A Guide to the Robert Lee Preston Address, n.d. #SC 0060

Thomas Balch Library

Thomas Balch Library
208 West Market Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
USA
Phone: (703) 737-7195
Fax: (703) 737-7195
Email: balchlib@leesburgva.gov
URL: http://www.leesburgva.gov/departments/thomas-balch-library/

Processed by: Stephanie Adams Hunter

Abstract

This collection consists of an undated, typed manuscript signed by Robert Lee Preston titled "Our First, Last, and Only Entangling Alliance. A Forgotten Incident in Our History." The nine page document discusses the United States' treaties with France, signed 6 February 1778, securing French support during the Revolutionary War, but also stipulating obligations from the United States in exchange.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open for research .

Use Restrictions

No physical characteristics affect use of this material.

Preferred Citation

Robert Lee Preston Address, n.d. (SC 0060), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA..

Acquisition Information

Loudoun County Public Library Administrative Office

Alternative Form Available

None

Accruals

1989.0005

Processing Information

Processed by Stephanie Adams Hunter, 19 January 2011

Biographical Information

Robert Lee Preston was born in Canada in 1863. His parents, Thomas S. (1842-?) and Nannie E. (1844-?) Preston, were both United States citizens born in Virginia. The family returned to Virginia some time during Preston's childhood. Little information is available about the early years of his life. He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Virginia, and attended universities in Berlin and Leipzig. Preston became headmaster of the University School, a boys prep school, in Washington, DC in 1891. In 1912, he acquired Meadowbrook, a 400 acre farm outside of Leesburg, Virginia, which he operated as a boarding school for boys. It is unclear when he closed the school.

Preston married Leonora Johnston (1864-1952) and had two children, Leonora (1896-1968) and Elliott (ca. 1900-1978). A collection of articles he wrote about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, Southern Miscellanies, was published in 1919. Preston was involved with the establishment of Thomas Balch Library in 1922, serving as chairman of the board of trustees overseeing the library's construction. Preston died 25 July 1941 in Leesburg.

Scope and Content

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Ancestry Library Edition, United States census, passport applications, social security death index. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
Frain, Elizabeth R. Union Cemetery Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia: The Later Plats 1880-1995 . Lovettsville, VA: Willow Bend Books, 1997.
Loudoun County Newspaper Clippings . Leesburg, VA, 19--?.
Loudoun Times Mirror , Obituary, 31 July 1941.
Loudoun Times Mirror , Obituary, 28 February 1952.
The Washington Post , "Prof. Preston Moves School," 20 May 1912.

Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

None