Jasper Newton Preston

Personal and Family Information

Jasper was born on 5 OCT 1831 in Ira, Wayne County, New York, the son of Samuel Preston and Rebecca Noble Sprague.

He died on 8 DEC 1922 in Alameda, Alameda County, California.

His wife was Jannett Jennie Johnston, who he married in ABT 1860. The place has not been found. Their nine known children were George Jones (c1847-?), Clark Gilbert (c1850-?), Ruth (c1854-?), Samuel Adam J (1858-1889), Flora (c1860-<1862), Sarah Louisa (c1861-1908), Flora Cornelia (1862-?), Georgiana (1868-c1868) and George (1868-1868).

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Attributes

Multimedia

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Notes

Note 1

!Source: ancestry.com/ California, Death Index, 1940-1997

Name: Flora Cornelia Hotchkis

[Flora Cornelia Preston]

Gender: Female

Birth Date: 22 Nov 1862

Birth Place: Michigan

Death Date: 23 Dec 1946

Death Place: Los Angeles

Mother's Maiden Name: Johnston

Father's Surname: Preston

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the 1860 United States Federal Census

Name: Flora Preston

Age: 2/12

Birth Year: abt 1860

Gender: Female

Birth Place: Michigan

Home in 1860: Lansing, Ingham, Michigan

Post Office: Lansing

Dwelling Number: 575

Family Number: 564

Household Members:

Name Age

J N Preston 29, head, abt 1831, New York <<<

Janette Preston 24, wife, abt 1836, Canada

Adam J Preston 2, son, abt 1858, Michigan

Flora Preston 2/12, daughter, abt 1860, Michigan

Note: The official enumeration day of the 1860 census was 1 June 1860. All questions asked were supposed to refer to that date. By 1860, there were a total of thirty-three states in the Union, with Minnesota and Oregon being the latest editions. There were no substantial state- or district-wide losses.

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

Name: Jasper N Preston

Birth Year: abt 1832

Place of birth: New York

Age on 1 July 1863: 31

Race: White

Marital status: Married

Residence: Delta, Michigan

Congressional District: 3rd

Class: 1

Note: Carpenter

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Name: Jasper Preston

Age in 1870: 38

Birth Year: abt 1832

Birthplace: New York

Dwelling Number: 186

Home in 1870: Oneida, Eaton, Michigan

Race: White

Gender: Male

Post Office: Grand Ledge

Occupation: Carpenter

Male Citizen over 21: Y

Real Estate Value: 1000

Inferred Spouse: Jennie Preston

Inferred Children: Samuel Preston

Sarah Preston

Flora Preston

Georgiana Preston

Household Members:

Name Age

Jasper Preston 38, head, abt 1832, New York <<<

Jennie Preston 36, wife, abt 1834, Canada

Samuel Preston 12, son, abt 1858, Michigan

Sarah Preston 10, daughter, abt 1860, Michigan

Flora Preston 7, daughter, abt 1863, Michigan

Georgiana Preston 2, daughter, abt 1868, Michigan

Ruth Oust 16, daughter, abt 1854, Michigan

Clark Gilbert ?, son, Michigan

George Jones 23, son, abt 1847, Michigan

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the 1880 United States Federal Census

Name: Jasper M. Preston

Age: 46

Birth Date: Abt 1834

Birthplace: New York

Home in 1880: Travis, Texas, USA

Street: 21st

Dwelling Number: 161

Race: White

Gender: Male

Relation to Head of House: Self

Marital status: Married

Spouse's Name: Janet Preston

Father's Birthplace: New York

Mother's Birthplace: New York

Occupation: Architech

Neighbors:

Household Members:

Name Age

Jasper M. Preston 46, head, abt 1834, New York <<<

Janet Preston 46, wife, abt 1834, Canada

Samuel Preston 21, son, abt 1859, Michigan

Sarah Preston 19, daughter, abt 1861, Michigan

Flora Preston 17, daughter, abt 1863, Michigan

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898

Name: Jasper Newton Preston <<<

Age: 60

Birth Year: abt 1832

Residence Year: 1892

Residence Place: Los Angeles, California, USA

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the 1910 United States Federal Census

Name: Jasper N Preston

Age in 1910: 77

Birth Year: abt 1833

Birthplace: New York

Home in 1910: Los Angeles Assembly District 73, Los Angeles, California

Street: So Hope Street

Race: White

Gender: Male

Relation to Head of House: Head

Marital Status: Married

Spouse's Name: Janet Preston

Father's Birthplace: New York

Mother's Birthplace: New York

Native Tongue: English

Able to read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Years Married: 52

Neighbors:

Household Members Age Relationship

Jasper N Preston 77 Head, abt 1833, New York <<<

Janet Preston 75 Wife, abt 1835, Canada

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the 1920 United States Federal Census

Name: Jasper N Preston <<<

Age: 80

Birth Year: abt 1840

Birthplace: New York

Home in 1920: Washington, Alameda, California

Residence Date: 1920

Race: White

Gender: Male

Marital Status: Widowed

Able to Speak English: Yes

Able to read: Yes

Able to Write: Yes

Relationship: Inmate

Place: "inmate" of the Masonic Home of California, in Washington Township, Alameda County, CA

Note: Both parents listed as born in New York and speaking English. This is really sad as it most likely means he was alone on the street at 80.

!Source: ancestry.com/ in the California, U.S., Death Index, 1905-1939

Name: Jasper N Treston

[Jasper N Preston]

Birth Year: abt 1832

Death Date: 8 Dec 1922

Age at Death: 90

Death Place: Alameda, California, USA

!Source: ancestry.com/ Beauregard Family Tree

When Jasper Newton Preston was born on October 5, 1832, in Ira, New York, his father, Samuel, was 32 and his mother, Rebecca, was 24. He married Jannett Jennie Johnston in 1860. They had four children in 10 years. He died on December 8, 1922, in Alameda, California, at the age of 90.

!Source: http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/1409/

Jasper Newton Preston

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Newspaper advertisement for Preston and Son, Architects, Los Angeles, 1888; from the Los Angeles Herald, vol. 30, no. 69, 06/12/1888, p. 3

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Male, US, born 1832-10-05, died 1922

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Associated with the firms

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Preston and Heide, Architects; Preston and Locke, Architects; Preston and Seehorn, Architects; Preston, Jasper N. and Son, Architects; Preston, Jasper N., Architect

Professional History

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Résumé

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Principal, Jasper Preston, Carpenter, Oneida, MI, c. 1870.

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Principal, Jasper Newton Preston, Austin, TX, c. 1875-1877; Partner, Preston and Ruffini, Austin, TX, 1877-1879; Principal, J. N. Preston and Son, Architects, Austin, TX, c. 1885. He formed at least two partnerships while in Austin, the first with the German-born architect Frederick Ernst Ruffini between 1877-1879, and by 1883 he had opened a practice with his son, S.A.J. Preston. He is credited with a number of commercial buildings in Austin, most notably the Hotel Driskill , built for a colorful local cattle rancher, Jesse Lincoln Driskill , but also Second Empire-styled Allen Hall at the Tillotson Institute, the Venetian Gothic-styled Walter Tips Building and the Hannig Building.

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Like many of his contemporaries, Preston had an eclectic approach, creating versions of the popular styles of the late nineteenth century. When Texas’s State Capitol building burned in 1881, Preston was appointed to the jury to select a new design. His jury picked Elijah E. Myers’s design, a structure for which Preston supervised construction.

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Principal, Jasper N. Preston and Son, Architects, Austin, TX, 1883-1886. According to the Texas State Historical Association, at some point during the 1883-1886 span, "...their firm was also listed in the San Antonio directories at that time."

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Principal, J. N. Preston and Son, Architects, Los Angeles, CA, 06/1887-1889. As in Austin, Preston opened an office with his son, S.A.J. Preston in 06/1887. A Los Angeles Herald article of 06/05/1887 introduced the firm to the city: "The gentlemen whose names head this article, have opened offices in the new Jones Block, near the Herald office and are now fitting up comfortable and convenient quarters.Los Angeles, with its rapid improvement and the erection of numerous platial [sic] residences, large store houses and costly public buildings, presents a splendid field for talented architects. Messrs. Preston & Son realize this fact, and a short time ago left Austin, Texas, where they stood at the head of the architectural profession and came to this city where the field is so much broader. Mr. J.N. Preston has been engaged in the practice of his profession for over thirty years, and was the supervising architect of the Capitol building at Austin, one of the most extensive and magnificent structures in the United States. This firm also erected the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Terrel, [sic] Texas, the courthouses at Brenham and Belton and many other buildings which are a pride to the State. Messrs. Preston put in a finely executed plan for our new courthouse, which was very much admired. Los Angeles is always glad to welcom such substantial citizens and the Herald predicts a successful career for these talented and experienced architects in Southern California." As the article indicated, the pair gained initial recognition in Los Angeles for their entry in the Los Angeles County Courthouse Competition of the mid-1880s. In 1888, the firm's office was at 41 South Spring Street.

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Jasper Preston enjoyed some prestige when he arrived in California, as his involvement with the Texas State Capitol no doubt impressed Los Angelenos. Preston had also erected at least three county capitol buildings in Texas, including that of Cameron County and Bastrop County . His colleagues voted him to the Presidency of the Southern California chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1892. He was active in the chapter, delivering a paper entitled, “Architecture, Its Study and Practice,” to the group in late 1894, and was elected to life membership in 1907. In Los Angeles, he obtained some important commissions, most notably the San Gabriel Hotel , the Los Angeles High School #2 , and the addition to the Normal School at Los Angeles . He also executed residential designs for wealthy clients in Pasadena and Huntington Beach.

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After the death of his son, Jasper Preston entered into a series of short-lived partnerships. Partner, Preston and [Seymour] Locke, Architects, Los Angeles, CA, 1893-1894; Principal, Jasper N. Preston, Architect, Los Angeles, CA, 1895, 1897-1899, Partner, Preston and [Donald] MacKenzie, Architects, Los Angeles, CA, 1896; Partner, Preston and [Norman Foote] Marsh, Architects, Los Angeles, CA, 1900-1901. Partner, Preston and [Ira H.] Seehorn, Los Angeles, CA, 1902-1907.

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Personal

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Relocation

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Jasper Newton Preston was born in Wayne County, NY, in 1832, but like many in Western NY during the heyday of the Erie Canal, his family migrated to the Midwest at some point before 1837. In 1850, he lived with his family on a farm near Oneida, MI, several miles west of Lansing. The 1850 US census indicated that the family farm was worth about $1600. Ten years later, its value had risen to about $6,000.

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A 1863 Civil War draft registration document indicated that the 31-year-old Jasper Preston lived in Delta, MI, was married, and worked as a carpenter. Delta was a small town about 7 miles west of Lansing. ; NAI: 4213514; Archive Volume Number: 2 of 3, accessed 03/30/2017.) He remained in Oneida in 1870, where he continued to work as a carpenter.

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Preston spent his boyhood here, and, apparently, studied architecture in Lansing, which probably meant that he apprenticed with a local designer.

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Preston left Lansing in c. 1875, relocating to TX where he spent most of the 1880s. He lived in Travis, TX, in 1880, with his wife and three of his children, Samuel, Sarah and Flora. He was known to set up his practice in Austin, TX, soon thereafter.

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The architect migrated to Los Angeles around 1886. In 1888, he lived at 200 South Main Street. From at least 1890-1892, he resided at 926 South Olive Street, according to voter records.

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He and Janet lived at 851 South Hill Street in Los Angeles in 1900. Four years later, the Los Angeles City Directory, 1904, recorded his home address as being 408 East 16th Street in Los Angeles.

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In 1910, Federal Census records indicated that Preston was lived with his wife, Janet, at 1006 South Hope Street in Los Angeles, CA, and was 77 years of age.

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Ten years later, Preston was a registered as an "inmate" of the Masonic Home of California, in Washington Township, Alameda County, CA; he was thought to have been 80 and was widowed. He likely died between 1920 and 1930, as his name did not appear in the latter year's census.

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Parents

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His parents, Samuel and Rebecca Preston, operated a farm in Eaton, MI, c. 1850. Samuel Preston, Jr., was born 07/16/1800 in NY, died in 1885, and was a descendant of the CT Revolutionary War soldier, Jacob Preston . He married Rebecca Sprague on 02/08/1825. In 1850, the family consisted of four children, Jasper, Samuel A.H. , Samantha Preston Jones , and Charles M. . The 1860 US Census erroneously indicated that Samantha had been born c. 1858 in MI.

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Spouse

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He married Janet Preston .

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Children

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The 1910 US Census recorded that Jasper and Janet had had 7 children together, although only two were still alive in that year. The 1870 US Census noted some of his children; his eldest child was George Jones Preston . The next children included Clark Gilbert , and Ruth , Samuel A.J. , Sarah , Flora Preston Hotchkiss , and Georgiana

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Biographical Notes

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Voter registration document of 1892 listed Preston as standing 5-feet, 8-inches tall, with a fair complexion, dark hair and brown eyes.

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PCAD id: 1409

Buildings and other works

Name Date City State

Bolt, Frank C., House, Lower Arroyo, Pasadena, CA 1892-1893 Pasadena CA

Burdick Building, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA 1888-1889 Los Angeles CA

Hoff, Charles M., Building, Los Angeles, CA 1904 Los Angeles CA

Irvine House, Riverside, CA 1906 Riverside CA

King, G.W., House, Saint James Park, Los Angeles, CA 1904 Los Angeles CA

Los Angeles Unified School District , Los Angeles High School #2, Fort Moore Hill, Los Angeles, CA 1890 Los Angeles CA

Newell, T.N., House, 1421 1/2 Georgia Street, Los Angeles, CA 1903 Los Angeles CA

Newell, T.N., House, 1421 Georgia Street, Los Angeles, CA 1903 Los Angeles CA

San Gabriel Hotel, Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles CA

Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, Courthouse #4, Preston and Seehorn Project, Redwood City, CA 1907 Redwood City CA

Publications

"San Gabriel Hotel Notice", Los Angeles Times, 1889-01-01.

Links

Preston, Jasper N.

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