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Kaufman County history is saturated in persons with the surname BECK, and though most of them could tie their lineage back to a man in Washington Co Indiana, not all persons named beck who lived here were from that same family. The two separate Beck families came here from the 1840's to the 1860's, one group from the north, the other from the south, and although their surname was the same there seemed to be no other common links between the two. we now know that both families probably originated from the same predecessor several generations back in North Carolina. That leaves us to wonder if the two Beck clans were aware of their connection in lineage or if they ever attempted to decipher their own common ancestors.
The most infamous Beck in Kaufman County history is Capt. John J Beck. John Beck came to this county in 1845 with a large family from Indiana, and within a few years his cousin Andrew Beck brought here even more persons bearing the Beck name. Their family history has been well-documented and recorded. However, in the 1870 Kaufman County census there are five children named Beck listed, none residing in a household of another person named Beck, and living well away from the other Becks in the county. It is the legacy and heritage of those five children which has puzzled historians and genealogists for many years, as they had no known ties to the John or Andrew Beck families who came here.
For many years Kaufman County lore was that a woman named Martha Beck came to Kaufman County with her 5 children in 1866, along with a Mrs Montgomery and her children. The story was that Mrs. Beck's husband had been killed in the Civil War and that she and Mrs. Montgomery, whose husband had also died around the time of the war, wanted a fresh start in their lives so they loaded their children into two covered wagons and headed for Texas.
That tale has many romantic qualities and is like so many which get passed from generation to generation within families throughout the years. Unfortunately those type tales get recorded as being fact within historic archives, which was what occurred with this story when it was published in the Kaufman County Historical Commission's first volume of family histories.. In this case however, this particular story has been disproven through genealogical research done in 2002, and the following is what was found to be the truth behind Kaufman County's "other" Beck family..
A woman named Martha Branam (Brannon on some documents) Beck did come to Kaufman County Texas from Coffeee County AL in the year 1866. It is not known if she came here alone or with another group, but she purchased land in the area north east of Scurry. She was a widow and had her five children with her and within a year of arriving here she died, and was one of the first interments in what is now called Mt. Olive Cemetery. Knowing these facts has assisted in disproving even more Kaufman County lore.
For many years historians have wondered why the area northeast of Scurry is called Beck's Chapel. It was assumed for many decades that Beck's Chapel Graveyard & Beck's Chapel School were so called for the clan of John J Beck, though the places is far from where the majority of John and Andrew Beck's families settled in the northeastern portion of the county called College Mound. It is now known that these places were named for Martha Beck and her children.
And although it appears Martha Beck did not travel to Kaufman County with persons named Montgomery, there is truth that the family had ties to a Mrs. Montgomery after coming here.
In 1872 Nancy Caroline Davidson Montgomery, a widow who was born 2 Apr 1825, arrived with her five children in Kaufman County, settling in the Scurry area. However, it is now known that Martha Beck and Nancy Montgomery never met each other, as Martha Beck had been dead five years before Nancy Montgomery's arrival.
We know Nancy Montgomery did not come here with Martha Beck because she is enumerated as a Widow on the 1870 Dyer Co TN Census:
Friendship township - pg 21 - HH 95 / 91
| Last Name | First Name | Age | Sex | Color | Occupation | Born |
|---|
| Montgomery | Nancy | 45 | F | W | Keeping house | Tenn |
| Montgomery | Geo | 18 | M | W | Farm laborer | Tenn |
| Montgomery | Mary | 15 | F | W | At home | Tenn |
| Montgomery | John | 15 | M | W | Farm laborer | Tenn |
| Montgomery | Jas | 10 | M | W | Farm laborer | Tenn |
| Montgomery | Benj | 9 | M | W | School | Tenn |
Admittedly, there are some strange circumstances and similarities in the lives of Martha Beck and Nancy Montgomery that may have caused confusion in the telling of their individual stories over the course of time. One eerie fact is that Nancy Montgomery, like Martha Beck, also died within a year of arriving in Kaufman County, dying on 17 Feb 1873 - she was one of the first persons to be buried at Wilson's Chapel Cemetery. Another is that Nancy was also a widow because of the Civil War. Her husband, John S Montgomery had died in 1868 from wounds he sustained and from which he never recovered, just as Martha Beck's husband. Also, as in the case of Martha Back's children, Nancy's children were made wards of the courts and left in legal Guardianships of some of the same families and neighbors as the Beck children were - the Nash, Murphey, Adams and Gray families. Nancy Montgomery's probate file #132-A is dated 27 Apr 1873, with John D Echols, Administrator.
These facts can be called purely coincidental in nature, however in the late 1870's the tie between these two families became a permanent one when two of the Montgomery sons married two of the Beck sisters.
Upon her death the probate of Martha Beck's estate was filed in Kaufman Couty courts 16 Oct 1867, File # 258-A, with her neighbor John Frank Gray as Administrator. Also, the county assigned a Guardianship Case to her three minor children on 1 Mar 1868, file # NCM230, naming J F Gray as Guardian of her children William J, Amanda & Charles .
Her children Harris, Julia and Mattie had been taken in by the Lewellyn T. Nash family. Details of the Guardianship can be found in Probate File Book 1, pg 379; Misc Book 1 pgs 462-463. However, Lewellyn Nash died unexpectedly in late 1869 and the Beck children were removed from the Nash domicile and placed into other homes.
On the 1870 Kaufman County Census William, Harris, Julia and Matttie Beck are all living with J F Gray, and Charles is living in the home of Lafayette Murphey. Amanda is not listed on the census.
With the exception of Julia, Martha Beck's children resided here in Kaufman County the remainder of their lives. William Jasper Beck and Harris Beck became respected businessmen in Kaufman . They married two of the McPeter sisters, daughters of one of Kaufman's earliest pioneers, Jonathan McPeters.
Details on Martha Ann Branam Beck
Born - 2 Apr 1831 - Branam Old Stand, Coffee Co AL
Daughter of Sampson Branam & Priscilla Gordon. Her family was early
pioneers of Coffeee County AL. She is enumerated on the 1850 Coffee Co AL
Census living in the home of her father
Died - 4 Jun 1867 - Kaufman Co TX
She married 9 Mar 1851 Coffee Co AL
Charles "Caleb" Beck
Born - 29 Nov 1830 AL
Died - 11 Jun 1864 Elba, Coffee Co Al (from war wounds)
*He served in CSA - Co B 1st Regiment, Cherokee Mt'd Vols - File M818, Roll 2
*He is enumerated on 1850 Coffee Co Al census in home of Harris BRANAM,
dwelling 543 - listed as age 19 born AL.
*He was son & oldest child of Everette Beck (b-1810-NC) & wife Gracey Wasden
Beck (b-1811-AL), who are also listed on the 1850 Coffee Co AL census
with their 10 other children. They married 19 May 1829 in Montgomery AL
*He was the grandson of Nathaniel Beck -born 1781 VA, who was living with
Joseph Branam on the Coffee Co AL 1850 census.
*He is enumerated after his marriage to Martha on the 1860 Coffee Co Al Census -
HH 534
Calab BECK 29 Al
Martha 29
Wm. J 8
Harris N 6
Amanda 4
Julia P 2
Charlie C 6 mos
The children of Caleb Beck & Martha Branam Beck:
- William Jasper "Billy" BECK
Born -27 DEC 1851
Died - 16 MAY 1922
*Named after his great grandfather William Jasper Wasden
Married - 24 AUG 1871 - Kaufman TX
Cordelia Artemesia McPETERS
Born - 25 MAR 1849 TX Died- 08 MAR 1891 Kaufman TX Bd-Kaufman City
*On 11 Oct 1900 WIlliam Jasper filed a petiton of Guardianship for his daughter,
Lorena, in Kaufman Co Probvate Court- file #997. This was 9 years after
Cordelia' death.
1880 Kaufman Co Census:
William J. BECK Self M Male W 28 AL Farmer AL AL
Cordelia BECK Wife M Female W 30 TX Keeping House TN TN
Jonathan C. BECK Son S Male W 6 TX AL TX
Erastus R. BECK Son S Male W 3 TX AL TX
William J. BECK Son S Male W 1 TX AL TX
- Harris Nathaniel BECK
Born - 01 JUN 1853 - Coffee Co AL
Died - 09 JAN 1888 - Kaufman TX - Buried Beck's Chapel Cemetery
Married - 09 JAN 1873 - Kaufman TX
Amanda Melissia "Mandy" McPETERS (sister of Cordelia)
Born - 04 OCT 1858 - TX, Died - 10 AUG 1927 - Kaufman TX - Bd Beck's Chapel
In 1876 Harris purchased 250 acres west of Kaufman, and made purchases of adjoining acreage until the 1880's. Upon his death he and Amanda owned more than 1000 acres of land, some of which was donated by Amanda in 1897 for the use of a school which was called Beck's Chapel School. She also donated the land which became the Beck's Chapel Cemetery.
*He was named for his 2 great-grandfathers Harris Branam & Nathaniel Beck.
1880 Kaufman Co Census:
N. Harris BECK Self M Male W 25 AL Farmer AL AL
Amanda BECK Wife M Female W 23 TX Keeping House TN TN
Mary MCPETERS Mother-in-law W Female W 65 TN KY KY
*Upon death of Harris, Amanda filed a Petition of Guardianship for three children in Kaufman County Probate Court - file # 488-B, dated 5 Feb 1888, with herself, Amanda M Beck, as Custodian. Children listed were Claude, Sally & Martha.
- Amanda BECK
Born - 17 Aug 1855
Died - 13 Mar 1925 - Kaufman TX- Buried Wilson's Chapel Cemetery
Married - 15 Feb 1874 - Kaufman TX
John William MONTGOMERY
Born - 1 Oct 1854 (twin of sister Mary ), Died 30 Apr 1899 - Kaufman - buried Wilson's Chapel
*He & Amanda had 7 children. He served as a Constable for the County. Was member of WOW Camp #226. According to Obit, Terrell Times Star 5 May 1899, he died from pneumonia
1880 Kaufman Co TX census
Page, 18, 15 June 1880, Dist. No.41, HH#153/163;
John Montgomery, Head, WM, 26, Farming, TN
Amanda, Wife, 24, Keeping House, AL
Ada, Daughter, WF, 5, TX
Ida, Daughter, WF, 5, TX
Mollie, Daughter, WF, 3, TX
Gertrude, Daughter, WF, 1, TX
- Julia Ann BECK
Born - 29 Nov 1857 AL
Died - 7 Mar 1922 - Denton Co TX
Married - 29 Aug 1877 - Kaufman TX -
Lemuel Newman NASH
Born circa 3 Feb 1849 AL Died 22 Apr 1932
*They moved to Erath County right after their marriage
1880 Erath Co TX Census
Lem. NASH Self M Male W 30 AL Farmer TN KY
Julia NASH Wife M Female W 23 AL Keeping House AL AL
*Their Children
Verna NASHb: 1879
Walter Sidney NASH b: 21 JUN 1883
Aron Edward NASH b: 26 APR 1884
Neely Jasper NASH b: 20 SEP 1885 in Erath Co, Tx.
Myrtle Aubrey NASH b: 21 SEP 1887 in Bartonville, Denton, Tx.
Alma NASH b: 6 NOV 1896
- Charles Caleb BECK
Born - 1860 - Coffee Co AL
Died - 2 Sep 1894 - Ft Worth TX
*He was made a ward of the courts & sent to reside with attorney Z T Adams, who was providing schooling in law for Charles
1880 Kaufman Co Census-
Elizabeth RATLIFF Self W Female W 58 TN Keeps House TN SC
Zacheriah T. ADAMS SonL W Male W 33 MS Lawyer VA TN
Judediah ADAMS GSon S Male W 4 TX At Home MS TX
Charley BECK Other S Male W 18 AL In School
*His obit was in the Kaufman Herald, Friday, edition - 7 Sep 1894.
- Martha "Mattie" BECK
Born- circa 1862-AL Died - UNK
Married #1 - 16 Oct 1879 - Kaufman TX
James S MONTGOMERY (brother of John )
Born 14 Mar 1858, died 18 Dec 1882
1880 Kaufman Co Census
James MONTGOMERY Self M Male W 22 TN Farmer TN TN
Mattie MONTGOMERY Wife M Female W 18 AL Keeping House AL AL
Benj. MONTGOMERY Brother S Male W 19 TN Work On Farm TN TN
Married #2 -10 Jan 1894 - Kaufman CO TX
Thomas Jefferson DOOLEY
LINEAGE of this BECK Family
Charles Caleb BECK
+ Martha Ann BRANAM
Caleb's PARENTS:
Everette BECK born 24 Aug 1808 NC- died 20 Jun 1873 Marengo Co AL
+ Grace "Gralia" WASDEN
Married 19 May 1829 AL
Everette's PARENTS:
Nathaniel BECK born circa 1780 NC - died after 1850 Coffee Co AL
+ Mary UNK
In a land document signed by Nathaniel in Coffee Co AL, 1837, it lists his brothers as
"Jonathan and Caleb BECK of Rowan Co NC"
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