Family History
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James Preen, the third son of Richard and Sarah Preen, was born in Leebotwood
and was baptised there on 10th September 1846.
James spent the majority of his life working on the railways. In December
1871 he was working as a railway porter and living
in Liverpool. In 1874 and 1876 he was a "railway pointsman" living at Tonge-with-Haulgh,
near Bolton, and by the autumn of 1877 he was a railway signalman
living at Tranmere, in Cheshire.
By the 1891 census he had returned home to the Old Field in
Leebotwood and was working as a farm labourer. On 12th February
1927 James
Preen was buried in Leebotwood churchyard, aged 80.
James had married on 17th December 1871, in the parish church at
Liverpool. He was described as James Preen, a bachelor of full age and a
railway porter living at Orphan Street and the son of Richard Preen, a farmer. His
bride was Eliza Jones, a spinster of full age living at Orphan Street and
the daughter of Evan Jones, a joiner. Eliza probably died in the autumn of 1885.
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James and Eliza had four children of their own, three of which died at a very early age.
Their first daughter, Sarah Preen, was born in late 1872 or
early 1873. She was buried on 5th February 1877 in Leebotwood and her age was
given as just 4 years old. She is
remembered on the gravestone for Evan Jones and his family, under the name of
"Sarah Jane Preen". The gravestone includes the following inscription;
In Loving Memory of
SARAH JANE daughter of
JAMES
& ELIZA PREEN
who died January 31st 1877
aged 4 years.
WATCHED
THEE WITH A PARENT EYE
WHEN ON THY DYING BED
BUT COULD NOT FOR A MOMENT
THINK
THOU WOULD SO SOON BE DEAD.
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Richard Preen was born on 12th September 1876 at 38 Hopkins Street,
Tonge-with-Haulgh. The birth was
registered on 18th October by his father. He died 1 year later on
21st September 1877 at 10 Ebenezer St, Tranmere. The cause of death was
"congestion of the lungs". The death was reported on 22nd September, again by his
father.
John Arthur Preen was born on
6th November 1882 at 6 Clyde Street, Tranmere. The birth was registered on 8th November
by Margaret Disley of the same address. He died soon afterwards.
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Their fourth child, William Preen, was born on 1st October 1874 at 34 Spring Field,
Tonge-with-Haulgh. The birth was not registered by James Preen until a month later,
on 3rd November. This was
probably the same William Preen, aged 16, and born in Bolton, Lancashire, who was
apprenticed to a blacksmith in Smethcott in the 1891 census. According to Fred Medlicott,
his great-nephew, William died in the late 1920s.
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