The family of William Beeks 1786ish to 1864(?)

 I have some answers about William Beeks and his family, and I have more questions, too.  His birth date is not firm, but is thought to be about 1786, in or near Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.  He was the oldest son of Christopher and Catherine Barnes Beeks, and later moved to Greene County, Ohio, near Xenia.  In a letter written by his grand nephew, he is said to have died in 1864 in Worth County, Missouri, killed by a runaway horse.  He would have been about 78 years old at the time.  I have been unable to trace him in the 1840 or later census, unless he is the William "Beach" found in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois in 1840.

His marital history is something of a mystery, also.  He is said to have married a Miss Puckett, a Margaret Baker, and our ancestor, Mary Elizabeth Nimerick.  There is some confusion about which children belong to which wife, but based on the October 27, 1808 marriage date of William and Mary, it looks to me like all the children belong to Mary.  I am as always open to documentation showing otherwise.  

I have seen mention of a George Beeks, born in 1807, who is the son of William.  I have not found anything further about him and am not sure he existed.  If he did, perhaps he was the son of Margaret Baker, and perhaps neither he nor his mother lived long after the birth.  This paragraph is speculation only.

John is the first known son of William and Mary.  He married Mary "Polly" Carter, who possibly was the daughter or other relative of John Carter, who lived near the Beeks family in Greene County, Ohio.  They have four children-William, Casey, Lucy, and Polly.  John died in 1872 in Wabash County, Indiana, and I will follow this family further in my next blog post.

There may have been a daughter, Elizabeth, born about 1813.  There is an Elizabeth Beeks who married Andrew Downing in 1829 in Clinton County, Ohio.  I don't know if this is our Elizabeth, and I can't trace Andrew Downing further.  

Samuel was born in 1814 and died in 1891 in Klickitat County, Washington.  He fought on the Union side in the Civil War in Missouri.  I haven't followed his story particularly, but I do know that there were bitter battles in Missouri between Union and Confederate forces, and he may have also served elsewhere.  He would have been rather old to have served, but that wasn't unheard of.  His wife was Hannah Beal, the daughter of Jacob and Mary Lowrey Beal, whom he married in Greene County, Ohio.  Their children are James, Perry, Isaac, Emma, William, Leander, and Mary.  What stories he could have told to his grandchildren!  

Catherine is still a mystery.  She was born about 1815 and may have married Jacob Bower, or Robert Stoops, or both of them. The Catherine who married Robert Stoops in 1831 seems to have had at least two children, Mary, and John.  I have been unable to locate this family in the 1850 census, so it is possible that Catherine had died by then.  The Catherine who married Jacob Bower was in Randolph County, Indiana, and again, I am not locating information about them.  Perhaps someone reading this can help me.

Sarah was born in 1816 and died in 1893 in Randolph County, Indiana.  She married William Boone, the son of John and Sarah Pierson Boone, apparently not related to the Squire Boone family, although at least John and Sarah were Quakers.  Sarah and William's children are Sarah, Finley, Anna, Susannah, William, Mary, Aseneth (many spellings seen), Joseph, and Lydia. 

William was born in 1818 and died in 1888 in Klickitat County, Washington.  His wife is Christiana Clenny, the daughter of Curtis and Polly Milner Clenny,  Their children are William, Antrim, John, Benjamin, James, Mary, and Levi.  

I know very little about Caroline, born in 1819 and died in 1893 in Brookville, Indiana. She married William Maholm in Greene County, Ohio, and then they both seem to have disappeared from history.  In 1850, I've found a William Maholm of approximate age, but he is married to a Margaret.  Did William and Catherine divorce?  I sure would appreciate information about Caroline's adult life!

Silas, who is often referred to as Jacob, was the last son born. in 1820.  He led an interesting life, having arrived in what became Klickitat County, Washington in 1847, after having traveled the famous Oregon Trail.  He married Mary Ann Beal in 1843 in Clinton County, Missouri, so he was already on the move.  Mary Ann Beal is believed to be the daughter of George and Rosanna Norris Beal, although one family historian says that she is a sister to Hannah Beal who married Samuel Beeks (above), which would make her the daughter of Jacob and Mary Lowrey Beal.  I can't say for certain which is correct.  At any rate, Silas and Mary Ann have children named WIlliam, Philip, Rosanne, Mary Ann, Josephine, Charity, Jacob and Susan.  A year after Mary Ann Beeks died in 1888, Silas married Mary Johnson.  This was a late in life marriage for both of them and no children were born to this marriage.  Silas died in 1902 in North Yakima, Yakima County, Washington.  

And finally, there is Nancy, who was born in 1823 and died in 1900 in Pike County, Illinois.  Nancy had quite a large family, with one or more children from each of her three marriages.  First she married James Knox, the son of John and Nancy Dickson Knox.  James and Nancy's children are Susan, Mary, Jonathan, and James.  She next married Isaac Gentry, the son of "Roaly" (possibly Rollie or Roland? my speculation) Gentry.   Cornelia was the daughter born to this marriage.  Lastly, she married Lewis Parrick, the son of Thomas and Margaret Short Parrick.  Her children by this marriage are Theodore and Ida.  

William and Mary Beeks had at least 44 grandchildren.  Some of them would have been caught up in the Civil War, most likely.  Their children and grandchildren scattered through several states, a long way from what was probably a "holler" in West Virginia.  They saw, and helped, America become a nation of greatness.  

I would be remiss if I did not state that much of the information here is from work done and published by Cathy Gannon.  There are times when I have deviated from her information, or questioned it, or simply added to it, but much of the work, and much of the credit, goes to her.