History of Preston, (New London County) Connecticut United States of America

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Biographies:

Daniel Haskel, educator, was born in Preston, Conn., in June, 1784. He was graduated at Yale, A.B., 1802; A.M., 1805; taught school, 1802-07; read theology under Dr. S.S. Smith at Princeton, N.J., was licensed to preached, and was pastor at Litchfield and Middletown, 1807-10; of the First Congregational church, St. Albans, Vt., 1810; and of the Calvinistic Congregational church, Burlington, Vt., 1810-21. He was president of University of Vermont, 1821-24, when ill health compelled him to resign. He edited with J. C. Smith Gazetteer of the United States (1843), and Chronology of the World (1845); assisted in editing McCulloch's Geographical Dictionary (2 vols., 1843-44); and published several sermons. He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., Aug. 9, 1848.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Haskell Hewitt, educator, was born at Preston, Conn., Aug. 8, 1835, son of Charles and Eunice (Witter) Hewitt, and grandson of Stanton and Lucinda (Grant) Hewitt and of Jonah and Eunice (Cady) Witter. He attended academies at Plainfield and Suffield, Conn., and was graduated from Yale college, A.B., 1859; A.M., 1867, and from Yale Theological seminary in 1863. He was a post graduate student at Yale and librarian of the Brothers in Unity Society library and assistant in the Yale College library, 1863-65; professor of Latin language and literature at Olivet college, Mich., 1865-75, and acting-president, 1872-75; professor of Latin and Greek in Lake Forest university, Ill., 1875-81, and acting-president, 1877-78; studied and travelled in Germany and Italy, 1881-82, and was elected Garfield professor of ancient languages in Williams college in 1882. The year 1892-93 was spent, in England, Germany, Italy and Greece. He was elected a member of the American Philological association in 1886; of the Archaeological Institute of America, 1898; of the Philosophical Society of Great Britain in 1898, and was made a member of the managing committee of the School in Rome. He was married Sept. 8, 1869, to Mary Louisa, daughter of Lemuel Tyler and Eugenia (Thomas) Downing. The honorary degree of A.M. was conferred on him by Williams college in 1888, and that of LL.D. by Union college in 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

George Denison Prentice, journalist, was born in Preston, Conn., Dec. 18, 1802; son of Rufus and Sarah (Stanton) Prentice; grandson of Eleazer and Sarah (Stanton) Prentice, and a descendant of Valentine Prentise, who emigrated from England to Roxbury, Mass., with his wife Alice and son John in 1631. He taught school as early as 1817; was graduated at Brown university, A.B., 1828, A.M., 1826, and was admitted to the bar in 1829, but did not enter the legal profession. He edited the Connecticut Mirror, 1825-28; the Haverhill Gazette, and the New England Weekly Review, Hartford, Conn., 1828-80, and in 1830 was succeeded by John Greenleaf Whittier, and removed to Kentucky to collect historical data for a life of Henry Clay. He was married in 1835 to Henrietta, daughter of Joseph Benham of Louisville, Ky. He was editor of the Louisville Journal, a Whig publication, 1830-60; remained a contributor to its columns until 1868, when it became known as the Courier-Journal, and was also a regular contributor to the New York Ledger. These Contributions established his reputation as a humorous writer. He received the honorary degree A.M. from Trinity college in 1828. He is the author of: Life of Henry Clay (1831); Prenticeana ; or Wit and Humor in Paragraphs (1859, 2d ed., with biography by Glideroy W. Griffin, 1870), and a volume of poems, collected after his death, and published with a biography by John James Platt (1875). He died in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 22, 1870.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor