| Lewis-Bratti Genealogy |
Nathaniel Preston 1750 - 1832 (81 years)Nathaniel Preston's Burial Location As far as Nathaniel's burial place, he is not buried in the Old Town Cemetery. In 1832 the cemetery on the hill in back of Paintsville was not the town cemetery but the Dixon family graveyard. Henry Dixon laid out Paintsville on his land and recorded the plat in 1826. The original plat extended from Paint Creek only as far as second street. Third Street did not exist until the late 1800s. Henry Dixon's house stood on the hill above what is now Third Street and below where the Mayo Cemetery is today. The Dixon graveyard was on the next hill over and directly in line with his house. At what point this graveyard evolved into the town cemetery is unknown. Nathaniel Preston lived on the other side of the Big Sandy River. His land was bordered on the west, north and east by the horse shoe bend in the river. Harold Lloyd Preston indicated he believed Nathaniel and Elizabeth were buried in a family cemetery on the ridge opposite the mouth of Paint Creek. He cited an 1832 deed from Isaac Preston when he was selling his land before moving to Missouri that mentions this cemetery. The Revolutionary War marker for Nathaniel that is in The Old Town Cemetery was acquired by a Preston descendant who is now deceased. When the exact burial location was never located the marker was placed near Nathaniel's daughter, Edith and her husband Francis A. Brown who are buried in the Old Town Cemetery. The fact that is not a memorial marker has caused almost everyone to erroneously assume Nathaniel is buried there.
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