Descendants of John Beard
from a letter dated December 2, 1959
from Edith M. Beard to Phin Horton
‘I thought you might like to have a copy of the Beard
Pedigree which I have spent considerable time compiling…
The Beards who were in Nantucket in 1710 were Quakers
and all…up to James William A. Beard and Martha Henley were
Quakers. James
and Martha were “married out of unity” and did not “condone”
and rejoin the Quaker Church but became Methodist.
I have found no skeletons; the worst, I guess, was one
of the clan who was dismissed for fiddling in his home and
card playing and another for joining the army. They “condoned
their misconduct” and were reinstated.
There is some question as to whether “Asbury” or
“Ashbury” is correct in the name of William A. and James. Wm.
A. I have found
it both ways, but in J.W. Beard’s Journal in his own
handwriting it is “Ashbury” so I feel that to be right. Or was there an
ardent Methodist somewhere who made it “Asbury”?’
Unless otherwise referenced
all information is taken from Edith Beard’s “Beard Pedigree”
Generation 1
JOHN BEARD
JOHN1 BEARD, “the 1st,
was born about 1665 and was from Exeter, Devonshire,
England. The
name of his wife is not recorded in this country. He came from
Teigmouth, a widower, with two sons…Richard, probably born
around 1690, and John, Jr., 1704-1795. Richard had with
him his wife, Dorothy.
Around 1710 they had settled at Nantucket Island,
Massachusetts. They
were Quakers.”
JOHN BEARD had two sons:
i.
RICHARD2 BEARD was born about 1690 in
England and married Dorothy.
ii.
JOHN BEARD, JR. was born in 1704 in England and died
in 1795 in Massaschusetts.
He married Deborah Pease.
Generation 2
RICHARD BEARD
RICHARD2 BEARD (JOHN1)
was born Abt. 1690. He
married DOROTHY.
RICHARD and DOROTHY had one son:
.
i.
RICHARD3 BEARD, JR. was born in 1718 and died in 1803. He married Eunice
Macey.
JOHN2 BEARD, JR. (JOHN1) was born 1704, and died 1795. He married DEBORAH PEASE, daughter of NATHAN PEASE and HANNAH CHASE.
She was born in 1714, and died in 1791.
JOHN and DEBORAH had ten children:
i. ANNA3
BEARD was born in 1732 and died in 1802 She married NATHANIEL GARDNER who was born in 1724 and died in
1765. Anna then
married ROBERT FAIRWEATHER.
ii. RUTH
BEARD was born in 1733 and died in 1791. She married EBENEZER GARDNER, JR., in 1752.
iii. ELIZABETH
BEARD was born in 1735 and died in childbrith in 1757. She
married JOHN WATERMAN.
He later married Elizabeth’s sister MARY.
iv. MARY BEARD was born in 1740
and died in 1821. She
married JOHN WATERMAN, Widower of her
sister ELIZABETH
v. JOHN
BEARD was born in 1743 and died in 1827. He married RUTH
RUSSELL.
vi. DAVID BEARD
was born in 1744.
vii.MATTHEW BEARD was born in 1746 and died in 1785. He married ELIZABETH MYRICK.
viii.DEBORAH BEARD was born in 1748 and died in 1813. She married ZACHARIAH COFFIN.
ix. BARRETT BEARD
was born in 1750 and died in 1777. He never
married.
x. ODEDIAH
BEARD was born in 1754 and died in 1794.
xi. PHOEBE BEARD
was born in 1758 and died in 1816. She married ISAIAH NICHOLSON.
“In
1790 John’s family with the exception of Obediah were all
living in Nantucket.”
Generation 3
RICHARD BEARD, JR.
RICHARD3 BEARD, JR. (RICHARD2, JOHN1) was born in 1718, and died in
1803. On July
09, 1742 he married EUNICE MACY, daughter of JABEZ MACY and SARAH STARBUCK.
She was born in 1721, and died in 1776.
‘They left Nantucket for Guilford County in North
Carolina in 1772 when
“many islanders who cared more for cultivation of the
earth than pursuing the
whale departed for more distant lands during the
years 1771-1775. Several
went to
Orange County (later Guilford County was made from it) in
North Carolina to
several of the springheads of Deep River.” At the time their
certificate was received,
New Garden was the only official Quaker meeting in this new
settlement. It was set off
from Crane Creek Monthly Meeting in 1754. The Quakers
in the Deep River Settlement belonged to New Garden Monthly
Meeting
until Deep River Monthly Meeting was set up later.
The home of Richard and Eunice was located a few
hundred yards south of Deep
River Friends Church and Cemetery.’
RICHARD and EUNICE had six children:
i. DAVID
BEARD
died in infancy.
ii.
WILLIAM4 BEARD was born in 1751 and died in
1795. He married
Lavinah Gifford at Dartmouth.
iii. EUNICE BEARD was born in 1744 and
married JOHN GIFFORD.
iv. GEORGE BEARD was born in 1754 and
married MARY WAY.
v.
ELIZABETH BEARD was born in 1761 and married THOMAS BULL who changed his name to Talbot.
vi.
REUBEN BEARD was born in 1763 and married MARY HOGATT.
Generation 4
WILLIAM BEARD
WILLIAM4 BEARD
(RICHARD3, RICHARD2,
JOHN1) was born in 1751, and died in
1795. On
February 04, 1773 he married LAVINAH GIFFORD in North Carolina. She died in 1807
and “was a sister of Jonathan Gifford, who married William’s
sister, Eunice, in Nantucket.
They probably made their home with William’s parents
south of the Church at Deep River.”
‘To
establish with certainty the home of William and Lavinah
Beard we copy a part
of Cornwallis’ report to his Government after the battle of
Guilford Court House,
March 15, 1781. “We
were encamped between the forks of Deep River at the Quaker
Church on the 13th and 14th, and
received word that Green had
moved his army to Guilford about twelve miles away. On the morning of
the
15th at daybreak we broke camp and met the
enemy.” (Wheeler:
History of North
Carolina) Reliable
tradition records that Cornwallis was encamped in and
around Deep River Church with his tented headquarters under
four large white
oak trees almost in William’s yard. The trees were
historic landmarks
until recent years when they have decayed and fallen.
What occupation William was engaged in other than
farming would be
conjecture, but in all probability, he carried on
hat-making to some extent.
There is also evidence at the old home of some form
of pottery business.’
WILLIAM and LAVINAH had five children:
i. DAVID5
BEARD was born in North Carolina in 1774 and died in 1849.
ii. BENJAMIN
BEARD was born in 1776 and died in 1841.
iii. WILLIAM
BEARD, JR. was born in 1777 and died in 1839.
iv. LYDIA
BEARD was born in 1780.
v. RACHEL
BEARD was born in 1782.
‘From his (William’s) will executed November 9,
1794, he willed to his, David
“All
the interest by his Hatter’s Trade, also all the hatter’s
tools and his time
from
my death till he arrives at the age of 21.” This may have
been of large
value
than it appears.
To his son, Benjamin, he willed: “all that tract of
land I bought of Richard
Glover and William Roper containing eighty-eight
acres be same more or less
with all the privileges thereto belonging to him and
his heirs forever.” From
all
evidence this covered the homes of Benjamin’s heirs
in later years and in 1933
was largely owned by Virgil Beard, a great-grandson.
To the youngest son, William, Jr., he willed “at his
Mother’s decease or
marriage, the plantation or tract of land that I now
line on with all the privileges
thereto attached.”
To his daughters, Lydia and Rachel, he made minor
bequests.
This will was probated in May 1795, soon after his
death. Stephen
Gardner and
John Talbot were executors and settled the estate.’
Generation 5
DAVID BEARD
DAVID5 BEARD (WILLIAM4,
RICHARD3, RICHARD2,
JOHN1) was born in 1774 in North
Carolina, and died 1849.
In 1796 he married REBECCA BROWN who was born in 1778 and died in
1858. She was
the daughter
of JAMES BROWN and MARTHA, “who moved to North Carolina in
1778 from McDuffie County, Georgia.”
“Receiving
no land from his father’s will, David purchased in 1979 a
tract of
land
from Pheneas Mendenhall about one mile north of Jamestown. There was
on this property until recent date a commodious brick
dwelling of Colonial
architecture with hip roof and gable windows. Here David built
and equipped
his later well-know Hat Shop which was located about
two hundred feet west of
the home.
Here he conducted a retail store in trade for furs. There were
shelved full of
goods and within a few years he had accumulated
considerable wealth for the
times, but soon he had lost all by overstocking with
merchandise during the War
of 1812.
Some two hundred feet north of the homesite was a
fine spring of water in a
clump of forest oak and a short distance down this
stream was a tanyard of
twenty or twenty-five vat capacity. There is no
evidence there were any
improvements on this property when purchased:
therefore, we conclude that
David erected the building, developed the hat and
tannery business by his own
industry and made for himself a name of at least
local historic interest.
The last
know hat that he made has been placed, along with a
copy of the history of the
family by A. M Briggs of High Point in the Guilford
College Library.”
DAVID and REBECCA had three children:
i. WILLIAM
ASHBURY6 BEARD was born in 1797 and died in 1876. He married MARTHA HENLEY.
ii. JAMES
BEARD was born in 1801 and died in 1870. He married MARY MANLOVE in 1822.
iii. LYDIA
BEARD was born in 1807 and died in 1847. She married JOHN B.
GUYER, 1836.
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