Fonds med-248 - James Preston family fonds

James Henry Preston was born January 12, 1880, in Wiarton, Ontario, to Joseph and Mary Ann (nee Mitchell) Preston. Joseph Preston was a successful contractor there, and James worked alongside his father to learn the trade. In 1903, James relocated to Medicine Hat and began contracting. He purchased the Medicine Hat Lumber and Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in 1908, and changed the name to J.H. Preston Planing Mill. In either the late 1920's or early 1930's, the business was lost as the result of severe flooding. The lumber was washed away and the machines rusted beyond repair. The city could not afford to pay damages and Mr. Preston's business was entirely lost. James Preston married Mary Louella (nee Rowland) on December 18, 1905. They had 2 children; Rowland, born on February 18, 1907, and Marion (date of birth unknown). Mary Preston died in 1918, after suffering from tuberculosis, and shortly thereafter, James was remarried to Mary M. "Minnie"? (nee Kennedy). A third child, a son named Norman Kennedy, was born into the Preston family from the second marriage. James Henry Preston passed away on February 3, 1979. He was predeceased by his second wife, on February 21, 1972.