| BIRTH | Henry was born ca. 1617 in Dover, Hertfordshire, England[2,3,4]. An eighteenth century written record from his grandson Henry Beck (son of Thomas & father of Mary) of Greenland, Rockingham co., NH claimed that "My grandfather Henry Beck was born In the Paresh of geywareck in warickshear In old england."[sic] [3] This means that this Henry was born in Guy Warwick, Warwickshire, England[1]. According to Stearns, Beck is an ancient name in the East of England[5]. |
| DEATH | Henry died in New Castle, Rockingham co., NH before 1687; he was 70[4,5]. Henry's estate was administered on 26 April 1686, with his widow Elizabeth as administratrix[5]. |
| MIGRATION | While the tale has been spun that Henry was one of the unfortunate passengers on the Angel Gabriel (which was wrecked at Pemaquid, ME in 1635), the facts show otherwise. Henry came to America in 1635 from London, England to New England aboard the Blessing, Mr. John Lecester [Lester], Master. Henry was 18 years old[3,7]. |
| RESIDENCES & REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS |
"Beck's Slip", otherwise known as "Harford's Ferry" is at Beck's Point on the Fore River in Dover,
Strafford co., NH. It is indeed named for this Henry Beck. The point was part of his land grant and he had and ran the ferry
rights from this point in Dover to Kittery (now Eliot), York co., ME. He also used it as a shipping & receiving
point for goods and trade. He may have begun his business there as early as 1636[20].
Beck signed the "Combination Document" at Dover, Strafford co., NH in 1640[19]. Dover was settled from Hilton's Point in 1623 on back through Dover Neck in 1633 and the Back River District in 1642. Scales describes this as "...one of the best farmland sections of the town & the dwellers therein have always been among the best citizens of the town..."[21] Land grants of 20 acre lots were made in 1642 and Henry received lot #21. He appeared on the tax list during the 1640s. The "town rate of 4d. on a £ was made" with Henry Beck being assessed at £40 16s. 0d. and taxed at £0 13s. 7d.[22] On 16 June 1648, Henry received a land grant in Cocheco Marsh (now mostly Rollinsford), Strafford co., NH of Lot #9... "Henry Becke, 6 yeackers"[23] Henry received a 10 acre land grant of one of the "out lots" in Portsmouth, Rockingham co., NH[16] -- a.k.a. Strawbery Banke -- on 13 January 1652. He lived there until he moved to New Castle (also known as Great Island and Goat Island), Rockingham co., NH by 11 August 1685 (when he deeded house and land there to Richard Welcome, of Star Island)[3]. Around 1660, he moved to the Sagamore Creek area of Portsmouth, Rockingham co., NH and was definitely there by 28 June 1659, when he sold land in Dover and listed Sagamore Creek as his current residence[8,16]. In the Court Records of Portsmouth in 1668, "Henry Beck of Sagamore Creek in ye town of Portsmouth, planter" & his wife Ann are mentioned[16]. Stearns records several real estate transactions of Henry's: "...On June 28, 1657, 'henrie beck' of Sagamore Creek (Portsmouth), sold to Thomas Laiton, of Dover, land in Dover. Henry and Ann Beck sold land in Portsmouth to Joseph Walker, September 1 1668. They deeded to Thomas Beck (their son) land, buildings and personal property January 6, 1679, all then being of Portsmouth.."[6] |
| CHURCH MEMBERSHIP | On 14 December 1658, Henry first subscribed 5 shillings for the support of the Portsmouth ministry (church unknown) and continued this for many years[3]. |
| MARRIAGE #1 | Around 1645 when Henry was 28, he first married Ann FROST, in Dover, Strafford co., NH[4,8,9,10,11,12]. Ann was born in Piscataqua, NH and died before 1675/1680[4,5]. |
| CHILDREN | 2. | i. | Thomas BECK | Please see his own page. |
| ii. | Joshua BECK |
|
||
| iii. | Caleb BECK |
|
||
| iv. | Henry BECK |
|
||
| v. | Mary BECK |
|
| MARRIAGE #2 | ca 1675/1680 when Henry was 58, he second married Elizabeth [surname not known], in Great Island (New Castle), Rockingham co., NH[4,5,12,13,14]. She is the administratrix for Henryıs estate on 26 April 1686[5]. |
| GENERATION | Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (G8) Grandfather |
| FAMILY NUMBER | 1028 |
| SOURCES |
1. New England Historic and Genealogical Register. Vols. 1+, (Boston: New England Historic
and Genealogical Register, 1845+), [NEHGR or Reg.], [NEHGR or Reg.], 2:77; 11:256; 23:395; 24:360; 38:285. 2. Savage, James A., A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, 1860-1862., (Boston 1860-1862; rpt Baltimore 1955), [Savage] 3. Stearns, Ezra S., William F. Whitcher & Edward E. Parker, Genealogical and Family History of the State of New Hampshire, 4 vols., (New York & Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), [Stearns], p. 148. 4. Torrey, Charles, New England Marriages Prior to 1700., (Boston: New England Historic and Genealogical Society). [Torrey]. [Stearns], p. 149. 6. Ibid. pp. 148-149. 7. Coldham, Peter Wilson, The Complete Book Of Emigrants, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing co., Inc., 1987), [Coldham], p. 150. 8. Ham, John R., Dover, New Hampshire Marriages, 1623-1823, (Dover, NH., 1880-1902), typescript, [DoverNHMar]. 9. Noyes, Sybil, Charles Thornton Libby and Walter Goodwin David, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, (Portland, ME: Anthosensen Press 1928-1939; rpt Baltimore: Gen. Publ. Co., 1972), [GDMNH], 85. 10. [Savage], 1:150. 11. [NEHGR or Reg.], 11:256. 12. McIntire, Robert Harry, Ancestry of Robert Harry McIntire and of Helen Annette McIntire, His Wife, (Norfolk, Va., 1950), [McIntire Anc.], 94. 13. [GDMNH], 85, 224. 14. Snow, Nora Emma, The Snow-Estes Ancestry, 2 vols., (Hillburn, N.Y.: privately printed, 1939), [Snow-Estes], 2:5. 15. [GDMNH], 86. 16. [Stearns], I:149. 17. Odiorne, James Creighton, Genealogy of the Odiorne family in America., (Rev. in 1966), [Odiorne(1966)], p. 36. 18. Parsons, Langdon B., History of the Town of Rye, NH From Its Discovery and Settlement to December 31, 1903, (1905; repr. Bowie, MD: Heritage Press 1992), [RyeHist], p. 468.
|
19. Scales, John, Colonial Era History of Dover, NH,
[Scales], 117-118.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Return to the Beck Index page. |
|
| Return to the Family Index page. |
|
Return to the Surname Index page. |
|
|
Return to the Hall Side Tree page. |
|
all the content on this page is copyrighted ©1992-2002 by Kristin C. Hall.
many thanks!
SPECIAL THANKS TO
please drop me a line, if you wish to use it or link to it.
kattyb.com for the nifty background! Check our her sites, they are terrific!