Edward Warner Heston (March 16, 1745 – February 14, 1824) was an officer in the Sixth Company, Seventh Battalion of the

Pennsylvania militia The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and later a

Pennsylvania State Senator The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

(1802-1810). During the Revolution, Heston entered service as a captain. In a skirmish with the British, he suffered a severe sword cut to the back of the head and was taken prisoner and sent to Long Island, where he was held for seven months. By the end of the war, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Heston founded a village along the Lancaster Pike named Hestonville, in the former

Blockley Township Blockley Township is a defunct township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Incorporated in 1704, the township was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia under the 1854 Act of Consolidation. History An irregularly shape ...

, now part of Philadelphia. The Heston Mansion, located near the curren
Heston Elementary School
was built in 1800 and was purchased by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

in 1872; it was demolished in 1901 to make way for a railroad. After the war, Heston was elected to the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

, where he actively supported the abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania. He subsequently served as a judge in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas for four years, and then as a state senator for eight years. Heston was the father of 14 children. He died at his residence in Hestonville and is buried in

The Woodlands Cemetery The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It includes a Federal-style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed into a ...

References

External links

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Grave site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heston, Edward Warner 1745 births 1824 deaths American Revolutionary War prisoners of war held by Great Britain Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution Pennsylvania state senators Burials at The Woodlands Cemetery Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Abolitionists from Pennsylvania