The identity of Priscilla Kimball Preston. Can you help track down an old extracted record and help solve a 17th century mystery?

Question

We all know it should not take 1200 words to explain a transcription error ...

A 17th century personality, "Priscilla Kimball Preston," reported by FamilySearch's FamilyTree causes a conflict in my family research. I've had problems directly identifying the source specifics reported about her on new.FamilySearch.org. I'm hoping the experts on Genealogy.StackExchange can help me get to the bottom of this.

A series of questions below relate to the same problem. Since there is more than one way to slay this dragon, partial answers are welcome!

"Priscilla Kimball Preston" and the source

In new.FamilySearch.org, this "Priscilla Kimball Preston" (_ _ - _ _) is combined profile no. L8WP-GM6. The profile was developed from only two underlying submissions (identified as KGH5-CSK and KGH5-CXH).

Better yet, the combined profile reports two sources (and only two)--both cite extracted records. The citations to these extractions appear identical, but for a different "Record Number."

Source type: Other, Image number: 384, Record number: 698, Batch number: I04821­2, Batch number: I04821­2, Location in source: p 78, Source template: INDEX05, Locality: Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Language: English ­ Repaging, Contributor: EXTRACTION

Source type: Other, Image number: 384, Record number: 691, Batch number: I04821­2, Batch number: I04821­2, Location in source: p 78, Source template: INDEX05, Locality: Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Language: English ­ Repaging, Contributor: EXTRACTION

Question 1: From the citations above, is anyone able to otherwise identify a specific source title and source record from which the information about "Priscilla Kimball Preston" was devised?

"Priscilla Kimball Preston" and the IGI

I could not get the extracted record itself to return in a search of the name "Priscilla Kimball Preston" from the FamilySearch collection, "International Genealogical Index (IGI)" for "Community Contributed IGI" records." (Nor did it return in a search of "Community Contributed IGI.")

The batch number given in the citations is "I04821­2" (this batch number seems repeated twice in each citation). According to the wiki article, 'IGI Batch Number Descriptions," batches identified with a leading "I" are indices. Unfortunately, these are not further explained.

Question 2: Should I be able to locate the actual extracted entry in a search of the IGI? If the answer is yes, then what is the correct way of using the citations and IGI search parameters so the extracted record indeed returns? In the alternative, was this extraction excluded from the IGI for some obvious reason? (I thought all extractions would have been in the IGI).

Inferior/convoluted approach to devising the extracted record

The profile of "Priscilla Kimball Preston" (L8WP-GM6) in new.FamilySearch.org lacks much by which she would be identified directly (no birth or death information about her, for example). new.FamilySearch.org does identify her by associating problematic birth specifics for three immediate family members--two children and a husband (father of the children). Information from the summary profiles of the associated family members is shown below; the genealogical improbability should be obvious--a man born 1728 did not father children born earlier.

Many submissions combined to develop those three associated profiles. Through a reasonably convoluted process, I'm able to identify underlying submissions in the other profiles that probably relate to the extracted data.

William Preston (profile K2NM-FNP). From among the submissions (54) making up his profile, I'm able to locate two submissions that each contain a matching reference (KGH5-CSK or KGH5-CXH) to those of Priscilla Kimball Preston. About him, these submissions do not report about a date of birth. They only report his (a) name ("William Preston"); (b) gender (male) and (c) wife's name ("Priscilla Kimball Preston").

More about his profile. There are many sources, including extracted records, for his profile. None that I could see refer to a specific submission, but two of the extracted records are identical to those of Priscilla Kimball Preston, as below; emphasis added. :

Source type: Other, Image number: 384, Record number: 691, Batch number: I04821-2, Batch number: I04821-2, Location in source: p 78, Source template: INDEX05, Locality: Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Language: English - Repaging, Contributor: EXTRACTION

Source type: Other, Image number: 384, Record number: 698, Batch number: I04821-2, Batch number: I04821-2, Location in source: p 78, Source template: INDEX05, Locality: Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Language: English - Repaging, Contributor: EXTRACTION

In the case of the two daughters, I found similar but not identical submission references and in each case, these were the only entries that reported a mother "Priscilla Kimball Preston."

Mary Presson (profile LH8V-2PB). From among the submissions (21) making up her profile, one submission (KGH5-CSF) reports a birth 5 Mar 1695 at Beverly, Essex [County], Massachusetts; parents William Preston and Priscilla Kimball Preston. From among the many different sources and extracted records about this combined profile is one that is identical to a source in the profile of Priscilla Kimball Preston, as below; emphasis added:

Source type: Other, Image number: 384, Record number: 691, Batch number: I04821-2, Batch number: I04821-2, Location in source: p 78, Source template: INDEX05, Locality: Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Language: English - Repaging, Contributor: EXTRACTION

Ruth Preston (profile LH8K-8QC). From among the submissions (49) making up her profile, one submission (KGH5-CXS) reports a birth 25 Mar 1710 at Beverly, Essex [County], Massachusetts; parents William Preston and Priscilla Kimball Preston. From among the many different sources and extracted records about this combined profile is one that is identical to a source in the profile of Priscilla Kimball Preston, as below; emphasis added:

Source type: Other, Image number: 384, Record number: 698, Batch number: I04821-2, Batch number: I04821-2, Location in source: p 78, Source template: INDEX05, Locality: Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, Language: English - Repaging, Contributor: EXTRACTION

Using this convoluted approach, I have thus associated the names of two parents, "William Preston" and Priscilla Kimball Preston," with what I believe are two indexed birth extractions, one for "Mary Presson," b. 5 Mar 1695 [sic] at Beverly and her sister, one "Ruth Preston," b. 25 Mar 1710 at Beverly.

Question 3: I only know what I know. Lacking identifiable entries in the IGI (see Question 2), is there any way to locate all "extractions" about William Preston and Priscilla Kimball Preston that might similarly be associated with the same source and page "78?"

Likely the infamous "page 78"

All the sources/citations described above identify a now infamous page, "78" in materials authored by or about Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts. I'm able to otherwise identify a set of "Preston" records that appear such a numbered page. Yet other obvious record groups about Beverly can be excluded because the "Presson/Preston, etc." entries appear in those books on pages numbered higher than 78. Shown below is the upper section of page "78" from family pages in the Beverly town clerks records. See "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Towns Records, 1579-2001"; digital images, FamilySearch.org, Vol. 3 (M to S), p. 78; viewed as image 385 of 589.

Although I can't explain why there are not similar entries for all the children of "William Preston and Priscilla ..." reported on the page, I suspect that this "Priscilla Kimball Preston" personality was created by a mis-transcription of what was otherwise the name "Priscilla Randall."

I'm comfortable with the logic ("Priscilla Kimball Preston" vs "Priscilla Randall"), but it would sure make for a more straight forward explanation if I was able to directly identify the source from the citations above (see question 1) and/or locate the precise entry in the IGI (see question 2).

It shouldn't take 1,200 words and four graphics to explain a transcription error. In the mean time, we do what we gotta do.

Answer 1

I'm not sure if your source reference is to something in the IGI or not, but if it is from the IGI then the IGI search seems to to not work as I didn't find I04821-2 either.

However, the general FamilySearch search will find the record. You need to put in the name, Priscilla Preston, and then under "Restrict records by:" select "Batch Number" and fill in the batch, I04821-2, in the box. At least one of the resulting records shows the source film number, 760604, the batch number, and a "reference number" of the familiar "p 78". The film number can be looked up in the catalog, 760604 is "Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1653-1915" for Beverly, as you had otherwise found.

Answer 2

Priscilla Randall and William Preston had nine children according to my notes (and he had one with his other wife Sarah Crocker). Two of those nine children are my ancestors, 1. Nehemiah Preston b. 1692 and married Abigail Allen, and 2. Randall Preston b. 1702 and married Susanna Stone. The Edward you mentioned was born about 1690 and Stephen was born 1697.