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Longevity times three
Stafford County's Preston triplets are piling up the years and the memories.Date published: 3/9/2006 By LEE WOOLF By LEE WOOLFWhen Frank Preston was born at his family's farmhouse in White Oak on Nov. 6, 1917, the doctor announced to the proud father, John Preston, "Congratulations, you have a son." Suddenly, the anxious new mother, Lily White-Preston, screamed for the doctor. That's when another baby, Gilbert, made his arrival. "Congratulations, you have a second son," the doctor told John Preston moments later. But then Lily Preston shouted for the doctor once again. That signaled the arrival of Carrie Preston, a baby girl who eventually became "Sallie" to family and friends. "Congratulations, you now have a daughter," the doctor proclaimed upon his return. And, apparently, three was enough for John Preston. "That's when our father jumped off the porch and ran for the woods," Frank Preston said in a recent phone conversation from his home in Union, N.J. "I don't know if it's true or not, but that's the tale that has been passed down through the family ever since." Today, Frank, Gilbert and Sallie Preston not only rank as the oldest living triplets to be born in the Fredericksburg area, but, at 88, they exceed the age of the "world's oldest living triplets" listed by the Guinness World Records. The Scott family triplets of Edinburgh, Scotland, are listed as "oldest" by Guinness. They were born on May 19, 1920--about the time the Prestons were toddling through the "terrible twos" back in Stafford. According to Guinness, the late Cardwell triplets of Texas--Faith, Hope and Charity--set the all-time standard for longevity at 95 years, 137 days before Faith passed away in 1994. The birth of triplets was a rare occurrence in the early 1900s compared to today. While the increased use of fertility drugs has made multiple births more common, they still carry a higher risk of premature labor and low birth weight. There were 53 sets of triplets born in Virginia in 2004, representing roughly one-tenth of 1 percent of the total births. As for the Preston triplets, however, they appear too busy enjoying life--and each other--to worry about their status in any record books. Three of a kindDespite having 88-plus years to get on each other's nerves, Frank, Gilbert and Sallie Preston seem as closely connected in the most important ways as they were on that November day in 1917.
Date published: 3/9/2006
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