The family of William Beeks 1833-1888

William Beeks is next in the line of Beeks ancestors.  He was born about 1833, most likely in Greene County, Ohio, where his parents, John and Mary "Polly" Carter Beeks had married in 1830.  By 1850, William was in Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana, where he stayed for the rest of his life, except for a brief time when he served in the Civil War in 1865.  

William (I don't know if he had a nickname, I've only seen "William" in recorded documents) was married twice.  His first marriage was to Fannie Dils (also seen as Dilts), the daughter of Isaac and Mary (maiden name unknown) Dils.  They had two children but Fannie died shortly after the birth of the second son.

Elias, born in 1859,  married Anna Enyeart, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Hillegas Enyeart.  The 1910 census reports that Anna had five children, but that none of them were living at the time of the census.  I could find names for only one, Mary.  Drat that missing 1890 census!  Elias died in 1933 in Lagro, Indiana.

Their second son was Isaac, born in 1860 and died in Lagro, Indiana in 1928.  He married Rebecca Enyeart, also the daughter of Joseph and Mary Hillegas Enyeart.  They had quite a large family-Joseph, Charles, Mary, Ida, Bessie, Bertha, Levi, John, Elias, and Fannie. 

After Fannie's death, William married Mary Wise, the (possibly adopted) daughter of Jackson and Charity Botkin Wise, in 1863.  They had 10 children together, per the 1910 census.  I can identify seven of them.  There is a reference in the Wabash Plain Dealer of September 23, 1881, regarding the "Beeks twins" who had died at Lagro, with no mention of the parents names.  It's possible they were Mary's children.  (It's also possible they were the children of Elias and Anna, above, who have missing children also.)  

Jackson was the first born, in 1862.  He lived just a short time, until 1863, but he may have been a reason that William and Mary married when they did.  

Charity was born in 1864 and died sometime after 1884.  I haven't located her in the 1900 census.  She married Henry Stephenson, so far not further identified, and they had two known children.  Glenn was born three months after their marriage, and then a daughter, Mary was born.  

Sarah Beeks was born in 1867 and that is all the information I could find about her.  She probably died young, but I've found no record of that.

John was born in 1867 and died in 1946.  He married Elizabeth Wise, the daughter of David and Matilda Martin Wise.    John and Elizabeth's children are Charity, Chester, and Wilbur.  I will briefly follow this family in my next blog post.  

George was born in 1867 and married Mary Ellen Wise, the daughter of Philip and Elizabeth Grimes Wise.  (David and Philip Wise were brothers, the sons of Andrew and Mary Searfass Wise, so these two wives are cousins.  William's wife Mary was also part of this extended family, but that line goes back a couple more generations to connect).  George and Mary's children are Rosa, Iva, Edith, Gracie, Elmer, Alma, Pauline, and Vern.  George died in 1953 in Wabash, Indiana.

Rachel was born in 1872 and died in 1957 in Lagro.  She married William Ballard, the son of Henry and Minerva Meadows Ballard.  Their known children are William, Sarah, Viva, Freida, John, Sheridan, Glenn, Dale, Margaret, Rachel, and Gordon.  

And finally, there is Martin, who was born in 1875 and died in 1949 in the Wabash County Hospital, Wabash, Indiana.  He also had lived his entire life in Lagro.  He apparently never married, but lived with his mother for many years.  He has no known descendants.

The Lagro cemetery (IOOF) is full of Beeks and related families.  William and Mary's children stayed local, and contributed to the growth, and the stories, of their community.