Alice Beck

Other Events:

• Emigration: 1 May 1804, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland; to America on the ship Commerce
• Immigration: 10 Jul 1804, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; with one chest and bedding
• Tax Record: 1809, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Tax Record: 1826, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Tax Record: 1827, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Tax Record: 1828, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Naturalization: 22 Jul 1828, Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States; James Beck, born in the Kingdom of Ireland, took the oath of allegance
• Tax Record: 1829, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Census: 1830, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Tax Record: 1830, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Tax Record: 1831, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Tax Record: 1832, Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
• Land Patent: 20 Mar 1837, Shelby County, Ohio, United States; received Land Patent OH1660_167 for 80 acres; Address:
  (1st PM, East 1/2 of the North West 1/4, Section 14, Township 7
• Correspondence: 24 Sep 1845; wrote a letter to family in Ireland

Notes:

Shelby county was formed in 1819 from Miami County and was named for General Isaac Shelby, Revolutionary War hero and first Governor of Kentucky. The village of Hardin was named the county seat, and an old blockhouse served as the site for conducting official county business. Several sessions of court were held there, but the county seat was removed to Sidney following the December 13, 1819 session, and remains there today.
Beck School-District No. 6--The 3rd school built in Dinsmore Township was built in this section in 1844. It was a log building about 18' x 20' and was called the Beck School. The first teacher was James Beck. (Reference: "One-Room Schools")
Teachers and Pupils-Reunion—Away back in the first half of the century there stood on a knoll in what is now District #5 in Perry Township, an old log house, presided over by an Irish dominie named Beck, who taught the rising generation of the day the great principles embodied in the three "R's". He was a peppery old man but exceedingly good-hearted and his memory is still green. In 1856, when roads were cut through the county, the site was changed a little west and at the side of the pike was a new brick building erected. This served the purpose for many years but finally it too went the way of all houses and was succeeded in 1877 by the present substantial edifice, known as the D.H. Crumbaugh School. (Source: Sidney Weekly Journal, 8-25-1893)
Anna is situated almost centrally in the wide expanse of wealthy farming country which characterizes Shelby county north of the Miami gorge. Land was first entered in this north territory in 1831, but the first settlers who arrived to stay were George Turner, Joseph Green and John Munch, in 1832. David Taylor, his wife and eight children came in 1834, Alfired Staley in 1833, and immigration followed rapidly from that time forward. The first schoolhouse was built in 1836, and stood on the corner of what became "Loramie cemetery," between Botkins and Anna. Its first teacher was William D. Johnston, the second, Wesley Shorts, and the third, Jonathan Counts. This was in the greased-paper window epoch of the district ; but in 1840 a second building, while similar, was lighted with real glass. William Wilson and E. T. Mede were early teachers there. The Beck schoolhouse, James Beck, teacher, was put up in 1844, Hewed logs, instead of round, came into vogue by this time, and in 1854 the state law provided better schools at public expense. (Memoirs of the Miami Valley - Volume One)

Birth:

LOUGHBRICKLAND, a post-town, in the parish of AGHADERG, barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 8 miles (N. E.) from Newry, and 58 1/2 (N.) from Dublin, on the road from Newry to Belfast

Naturalization:

James Beck, born in the Kingdom of Ireland; this day came personally into Court and made application to be Naturalized and to become a Citizen of the United States. He being sworn declared on Oath that he will support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Ohio and that he does absolutely and bonafidely denounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, State or Sovereignty whatsoever and particularly to George the Fourth King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Land Patent:

Land Patent: James Beck
80 acres, Cash Entry
Certificate: #7236
Location: Shelby County (East half of the South East quarter, Section 33, Township 6 South, Range 6 East)
Date: 20 March 1837

Correspondence:

Dinsmore Ohio
Sept 24
Mr James A Beck
Gilford
Down
Ireland
Dinsmore, Shelby Co Sept 24th AD 1845
Dear friend & Nephew
—With great pleasure I received your letter dated the 14th of June, I received it the 10th of July, & was really extreamly glad to hear that you & your Mother, Brothers & sisters were all well, & doing well, it is a great satisfaction to me to hear of my friends being well & doing well I am verry glad that you took such pains to give the particulars respecting all my friends & near relatives in Ireland, I was verry sorry to hear that temporal difficulties had come across my aged & loving brother who was when young highly esteemed by all that knew him I yesterday wrote a letter to brother John in which I requested him to let me know what the difficulties were that you could not rightly explain, it is a great pleasure to me to hear of my friends being well & doing well & sorry when I hear of any difficulties attend any of them; but I still wish to hear the truth let it be good or bad dear James I have the pleasure of letting you know that I enjoy good health, but find that age is pulling me fast down, my head almost white & somewhat balded though my face is still full & rudy coloured, my children & their families are also, I believe at present well I have seen none of James Pattys family nor my son Francis Hugh since spring a year ago, but William Beck my son was down there a few weeks ago, they were then all well & doing well, James Noland & Martha Burns my daughter were well a few days ago & their two children also, my son William & his family are also well Joseph Elliot & Susannah & their 3 children are well & doing well, I now have my home with them, he is now seeding my farm & some of the wheat he has sown is now up green there are only about 26 acres of my place yet cleared & fit for cultivation Joseph will seed about twelve or thirteen of it this fall, there are about 6 or seven acres of it in meadow, the rest for oats next spring.
—To give you particular & full statement of the Agricultural, manufactural commercial & Political state of the country is more than I can do properly at this time. Agriculture is rapidly improving & the Agriculturist are the most happy & indipendent people & a number of them can ride to their meetings or places of worship in their silver mounted chaise or sedans. Cotton & woolen Manufacturies are getting to be established in every good town & Manufacturies of every kind are geting to be established in many parts of the union, so that it appears to me that the United States will like England become a great Manufacturing Country and as for commerce we have commerce with all parts of the civilised world & peace with all- Mexico I believe feels dissatisfied that Texas is anexed to the United States but suppose she will not declare war against us, as she is weak its not in her power to do us any injury, without some stronger power assist them, & none will, without Great Britain does, & I think as they have tried the United States twice, they know better than to try them again as we are four times as strong as we were the time of the last war, you stated in your letter that if an eruption should take place, that our Navey be sent to the bottom of the deep & our Maritime Cities left in ashes, but the time of the last war we had four victories on the deep for one that Britain had, & our Maritime strength 4 times what it was then, & the British settlements anxious to become now apart of the union, these considerations & knowing that was would be to both countries I think we will continue at peace. As to the political state of the country, Politics runs high at present we are three political parties, Whigs Democrats & Abolitionists or liberty party, I shall send you now some whig Journals, & probable will again send you some loco journals so you can see how both views Politics, the Locos assumes the name of Democrats but I think they do not advocate democratic principals, they advocate a one man power & if their plan be carried out we will become a Monarchy but I hope they will soon see that the Whig policy is the most Democratic. Our State election is the 14th of next month after that I will send you some more Journals.
—I shall now quit politics & give you a brief sketch of the country this country is a flat country & rich soil & when well cultivated produces great crops, corn or maize will turn out from 20 to 60 Bushels per acre and one of our neighbours thinks he will this season have 75 bushels to the acre of wheat will yield from 15 to 40 bushels per acre & other crops in proportion as the crops has been abundant this season, grain is fell in price verry low before harvest wheat sold at 75 & 80 cents per bushel of [?]lles & is now down to 50 cents, but the journals I send you will show you the price of all kinds grain and every thing else in Cincinnati it had not 2000 inhabitants & but last spring above 80,000.
—Dear James it astonishes me to hear of the rapit improvement of Ireland, in my day there there was no such factories as that you are concerned in ... And it seems also strange that Common work hands in that country get but 15 or 20 per annum & that Archibald & you get so large salaries Time wont admit of me to write any more as I must to the post office before the mail closes please give my loving respects to your Mother & to your brothers & Sisters & to your Mothers brothers & sisters that I was acquaint when young, & to Mr David McConnell that was my near neighbour & when you write to me again let me know they all are & where they reside I add no more but my children desires their loving respects to be sent to you & to their aunt Eliza & all their cousins
And believe me dear James Alexander to be your
Affectionate
Uncle
James Beck

James married Margaret Burns on 15 Nov 1803 in Loughbrickland, County Down, Ireland. Margaret was born in Nov 1783 in Ireland; died on 26 Nov 1837 in Dinsmore Township, Shelby County, Ohio, United States; was buried in Nov 1837 in Shelby County, Ohio, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Emigration: 1 May 1804, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland; on the ship Commerce
• Immigration: 10 Jul 1804, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; on board the ship Commerce with James Beck

Other Events:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Birth: 1743, Ballyguniham, Parish of Donacloney, County Down, Ireland
• Will: 3 Nov 1825; proven 23 January 1828 in Dromore Diocesan Court

Notes:

William Beck, born at Ballyguniham, Donacloney, 1743, and later settled at Cascum Loughbrickland, 1769. The lease of the property was renewed in 1789 for the lives of William Beck, his son John Beck, and the then Prince of Wales. He was still resident at Cascum in 1821, being then 78 years of age, dying there on September 16, 1827. He was buried in Loughbrickland Presbyterian Graveyard. in his will, dated November 3, 1825 and proved at Dromore Diocesan Court on January 23, 1828, he mentions his sons William, Alexander, Hugh, John and Joseph, his grandson John Haddon Beck, and his son-in-law, Moses Woods, and appoints his "kinsman and friend" Robert Beck of Clay one of the executors. his wife, nee Margaret Hanna of Shankhill, Aghaderg, died on May 18, 1810. He left issue six sons and one daughter. (Source: John W. Beck, A.M.I.E.E., "Beck of Northern Ireland", 1931)

Extract of WILL
William Beck of Cascum, Parish of Aghaderg, County Down. Dated 3 November 1825.
To son William £25. To son Alexander £20. To son-in-law Moses Woods £10. To son Hugh £25. To granddaughter Jane Woods. £5. To grandson John Haddon Beck £10, with loom now out on hire. To son John farm at Cloverhill. Residue, farm at Cascum, crops thereon, stock, cattle, farming utensils, dwelling-house and furniture to son Joseph Beck.

Executors: (1) Robert Beck of Clay, kinsman, (2) John McClelland of Cloverhill.
Witnesses: Mary Hamilton, Isaac Parker, William Donaldson.
Probate granted to Jhn McClelland and James Hamilton at Diocesan Court of Dromore on 23 January 1828.

William married Margaret Hanna about 1760. Margaret (daughter of James Hanna and Nancy _____) was born in 1740; died on 18 May 1810. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
of Shankill, Aghaderg, Down, Ireland

Notes:

Thomas Beck, second son of John Beck of Lisburn and Annacloy, was born circa 1680 at Lisburn, County Antrim. From 1725 to 1727 he was co-lessee with his brother Robert of the Annacloy estate "at pepper-corn rent." He later settled at Ballyguningham, Donacloney Parish, occupying land presumably held previously by his brother John. A lease for portion of this land or all extension to same was negotiated in 1728 "for term of twenty-one years or natural life of Lessee," he being then "aged about forty-eight years". Thomas Beck married Jane Prunty (or Prundy) at Annaclone Parish Church 1739, who was presumably his second wife. The famous Haworth family of Bronte originally spelt their name as Prunty, and as their forbears came from Loughbrickland a relationship in some degree is not improbable. Thomas Beck died intestate, predeceasing his wife who died June 6, 1787 and was buried in Annaclone Parish Churchyard. He left four sons. ~(Reference: John W. Beck, A.M.I.E.E., "Beck of Northern Ireland", (1931)

Thomas married Jane Prunty in 1739 in County Down, Ireland. Jane was born in 1718; died on 6 Jun 1787; was buried in County Down, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth:
of Lisburn, Antrim, Ireland

James married Nancy _____. Nancy and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Nancy Hanna