider that marriage is not a magic formula that works for everyone. Maybe these single folks of yore just never found the right person. My own maternal grandmother, who notoriously treated her own husband with a mean-spirited attitude throughout their marriage, would extol the increased status of a woman who found a husband. “She’s now Mrs. Such and Such,” she’d exclaim with admiration. In other words, no longer a so-called spinster. But let’s hear it for the community’s single people. Many were and are tireless companions and supporters of their friends and families, particularly back then in an era when there were no visiting nurses or PTs or OTs. They’ve served as educators and volunteers and mentors and honorable citizens and friends of the young.
And speaking of good citizens, poor old James Roger! Wonder if he had norovirus or something worse.