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The following is an excerpt from the book "John Jacob Beck" researched & compiled by Kathey Kelley Hunt. This book was prepared for the purpose of being auctioned off at the annual College Mound Methodist United Church Auction in November 1998. (used with permission) John Jacob Beck was an ambitious person, to say the least. At a time in his life when most men of his age were content to pass on their land to the next generation and whittle away their remaining days in a favorite chair on their front porch, John was contemplating the future - and most probably he was more concerned with what the future held for his children and grandchildren than he was for his wife or himself. When John was fifty-eight years old, he decided to leave his home and seek a better life in the wilderness of the Republic of Texas. As in the rest of the United States, people in Indiana had heard the stories of the rough Texians and how they had fought and died at the Alamo, captured Santa Anna at San Jacinto, and staved off wild Indians and beasts just to claim the land which was hailed the most fertile and beautiful on the continent. Like many others, who were mostly from Tennessee and Missouri, John decided to liquidate his assets in Indiana and head for Texas, choosing to apply for land certificates with a man named Charles Fenton Mercer, who had surveyed the land in the area of Texas known as "the Three Forks of the Trinity." Six of his married daughters and their husbands, who had also been enticed by the stories of the land of plenty, did the same. The Beck family history has been passed down through the generations lauding the great expedition made by John Jacob Beck and his family and their arrival in Texas, settling at a place now known as College Mound, in northeast Kaufman County. According to the family lore "more than eighty people" were in the wagon train that "arrived in the College Mound area in 1844." This is the account of the family's trek which has been published in Kaufman County history books for decades and although the story of how and when the Beck family made their way to Texas has remained basically unchanged through several generations, there has been no published evidence provided to substantiate the family's tale. As with all family stories that are passed down from generation to generation, serious consideration must be given to the fact that these types of tales do get changed with time - some deliberately. Exaggeration seems the most frequent culprit, for many a family member has altered history to widen the eyes of their grandchildren and many an ancestor's life has been glorified to enhance their otherwise lackluster existence. More frequently than not, however, family stories become changed innocently, though an elderly person's inability to recall names, places or dates correctly, confusing them with other occurrences they were told about, or actually experienced. And, unfortunately, some tales are lost forever due to debility or death. From all indications, John Beck arrived in the Republic of Texas in December 1844 or in the first weeks of January 1845. He signed the first of two Mercer's Colony Land Certificates in Nacogdoches District on January 22, 1845, witnessed by his son-in-law, Andrew H. Henry. The second was signed April 29, 1850. Through Charles Fenton Mercer's land agreement he was entitled to 640 acres of land, and he took it in two separate parcels of 320 acres each. He chose both surveys on the banks of the Trinity River, and there are speculations as to why he did so. The two original surveys are about eleven miles apart - one is in present-day Kaufman County about three miles south of where State Highway 34 crosses the Trinity River, and the other is in present-day Henderson County, about five miles south of the Kaufman-Henderson County line. At the time he chose the land both surveys were within the boundaries of the Nacogdoches District - he had no way of knowing at that time that the area would be changed from the Nacogdoches District to Henderson County, or that two years later, in February 1848, the northern portion of Henderson would become Kaufman County. For reasons unknown, but highly speculated upon, John did not live on either of his Mercer's Colony surveys, but instead lived on land he purchased from land brokers, Muckleroy & Hamm. The land was located in what is now called the College Mound community of Kaufman County, a couple of miles west of the present Van Zandt County boundary. It is not known how John became aware of the area he lived in, although his daughter Susan and her husband, Andy Henry, lived a couple of miles northeast of the land he bought, so it is possible he and Annie first settled with them and soon after found the land, liked it and bought it. John paid $325.50 for 431 acres, signing the deed on March 4, 1853, which was six years after Annie's death, which raises questions as to why John chose that particular piece of land as the site of his home. But his sole reason for doing so was probablky to be near his children, their families and to remain close to Annie. Legend says Annie Beck chose the site for her burial - the place was first known as Beck's Mound, and is now the College Mound Cemetery and site of the College Mound Methodist Church. She had been diagnosed with consumption many years before and probably knew she was dying and, as was the custom back then, she chose a place on a hill, much like the cemetery back in Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana, which was known as Beck's Hill Cemetery. It has been the opinion of this writer for many years that the frequently-printed date for Annie Beck's death of Mary 5, 1846, is incorrect. The date created suspicions that it was not Annie's true death date because it seemed odd, and too much of a coincidence, that she died on her birthday, but also because the tombstone on her grave is not of the style, type or material which possibly could have been obtained for a gravestone in that area, at that time. In 1846 there was no one within 150 miles of Beck's Mound, who could have made such a monument. The tombstone bearing the May 5, 1846 date is newer than that, and was probably made in the 1860's, according to historical preservationists. That stone was probably made and placed at the same time John's tombstone was. The death date of Mary 5, 1846 being carved onto the tombstone was more than likely done in error. More likely than not, the person ordering the stone confused her death date with her birth date and/or miscalculated (or forgot) the correct year, or it was the stonemason who made the error, which was a more common occurrence than most persons can imagine, especially back then. It is the older concrete tombstone for "Anny Beck" that is actually her original grave marker. It is hand-carved and crudely fashioned from material that would have been readily available in the area in the 1840's, and the writing and wording on the stone is indicative to the style most persons used during that period. But to further proved that the May 5, 1846 date is incorrect, a search was done for the filing of a Last Will & Testament for Annie, to which there is none. However, in reading through the Henderson County Probate Minutes an entry was found from the July Term, 1847, Vol. 1, p. 46, where John J. Beck informed the probate court justices that his wife, Anna Beck, had died in May of that year, without owning any property subject to probate. The death date on the older stone is 19 May 1847. As it always seems to happen when doing research on matters such as this, the day after Annie's date of death was confirmed. It was discovered in the archives of the College Mound Church that recognition of the old tombstone bearing the 1847 date had been confirmed as being Annie Beck's original gravestone by Margaret Patton-Anderson in her sketch "Recollections of a Pioneer Woman." John Beck was instrumental in bringing the Methodist-Episcopalian Church to Kaufman County and especially to College Mound. The first services were held in his house in 1846 and by 1848 a building had been erected for church and school purposes, located just a little east of the present day site of the church.(from the Archives of College Mound Methodist Church printed 1995 for Centennial Celebration) The first documentation in Texas, other than his Mercer's Certificates, that lists John Beck's name is the 1846 Henderson County Tax Rolls. He is listed on the 1850 Kaufman County Census with his five youngest, unmarried children: Henry, Andrew, Thomas J., Harriett & Jonathan. He is listed on the 1850 Slave Schedule of Kaufman County as owning two slaves. His name appears on jury lists and as a county road maintenance supervisor in Kaufman County Commissioners Minutes and Court records. He is referred to as "Captain" Beck on some records, a name that has carried over from his days in Indiana, as he was in the Militia during the War of 1812. Many acquaintances and some relatives called him Captain Beck, also. In 1850 John Jacob Beck was the first Post Master of College Mound Post Office. He held the position until 1856. During the Civil War the Post Office there was discontinued and mail had to be gathered at Cedar Grove, three miles northeast of there. There has been no document found which bears John J. Beck's signature, although it is known he did sign his name, not just his mark, to his Mercer's Colony certificates. It is know his sons, William and Andrew could write and sign their names, as these have been found on documents. Whether or not Thomas Jefferson and Jonathan could read and write is not known, but it is known that all his daughters except for Hannah were illiterate. She was the only girl in the family who could read and write. It is not known whether Annie Beck was literate, yet it is very doubtful she was, considering her daughters were never taught. John died July 6, 1858 and is buried near Annie. He did intestate, with his eldest son, William Henry, serving as Administrator of the Estate. His estate was not completely settled until 1898, a trying, burdensome matter for William Henry, whose frustration in handling the estate can be traced in the many legal documents concerning the probate. John Beck was an engineer and a mechanic. A list of items of his estate which were sold after his death prove that he was one prone to using a gorge and although he raised some cattle and did a little farming, most likely he had fond ideas of building a grist mill and saw mill on his land along the Trinity, much like the one he had helped his father build at Beck's Mill, Washington County, Indiana. Both his parcels of land were on the banks of the Trinity River. Today we know that John did not build a mill of any type and it probably took only one good Texas thunderstorm to make him change his mind about building on the banks of the flood-ridden Trinity River, if he was ever so inclined. It is well documented in the archives of Kaufman County history that until the Trinity River Levee was built in 1909 the land adjacent to the Trinity flooded drastically with any heavy rainfall. Porter's Bluff and the original town of Trinidad, near where Rosser is now located, were both wiped completely away by floods in the 1860's and there were times noted from the 1850's and 1860's when the Trinity was more than two miles wide during spring rains. There is one fact about John Beck's land, his Head right #507, which might have changed John's life, had he pursued a different occupation or been able to live on the land there. His survey became an important part of Kaufman County history. The old Trinidad-Porter's Bluff Road lay right down the center of his land, and it became a "Crossroads" within the county, and the entire area, after 1849 when a town called Trinity City - then called Telico - was established in Ellis County, directly across the Trinity River from John's land. Trinity City had the first factory in the area, the Telico Manufacturing Company, which was housed in a large building 150 x 250 feet, and operated from four large steam driven engines. They ginned wool and cotton, and milled lumber, but most importantly, for a man like John Beck whose sons and sons-in-law were cabinet makers, they manufactured furniture. The town across the river from John Beck's land became an important trading place for the people who lived in southwestern Kaufman County and as early as 1852 there were means devised to get across the river to it. Because the ferries at Trinidad and Parson's Slough, about five miles north, were impractical when the river was high there was a suspension foot bridge, constructed called the Red Bank Bridge, which connected to John Beck's land -on the east side of the river- to Trinity City (or Old Telico), on the west side. Had John, or possibly some of his family members been so inclined, they might have capitalized on the traffic using the bridge, or even built a mercantile or outpost of their own on the east side of the river to take advantage of those who were going to Trinity City. In the early 1920's a concrete and steel bridge replaced the old wooden suspension bridge and by then Red Bank Road had become the only means of getting from Kaufman to Ennis or to Waxahachie from any part of Kaufman County. That bridge was destroyed in 1942, after a steel suspension bridge was built in 1934 on Highway 34 west of Rosser. The old concrete bridge was blown up by pilots who used it for bombing practice. Parts of that bridge are still visible in the river bottom when the water level is low. DISPROVING FAMILY LORESince we know, for certain, that John Jacob Beck, his son Andrew, and his sons-in-law A. Henry, W. Fogleman, J. Zink and H. Ratts were in Nacogdoches, Texas by January 1845, it is a safe assumption that they all left Missouri together. Knowing that Andrew. Henry and family were already living in Missouri, it is then safe to assume that the Becks, Foglemans, Zinks (Hannah's first husband), Claridas, Elizabeth All & baby son Jonathan, and any others in the party who were traveling with them, left Indiana in early 1843, which contradicts the family story that they left there in the spring of 1844. We know by the Time Line that Elizabeth Beck Allen married Henry Ratts in Missouri, July 1843, and another Beck daughter, Sarah Beck Gardner, gave birth there in November of that same year. That period of time alone proves it took the group longer than three months to make the entire trip to Texas, as the family legend states. It is not exactly known when the Beck group left Indiana, but the distance from Washington County Indiana to Johnson County Missouri is almost 400 miles, and when considering that travel by ox-driven wagon was, at the most, 3 miles per hours, that leg of the trip alone would have taken them 133 hours, or approximately 23 days, if they traveled six hours each day, every day of the week, and that was not likely. This group included pregnant women and many small children, and they were traveling on rough-hewn roads and crossing rivers and streams without bridges or ferries. It was hard travel barring any problems which arose along the way that would slow them down or stop them completely - sick persons, sick animals, the birth of a child or repairs to broken equipment - just to suggest a few possibilities. Through logistic mapping, and common reasoning, the progress of John Beck and his group can be calculated (although some will say it is more speculation than calculation.) However, there are two events which definitely indicate the location of the expedition, and the most relevant factor in tracking the progression of the Beck family journey, through the use of the Time Line, hinges on one tiny, baby girl - Jerusia Fogleman. Through her birth and death we are able to determine that the main group of the family left Johnson County Missouri before she was born in March of 1844, at Stott's City, Lawrence County Missouri, which is located in the southwestern portion of that state - a distance of about 100 miles from Johnson County. And through the Time Line it is learned that they had traveled the distance of approximately 200 miles to a place near the Texas-Arkansas border, where little Jerusia died and was buried near the Red River in October of 1844, seven months after leaving Lawrence County. At that rate to travel, calculations would show it is safe to assume that the Beck clan left Indiana as early as the weather permitted in 1843. From the Red River to Nacogdoches is another 125 miles. It is known for certain they were in Nacogdoches by the third week of January 1845, when many of the Beck men signed their Mercer's Colony Land Certificates, but to get to the land they had come so far to claim the faced another 100+ miles back northwest to what is now Kaufman County. Taking into consideration their average rate of travel prior to arriving in Texas, and knowing they made the jaunt from the Red river to Nacogdoches in three months, it is possible that John Beck and those members of his family who did not stay in Missouri, arrived in the area of College mound by April of 1845, or approximately two years after leaving Indiana. Before the question is raised, it needs to be noted that the group would have traveled straight to Nacogdoches when entering the Republic of Texas. They would not have stopped at any other place, including what came to be known as Beck's Mound, before signing for their Mercer's Colony certificates. They could not claim, or "squat" on what was not yet rightfully theirs and more than likely they came back towards the Kaufman area with an even larger group of settlers who had also finalized their own land deals with Mercer. Also, because Texas was an independent Republic at the time, all persons entering the territory had provided proper identification, papers proving who they were, showing character and financial references, before they were allowed to stay in the Republic for any length of time. This form of identifying themselves could be likened to "presenting a Passport" in modern day travel. It was a requirement the Beck family would have adhered to, as they certainly didn't want to take the chance of being sent out of the Republic and loosing their chance at obtaining the land they went after. Of course, the most important fact about John J. Beck settling at all at Beck's Mound did not occur until March 4, 1853. This is the date John bought the land where Beck's Mound is located - the land referred to as "The College Mound Tract" by family members and in his estate. Although his son-in-law, Andrew H. Henry made the statement about early times in Kaufman County and mentioned : "The summer of 1846 W.K. Wilson, the first Methodist, or any kind of preacher, came. His first appointment at College Mound came Spring of 1846 at private house of John Beck. The first house of worship was erected about 1848 - it was a public building for school and church purposes." Before College Mound was known by that name, the area was known as Beck's Mound. It was referred to as such on maps and by surveyors. Another one of Kaufman County's most illustrious pioneers and surveyors, John H. Reagan, wrote of a life-threatening ordeal through which he endured a snowstorm in the winter of 1840-1841, and in it recalled the area now known as College Mound: " I made my way westward. I came to the Kaufman Prairie, at which time afterwards was known as Beck's Mound." The most conclusive evidence that the Beck expedition did not settle in College Mound until 1845 comes again from a statement by Andrew H. Henry. Concerning early settlers to the area of College Mound, he stated about the group: "emigrated from Johnson County Missouri, January 22, 1845, and settled at College Mound, six miles east of Terrell." According to the provisions of Mercer's, any head of a household could get 640 aces of land if they were living in the colony prior to October 25, 1848, and any single man over the age of seventeen could receive 320 acres with the same residency requirements. The land received by John Beck, his sons and sons-in-law was scattered across the county, so once again the family story that "they all settled and lived near each other at Beck's Mound" is disputed; is just is not true. If John J. Beck had not purchased the land to the Juan Gonzalez Survey from Muckleroy & Hamm, he would have probably been living on the banks of the Trinity River, in either Kaufman or Henderson County, where his two head right land surveys were located. His son, Andrew, received land near where the East Fork branches from the Trinity, at a place then called Trinidad and his eldest son, William Henry, received land in southwest Henderson County at a place called Science Hill. The original survey belonging to William Fogleman was just north of modern-day Terrell, and James Gardner bought land a little north of there but then later moved to the southwestern portion of the county, the Peter Smith Survey, south of Trinidad and near Ellis County and the Trinity River - this may be why one of his sons enlisted in the Confederacy with an Ellis County regiment. James Clarida did buy land on the Juan Gonzalez Survey, a little south of John Bek's place and in 1858, Wilson Fogleman bought land between the two, also on the Juan Gonzalez survey, choosing to rent out the land of his head right. and nearly five years after John Beck's death, on the 28th of February 1863, his son, Andrew Beck bought 331 acres of his father's land for $2,151.50, as recorded in Kaufman C. Land Deed Book I, p. 441. Andrew Henry bought the remaining 100 acres of that 431 acre tract, but that is the extent of which families lived at College Mound. The eldest son of John Beck, William Henry, bought property adjoining his father's and the Clarida's in the 1860's, but did not live there. MORE DISPROVING - OLD TALESWhen John Beck arrived in the Republic of Texas the place was not as isolate as his modern-day descendants have been led to believe. Nacogdoches, the first place the Becks would have gone to upon their arrival, was a thriving city, with stores, hotels, blacksmiths and government offices. It was about 120 miles southeast of College Mound, but there were other budding communities all around the Becks. Twelve miles southwest of College Mound was Kingsborough which became the town of Kaufman. A stockade fort was built there, on the east bank of King's Creek, in 1841, and although it was first inhabited by only surveyors, by 1845 there were families living there. Supplies were available from several locations within a one hundred mile radius of College Mound in 1845. They did not have to go to Shreveport to buy dry goods and have corn ground, there were many places closer to accomplish those things. Marshall to the east was the largest town, Clarksville due north on the old National Highway and Fort Inglish, now Bonham, in Fannin County was established in 1840, Buffalo in Henderson County to the south and Ta'os, or Porter's Bluff, was flourishing as a port on the Trinity River just twenty-five miles southwest of John Beck's farm, which was the place most settlers in the area traded until the 1850's. Anything a person wanted was available in Porter's Bluff, even goods imported from England - cloth, staple foods, iron, wood, furniture, tobacco, coffee and tea. The town of Prairieville, eight miles southeast of College Mound, had over 300 Norwegian settlers by 1847 and there was a mercantile operating in that town by 1849. The first Post Office within the boundaries of what is now Kaufman County was in the town of Kaufman, on October 18, 1849. Another, at Ridge, was started in November 1849 and a third, at College Mound, was opened in 1850 with John Beck as the Post Master. There were grist mills on the Sabine River in what is now Smith County, near Tyler, as early as 1847 and in Marshall as early as 1845. The closest mill to College Mound was at Trinity City, later called Telico, about fifteen miles west, on the Ellis County side of the Trinity River, started in 1850. The last recorded Indian raid in Kaufman County occurred when he land was still part of the Nacogdoches District, in 1842. The last recorded Indian raid within fifty miles of College Mound happened at Rowlett Creek, in what is now Rockwall County, in December of 1844. As the white settlers moved into the area, the Indians moved west. There were still raids west of Dallas after 1850, but none east of there. According to William G. Cole, an accredited genealogist and historian on Anderson County, Texas, history and pioneer genealogy, there were no persons in Anderson County captured by Indians even as early as 1845. The only capture by Indians of any persons named Parker that he is aware of the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker and her brother, John, from Fort Parker in Limestone County in 1836. Cynthia was recovered December 18, 1860, by Lawrence Sullivan Ross near the Pease River in Wichita County during a surprise attack on an Indian encampment. She was returned to Anderson County where her relatives lived, and she died there a few years later, as did her daughter, who was half Indian and also taken by Ross. The raid made on the tribe Cynthia Ann Parker was living with was not a planned raid, so there were no "captive Indians traded for her release" as stated in the Beck family history. There are no persons named Beck mentioned in any account of the story, in any source or history book, that this researcher, and other researchers, could find. The Wife of John J BeckANNIE ROGERS BECKA monument located near the grave of Annie Beck is inscribed: "IN MEMORY of Anny Beck. Departed this life May 17, 1847, aged 57 Yrs" There are two gravestones located in College Mound Cemetery for Anna Rogers Beck. One is older and probably the original one where she is buried; the other - with a different death date - is on the same tombstone as her husband, John Jacob Beck, made at the time he died. In researching the Rogers family of Washington County, IN and surrounding counties, an article in the lateral file in that county was written in 1954 and states that Ann was probably the daughter of Henry Rogers, who had the following children: Jonathan Rogers, b. 1785 in PA, David, Benjamin, Aquilla W., Phillip, Richard, Jane, Sarah, Elizabeth, Ann b. 1790, and Rebecca. Two infants died before named. There was not a name listed for Henry's wife. These Rogers ancestors were of English/Irish descent and about 1800 were in Clark Co., IN. The original writing was by Lon Rogers in 1906. Since Anna married John J. Beck, son of George Beck, Sr. in Washington Co., IN, and they went to Texas when it was still a Republic, we still look for more information in trying to locate some of her family ancestors/descendants. Other names mentioned in Lon Roger's writings are Jonathan and David who were brothers that owned the land the town of Bloomington, IN was started on. A Giles Rogers was an immigrant to Virginia in 1664. His descendants are Jonathan Rogers, M. 1814 to Frances Twyman (b. 1795)of Orange Co., VA, his first cousin; Dr. James B, Rogers m. 1819 Margaret Lewis Wood. Jonathan Rogers, the brother of Ann, is buried in Beck's Cemetery, Washington Co., IN and his memorial states he was born in Fayette Co., PA 18 Nov 1785, d. 15 May 1834. Jonathan married Mary Rand, b. 1788 in KY. Jonathan got sick in the harvest fields and was taken to consult an Indian doctor in Jefferson; on his way back, he was so ill he stopped at his brother, Phillip's home, and there died in Clark Co., IN. Anna/Annie Rogers Beck was the first person buried (1846) in the College Mound, Texas cemetery. She had come with her husband, John J. Beck and her five married daughters and their families from Howard Township, Washington County, Indiana two years before. In an article printed in historical documents of Washington County, the following is found: "George Beck and family came to this portion of the county from North Carolina in November, 1807. The family cut their way through the woods to the township and during the winter occupied a shanty of the most primitive kind and the next spring built a substantial log-cabin. The boys were George, Andrew, William and Jacob. In December John and George went coon hunting and came back with reports that they had found the head waters of Blue River. They had heard the sound of the water at the spring. Here it was that the famous old Beck Mill was built the following year. It was constructed of logs, was 15x15 feet, with an overshot wheel and one pair of small buhrs. The Becks raised a crop of corn the summer of 1808. A saw-mill was added to the grist-mill late in 1808. The Beck saw and grist mill was the first in the township as well as the first in the county. This family also operated an early distillery. In 1825-26 a larger building took the place of the old mill and in 1864 the current framed mill was constructed. The mill has ever been operated by water run in spouts from Organ Spring, so named from the fancied music made by the dripping water of the cave. The water pours out of the cave a distance of 200 feet from the mill and is conveyed to the turbine wheel by wooden spouting. A dam at the cave mouth collects water for the head or fall. The first birth in the township was that of George Nugent in 1811 at Beck's Fort. David Beck's death in 1811 was the first." (Underneath this article, the following is stated: For more information on this family and others from the same area see Vol. 1. A special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Smith, descendent of Jonathan Rogers, sister of Anna Rogers Beck and credit for the photographs of the Mill taken in 1981 by Dr. Margo Lane Smith.) This article told us the maiden name of Anna (Annie) Rogers Beck. In the Kaufman County History, it states that the Rodgers family came with the Becks, but returned to Indiana. The Children of John J Beck & Annie RogersSUSIE BECK HENRY
Susie Henry lived in Texas for only fifteen years. She died in childbirth with a baby girl, who also died the next day, in January 1860. She is listed on the 1860 Kaufman County Mortality Schedule, as is the unnamed child. Her estate is listed in Kaufman Probate Records, Vol. 1, p. 547. Susie and Andy had three children who died early in their childhood - the little girl who died when Susie did, Polly Ann and John. Another son, Thomas Jefferson Henry died at age 24. all these children are buried at College Mound Cemetery, Kaufman County, Texas. Sarah Jane Henry married Hatton K. Fleetwood. They had one daughter, but Sarah died during the smallpox epidemic in 1865. Her daughter, Elodie, died ten years later and is buried beside Sarah. The Henry's last surviving daughter, Mary Melvina, married Frank Alexander. They moved from the Kaufman County area before the 1880 census and it is not known where they went to live. POLLY BECK FOGLEMAN Polly married her husband in Washington Co., Indiana. His full name was William Wilson Fogleman, and was called "Wilson". He was very well educated - spoke English and German fluently and could read and write both languages, while Polly Beck, like most of her sisters, was illiterate - unable to read or even sign her own name (from family vertical file - Terrell library.) 1 William Wilson FOGLEMAN b: 28 JAN 1813 in Cabarrus Co., NC
SALLIE BECK GARDNER Sallie married James William "Jim" Gardner in Indiana. He was a furniture maker and carpenter by trade, as was his brother, John (1816-1879), who also came to Texas and lived in Kaufman County. The brothers died within a few days of each other in 1879 during an influenza epidemic. Four of Sallie and Jim's sons joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Sallie Beck Gardner outlived her husband and five of her children. Although she could not read or write, she was one of the few members of the Beck family who actually had a Last Will & Testament. Her will was made in September 1891 and in it she left the bulk of her estate to her four surviving children - Manerva Wilson, Sarah Gardner, James P. Gardner and William H. Gardner. She also left $5.00 to her grandson, Edward Blakenship. It is not known why he was singled out as the only grandchild to receive anything from her estate, except that he was the only living grandchild of one of her own deceased children. Sallie signed her will with an "X" as her mark, apparently, like most of her sisters, she was illiterate. Her will is recorded in Kaufman County Probate records, Citation #916 MARRIED: James William GARDNER b: 28 FEB 1818 in Virginia
BETSY BECK RATTS MARRIAGES: Elizabeth "Betsy" Beck was first married to a Mr. Allen, then married Henry Ratts; she had one known child, Jonathan A. Allen, from the first marriage, and two daughters from her second marriage. As Sarah Elizabeth Ratts was born in 1847, and Elizabeth "Betsy" Beck Ratts does not show in the 1850 census of Kaufman Co., Texas, we surmise that "Betsy" may have died in that period of time. In the legal paper of J. J. Beck, Deceased in 1869, Box 25, Case 418, descendants asked to divide the estate. "1/11the part of the estate was asked by Jonathan Allen, Margarett Lewis and Sarah Friller (Fuller), heirs at law of said Elizabeth Rats deceased and formerly the daughter of John J. Beck, deceased." Betsy first married James M. Allen, of Washington County, Indiana, who evidently died in Indiana before the Becks started to Texas. James was born c1822 in TN. He died circa late 1842. In 1843, at Johnson County, Missouri, Betsy remarried, this time to Henry Ratts, who was also from Washington County, Indiana. It is not known whether Henry was part of the initial group traveling to Texas from Indiana with Betsy and the other Beck family members, or if he was already living in Missouri in 1843, possibly having gone there when Andrew Henry did. Betsy's life in Texas was not much longer than her mother's was. She died in 1851 and Henry remarried to Synthia Kenn, the cousin of Evaline Keen, who became the wife of his brother, Hugh. He took custody of Betsy's son, Jonathan, as well as their two daughters, Sarah and Margaret, after Elizabeth died. In 1850 census, the two girls were living with their Ratts grandparents in Washington Co., IN. According to birth records of his daughters, Henry left Betsy & Jonathan in Missouri and came to Texas with the Beck group. He apparently made more than one trip back to Missouri before actually moving his family to Texas, as Betsy had a baby in 1844 and another in 1847, both in Missouri. Marriage 1 James M. ALLEN b: 1822 in TN (was a carpenter & furniture maker)
Marriage 2 Henry RATTS b: 1820 in Tennessee
VINNIE BECK CLARIDA Vinnie married James A. Clarida in Washington County, Indiana in 1843. There were two families named Clariday living in Washington County in the 1840's and they were from South Carolina. (1840 Washington Co., IN Census) James was enumerated as having been born in South Carolina on the 1860 Texas Census. Like his brother-in-law, Jim Gardner, James Clarida did not receive Mercer's Colony land. There is no doubt he qualified for land and it leaves researchers to wonder why he didn't apply for it. Possibly, James and Vinnie did not come to Texas with the main group, which would disqualify them from receiving Mercer's land under the Residency Rule. They did purchase land in Kaufman County, near the community of Black Jack. Their eldest son, William Henry, was born in Johnson County, Missouri, and it was probably because of James Clarida's kin, who lived in Lawrence County, Missouri, that they stopped there on their way to Texas. A child of the expedition, Jerusia Fogleman, was born there in 1844, and because of the length of time it took the group to get from there to the Texas border, it appears they may have spent a few months in Lawrence County with James' family. There is no other record of James and Vinnie until the birth of the second son, Felix Grundyk, in 1846, in Henderson County, Texas. It is hard to determine if the family was living in that portion of Henderson that became Kaufman County, or if they stayed in the southern portion near Vinnie's brother, William Henry, and also near Northern Anderson County area where her sister, Polly Fogleman and family was living at the time. Eventually James bought land on the Juan Gonzalez Survey, near the John Jacob Beck homestead, but his family did not live on the land for long. He and Vinnie both died within a few days of each other in 1861, from typhoid fever, leaving no wills and an estate in such a disorganized array that it took eleven years to settle it. Marriage 1 James A. CLARIDA b: WFT Est 1796-1830 in Unknown
WILLIAM HENRY BECK William, or "Henry" as he was called, was the first born son to John Jacob Beck and Annie. This seems to be a strange, almost incoherent, fact when considering that so little has been know about him for so long. The only record of Henry being in Kaufman County is on the 1850 Census while he was living in his father's household at College Mound. He was 24 years old at the time. It is not known when he went to live in Henderson County but he married there in 1851 to Martha Harbough, who was also from Indiana. There are records of Henry Beck purchasing land in 1852 and 1858 in Henderson County, near the Anderson County border, at a place called Science Hill. It is believed that he lived there most of the remainder of his life. Included in the above mentioned book is a letter dictated by Henry, addressed from Science Hill, in 1880. It is not believed this letter was written in his hand, nor actually signed by him. It was probably signed by his legal representative, or possibly a relative. In the letter he is explaining to the Probate Court of Kaufman County why his father's estate had not been settled by that time. He cites as reasons for not doing so, among them his being away in the Civil War and the fact that he evidently invested some of John Jacob Beck's cash into Confederate Bonds, which at that time, were worthless. However, also attached is anther letter, this one written in his hand and signed by him in 1884. It is addressed from Athens, Texas, and it shows signs of being written by an unsteady hand and a frustrated soul, as by that time, John Jacob Beck's estate had been in probate for 26 years.
It is known that Henry raised cattle and horses as he had a brand and car marks registered in the Henderson County Brand Book, Vol. 1, dated 1852, and the occupation "Farmer" is enumerated with him on three censuses. He also listed his occupation as "Farmer" on his Confederate Pension Application in 1899. In 1862 Henry joined the Confederacy. He enlisted as a 2nd Sergeant in the 1s Texas Partisan Rangers, Company "N". He remained in the army until the surrender even though he had been wounded. It is not known when he was wounded, nor in what battle he sustained his wound, but evidently it was not serious enough to warrant him a discharge from service. Henry applied for, and received, his Confederate Pension #05481. After his death, Martha received a Widow's Pension, and it is from their pension records we learn that Henry died of old age and Martha died from complications of a broken hip. We also learn from those records that both of Henry's, Robert and Thomas were still alive in 1909, and that Thomas was still alive in 1928, when his mother died. Both sons lived at Mt. Alba, Anderson County, and evidently she was living with one of them when she died. Although he never lived there as an adult, after the war Henry did buy land in Kaufman County. He purchased 71 acres on the Juan Gonzalez Survey, not far from his father's homestead at College Mound, on the 13th of October 1863, as recorded in Kaufman County Land Deed records, Vol. J, p. 105. He probably bought the land because it adjoined his father's and the Clarida homestead, to keep outsiders from living between the family members. Henry and Martha's first known son was born in 1868, after Henry returned from the war. Like many other Confederate compatriots at that time, they named their boy child Robert E. Lee Beck, a namesake to the man all southern soldiers loved and admired. Another son, this one named Thomas Jefferson Beck, was born in 1870. Like his older brother, nothing is known of him either except they are both listed on the 1900 Anderson County, TX Census. A daughter, Wilie Ann, was born in 1877, but she died at the age of 18 in 1895. She is buried next to her father at Willow Springs Cemetery in Henderson County. It is possible that Henry and Martha had other children. The births of those children listed above is spread over a twenty-two year period and it was common in those days for couples to have larger families, of course it is also possible that if they did have other children, they died at young ages before they could be enumerated on any census records. After several petitions to request a final settlement and a close to John Jacob Beck's estate probation, in 1868, 1872, 1880, 1884, and 1892, Henry was finally able to settle the estate of his father in 1898 when the last parcel of land was sold. The estate was in probate for 40 years. To do so he was forced to sell all of his father's personal property and livestock, make good the monies he had invested into Confederate Bonds - about $3,000.00 worth in 1870, and sell off all of John Beck's land. Luckily, his brother, Andrew Jackson Beck and his uncle, Andrew Henry, bought the College Mound tract, so that the family legacy could remain in tact there. Martha was buried at Mt. Alba in Anderson County. She was not buried beside Henry and that may be because their daughter lies next to him in the only two spaces they had in the plot at Willow Springs Cemetery in Henderson County, Texas. William Henry Beck is listed on the 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1900 Texas Census records of Henderson County. He died in 1909 at the age of 82 years. Ironically, after all the problems he encountered with his father dying intestate, Henry Beck did not have a Last Will and Testament when he died. An affidavit dated November 16, 1899 states: Source: Pioneer Families of Anderson County Prior to 1900, Anderson Co. Geneal. Soc, p. 18: William H. Beck, occupation farmer, married Martha Ann Hurbough 28 Dec 1851 in Anderson County. She was born 3 May 1854 in Indiana, the daughter of Solomon Hurbough and Eva Baltus, early pioneers of Texas from Virginia. Martha Beck did 31 January 1928, Montalba, Anderson Co., TX and is buried in Holly Springs Cemetery, Henderson Co., TX. W. H. Beck resided 12 May 1899 near Bute, Henderson Co., TX. He enlisted in Co. N, 1st Texas Parisians and served 3 or 4 years. It is recorded that W. H. Beck and wife received confederate pension. They had five known children: Marriage 1 Martha A. HARBOUGH b: 1834 in Harrison, Indiana
THOMAS "JEFF" BECK Thomas Jefferson Beck was the third son born to John and Annie Beck. He married Margaret Elizabeth "Maggie' Lide in Kaufman County, Texas and they had a son, George Thomas Beck, in 1886. Nothing is known about Jeff, what he did for a living, where he lived, etc. He was alive in 1869, as his name was included on the list of Heirs at Law included in his father's estate probate papers. He has not been located on any 1860, 1870, or 1880 Texas Census. Marriage 1 Margaret Elizabeth "Maggie" LIDE b: WFT Est 1833-1867 in Unknown
HARRIETT BECK PARRISH Harriet and her husband, Needham Harrison Parrish, did not live in the College Mound area - they lived in Hoffer, better known as the old Becker Community. They attended the Becker/Lone Oak Methodist Church, where Needham - or Ned, as he was called - served as an Elder and Sunday School teacher most of his life. They were neighbors to Captain John Becker, whom the area was named after. Ned came to Texas from Missouri in 1853 and bought land in the Lone Oak community. Harriett married him only three months after her father's death in 1858, the last of the Beck children to marry in Kaufman County. Together they had ten children, all of whom were born in the same house on their farm. All their children were educated at Becker School. Most of their children married into other families of the Hoffer/Becker Community. Their only daughter, Mary Amelia Emeline, married Seaton Summerfield "Sam" Cummings, whose father owned a store there. Their eldest son, James Albert, married Alice Cotton, daughter of some of the earliest settlers of that community who donated the land for the Lone Oak Cemetery where most of the Parrish family is buried. William Edward Parrish married Edna Halbert, whose family moved to Becker around 1883, and the two of them remained on the Parrish family farm until their deaths. William was born and died in the same house. John Thomas Parrish married Hattie Cox of Henderson County, Texas, and they lived in that county the remainder of their lives on land that was given to them by her father. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias and a Mason. Two Parrish sons died early in their lives - Thomas Jefferson died in 1863 at age 1 and the youngest child born to Ned and Harriett, a son named Needham Harrison Parrish, Jr. was always a strange child who was temperamental and, at times, violent, and when he was only six years old he was accused of contributing to the death of his baby brother, George, which may be why not many family histories include information about either son. It is known that after Harriett Parrish's death, her oldest son, Albert, was designated as Administrator of her estate and in doing so inherited the burdensome chore as legal guardian to Needham, Jr. as well. Although Needham, Jr. was 21 years of age at the time, he possessed the mind of a child and was not responsible for his actions. After his mother's death, he grew increasingly violent and difficult to live with, so Albert had him deemed mentally incompetent by the Kaufman Courts in 1897 and had him committed to the North Texas Insane Asylum, where he remained the rest of this life, dying in 1917. During the Civil War, Needham Parrish, Sr. served in the Confederate States Army. He enlisted 11 September 1861 with Co. G, 12th Texas Cavalry, known as Parson's Brigade, serving with Kaufman notable Robert A. Terrell, his brother-in-law, Andrew J. Beck and several of his nephews. He was engaged in battles in Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee, most in the vicinity of the Mississippi River. After the war, Ned was discharged in Tyler, Texas in 1865. Family lore says he walked back to his farm from there. Ned Parrish was a 32nd Degree Mason in the Bloomfield Lodge of Kaufman and he was a member of the Knights of Pythias Marriage 1 Needham "Ned" Harrison PARRISH b: 18 MAR 1832 in Christian Co., KY
JONATHAN BECK It has been established that the "John Henry" listed on most family charts never existed, and that the dates for his birth were estimated guesses and that the wife listed on the charts was, in fact, married to another man named Beck, from an entirely different family. We know by the lists of Heirs at Law that is a part of John Jacob Beck's probate, that in 1869 his son Jonathan was alive. We also know from the 1850 Kaufman County Census that he was approximately 13 years old when the enumeration was made in October of that year, and, like all siblings, he was born in Indiana. Of course, consideration is given to the fact that when census records were made many ages were enumerated incorrectly. If Jonathan Beck married it was not in Kaufman, Henderson, Anderson, Nacogdoches, Hunt or Rockwall counties. All records were checked for those locations for the years 1860 - 1900 and no marriage for a person with the name Jonathan or John, or initials J. J. was found that could possibly be him. Also, no Jonathan or John Beck, with a similar birth year or place was enumerated in those counties in any of the census for the years 1870 or 1880, and every Beck in every county in Texas was checked for the 1860 Census, but to no avail. |