I sure was surprised to get a message from one of the premier Beeks researchers, Dawn Beeks, who advised me that DNA had proven that Christopher Beeks, the Revolutionary War vet and all around interesting character, is not the father of William Beeks, long believed to be his son. This set me back on my heels a bit, as you can imagine.
DNA seems to point to a man by the name of Hendry as William's father. This leads to all sorts of speculation as to how William "Beeks" arrived and was raised in the family of Christopher and Catherine Barnes Beeks. Is Catherine the mother of William? And if so, was he from a previous marriage, or from a relationship with the Hendry gentleman that is not yet defined? Affair, one night stand, forceful? There are so many questions.
As of now, there is not a smoking gun to show who William's father is. There is an interesting man named William Hendry who had at least three wives, and a relationship (and children) with an enslaved woman. I have not determined whether the Beeks family and the this Hendry lived in close enough proximity to make this a possibility. The search continues, but it's going in an entirely different direction now!
However, we should not forget that William was raised by Christopher, that he would have heard the stories Christopher told, and that his life was influenced by Christopher.
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