The Beck Family From Ireland to New York
The first found person from this family tree is John Beck. John Beck was born January 5, 1800 and died on June 5, 1874. John arrived in New York state prior to the 1850 census where he first appears in Newark, Wayne County, New York. In his first appearance he is listed with the Doggett (please forgive the spelling this is the transcription via ancestry.com) family. No one else in the home is from Ireland so I would assume that they are not related to John (who was listed as age 49), but let him board there for a short period of time. His occupation in this census was Laborer which was fairly common for a new Irish immigrant. I cannot locate John in the 1855 census, my thought is that he may have been travelling with his wife and family and may not be listed in this particular census.
In 1860 listed in Arcadia, Wayne, New York we find John (age 50), wife Mary (age 41), and children: Agnes (age 16) and William (age 30). In 1870 we find John and family transcribed on ancestry.com with the surname Berk, John age 70; Mary, age 52, and Agness age 24. John is still listed as a laborer. Mary, the wife of John, is listed as dying in 1879 on the 1880 Mortuary Census. Her cause of death was listed as "softening of the brain." An obituary for her can be found here: nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn85026906/1879-11-20/ed-1/seq-3. I was hoping to find her maiden name, but this has yet to be found.
Although it would seem from the census' that this family was small, it was far from small. I learned while researching that there was a family member named Robert Beck that was suing John's children and William's Children around the turn of the century. Through a little digging I have determined that Robert was the son of Robert, who was the son of John. Since that is a complicated way of stating what I am trying to say the following is a family tree chart for this family:
+John Beck
- Mary
.....+Agnes
-Harrison Cox
.....+William
-Mary
...........+John
...........+Minnie
...........+Charles
...........+George
...........+William S.
.....+Robert
-Emma Caulfield
...........+Robert Jr.
...........+Henry C.
...........+Joseph
...........+John
...........+Jane M.
...........+Samuel M
...........+Mary E.
...........+Thomas
...........+William L.
.....+Margaret
-Edmund Forster
...........+Robert
...........+William
...........+Mary
To fully explain the relationships and my methodology in proving them, along with give more details on each individual branch from this point on I will go by the children of John and Mary: Agnes; William; Robert; and Margaret.
In 1860 listed in Arcadia, Wayne, New York we find John (age 50), wife Mary (age 41), and children: Agnes (age 16) and William (age 30). In 1870 we find John and family transcribed on ancestry.com with the surname Berk, John age 70; Mary, age 52, and Agness age 24. John is still listed as a laborer. Mary, the wife of John, is listed as dying in 1879 on the 1880 Mortuary Census. Her cause of death was listed as "softening of the brain." An obituary for her can be found here: nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn85026906/1879-11-20/ed-1/seq-3. I was hoping to find her maiden name, but this has yet to be found.
Although it would seem from the census' that this family was small, it was far from small. I learned while researching that there was a family member named Robert Beck that was suing John's children and William's Children around the turn of the century. Through a little digging I have determined that Robert was the son of Robert, who was the son of John. Since that is a complicated way of stating what I am trying to say the following is a family tree chart for this family:
+John Beck
- Mary
.....+Agnes
-Harrison Cox
.....+William
-Mary
...........+John
...........+Minnie
...........+Charles
...........+George
...........+William S.
.....+Robert
-Emma Caulfield
...........+Robert Jr.
...........+Henry C.
...........+Joseph
...........+John
...........+Jane M.
...........+Samuel M
...........+Mary E.
...........+Thomas
...........+William L.
.....+Margaret
-Edmund Forster
...........+Robert
...........+William
...........+Mary
To fully explain the relationships and my methodology in proving them, along with give more details on each individual branch from this point on I will go by the children of John and Mary: Agnes; William; Robert; and Margaret.
AGNESS BECK COX
Agness Cox was born on April 10, 1844 in Ireland to John and Mary Beck. Between 1880 and 1892 she was married to a man named Harrison Cox. This couple can be in every census: 1892, 1900, 1905, 1910, and 1915. Agness and Harrison never had any children. She passed away in 1919, and he in 1925. They are both buried in the Newark Main Cemetery. I cannot find any immigration records for the Beck family but noticed that in the 1900 census and in the 1910 census respectively the year for immigration is 1852 and 1850.
WILLIAM BECK
William Beck was born on July 7, 1830 in Ireland the son of John and Mary Beck. He is first seen in the 1860 census of Arcadia, Wayne County, New York. He is found in every federal census until his death in 1893. I cannot find him in the state census of 1875 or in the state census of 1892. I noticed while searching through the 1892 census of Wayne County that many parts of it are illegible, probably the reason he has not yet been located. In 1864 William signed up for the draft, but he must not have served as he is not listed in the 1890 Veteran's Census. Between the 1860 and 1870 census William Beck's wife, Mary, must have immigrated to New York, although no record has been located. In 1870 the couple is listed in Arcadia with the following children: John (age 14); Minnie (age 4); and Charles (age 4 months). Given the approximate ages of the children I would assume that Mary and son John immigrated around 1861, possibly a little sooner. In the 1880 census William and Mary have another son, George (age 7). William Beck died on March 26, 1893 (according to the Wayne County Historian's office records), and his wife died on March 2, 1898 (of pneumonia). I do not know for sure where William is buried, but Mary is buried in the Newark Main Cemetery as well as their son John (who died on September 25, 1882 at the age 27) and a son who was not listed in the census records, William S. who died on February 10, 1862 at the age 1 month old.
The Children of William and Mary
JOHNJohn Beck was born around 1856 in Ireland. He immigrated with his mother after his father arrived in New York. He met his death in 1882. He is buried in the Newark Main Cemetery. Finding his actual date of birth would be an essential part of proving the maiden name of his mother. Another possible route to prove the maiden name would be ordering the death certificate of any of his siblings.
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MINNIEMinnie Beck was born around 1866 in New York. Around 1887 she married a man named Edward Woodruff. Together they had at least one daughter, Carrie May born about 1887. Edward died in 1934, Minnie followed him in 1936. Carrie May mentioned above has been recorded in a family tree as Carolyn. In that family tree I noticed that they had Minnie's mothers maiden name as Townsley. I had also come across this but could find no proof, only a marriage record for a William and Mary Townley Beck in Dromore, Down, Ireland in 1853, and a registration for a son's birth, John who was born on July 29, 1855.
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CHARLESCharles Beck is who was recorded in the 1900 directory of Arcadia, New York. He was born on January 15, 1871 in New York. Charles was a tough person to trace since he was married twice, and the only way I was able to prove that it was him in both marriages was that he lived in the same house with both wives. Charles' first wife was Marguerite Merrick. Marguerite died in 1901, only after giving birth to their son, Rhea (Ray). Charles then married Helen Driscoll to whom two more children were born: Charles William Beck (1907) and John Donald (1909). When Charles remarried he also switched occupations. Charles died on Jan 26, 1936 and Helen in 1948. Charles and both of his wives are buried in East Newark Cemetery. For some odd reason, despite proof, on the Wayne County GenWeb write up for the cemetery Charles is recorded as being born in Scotland.
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GEORGEGeorge Beck was born around 1873. Not much is to be said about George. He lived with his sister, Minnie, most of his adult life. He did get himself into trouble one time for poisoning dogs accidentally. He lived past 1930, but how far past is unknown. In the 1930 census I noticed that a person who was also listed in the directory was living with Minnie, Edward, and George, John Aiken who is listed as Edward Woodruff's step-father.
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ROBERT BECK
Robert Beck was one of the hardest people to track down. I was catching glimpses of him through newspaper articles at fultonhistory.com and nyhistoricnewspapers.org but none that helped pinpoint his relationship until there was one that was him suing both John's kids and William's children for a piece of land that used to belong to John. That is when it dawned on me that Robert Beck, the Policeman in NYC was a definite relation to John Beck. But the Robert that was suing was not the son Robert, but Robert Jr. So now that I have explained how I have come to my conclusion I'm going to rewind a bit and talk about Robert Sr.
Robert Sr. first appears in 1870 in NYC Ward 20 living on 59th Street. His occupation is Grocer, and he is 38 years old. He is married to Emma Caulfield by this time, most likely marrying in Ireland, but possibly in NYC. There are four children listed in the 1870 census: Robert (age 7); Henry (age 5); Joseph (age 3); and John (age 2). Based on Robert's age I did a quick search of available Ireland records and found a Robert Beck born August 27, 1830 in Dromore Parish, County Down, Ireland to John Beck and Mary Thompson. Could this be the same Robert? It's a possibility as everything except mother's maiden name matches with William above.
In the 1880 census of NYC (New York City) Robert has a new occupation. He is now listed as a Pro Dealer, and his age is recorded as 45. His wife, Emma, is recorded as being 40 years old. They have the following children: Robert B. (age 16); Henry C. (age 14); Joseph W. (age 12); John (age 10); Jane M. (age 8); Samuel M. (age 6); Mary E. (age 5); Thomas (age 3); and William L. (age 1).
Although some family tree's have Emma's death date as being in the 1890's I have found this to be untrue as in the 1900 census of Manhattan Robert Beck born in a J. month (January, June, or July) of 1831 who has been married for 37 years (giving a marriage year of 1863) can be found living with Emma (born in May of 1839); and son William L. (born in January 1871). This is what first caught my attention as the policeman Robert because the two immediate neighbors of this family are policeman. In Emma's census she states that she has 7 out of her 10 children living. I have only found the 7 children I have listed, and 3 of them have disappeared sometime prior to this census. I cannot account for or name the other 3.
John Beck was married in 1898 to Anna Elmenia Walker (daughter of Angus alias August Graham Walker and Elmenia Elizabeth Shaw). Together they can be found in the 1900 census with daughter Florence Virginia Beck, born May 25, 1899 (certificate # 21704). In the 1905 census Anna E. can be found widowed with the following children: Florence V. (age 6), Edith E. (age 3), and Helen C. (age 2). John Beck must've died on August 16, 1904 as that is the only John Beck listed that is the correct age (certificate number 28726). Helen C. Beck marries Louis J. McDonough on November 5, 1927 in Manhattan (certificate number 30470), Florence V. Beck possibly (the only Florence V. listed) married Denis P. Canavan on March 27, 1937 in Manhattan (certificate number 6543), and Edith Elmeni Beck (birth date of August 19, 1901) married Harry J. McCallum on June 18, 1934 in Manhattan (certificate number 14655). Edith is buried in the Long Island National Cemetery
In 1910 I find Robert B. Beck, Sr. living with his daughter, Jane Miller Beck Estabrook and her husband, William Estabrook in Queens. He is listed as age 77, and widowed. This census states that he immigrated in 1859 and that he was naturalized. Also listed in this census with Jane are her children: Mildred (age 5); Edith M. (age 3); and Robert W. (age 2). Based on the fact that Robert B. was still living in 1910, I did a search at Italiangen.org for deaths of Robert Beck's between 1910 and 1920....I found a 74 year old Robert Beck dying in Queens on July 1, 1913, the certificate number for this Robert Beck is 2158. Extending the results did not increase the findings....the closest Emma Beck that I could find was a 56 year old that died in Manhattan on April 15, 1901 (certificate number 12020). I have no way of finding out if these are the correct dates for Robert and Emma, but they are my best educated guess. I am unable to find an obituary for either Emma or Robert.
In 1910 still in Manhattan (at 510 Manhattan Ave) we can find Robert B. Beck age 36. He is on his second marriage, and his occupation is.....you guessed it, policeman. His wife, Henrietta is 30 years old. Henrietta's maiden name was Lowe It appears that Robert's first wife was Annie Holland, if she was Robert's first wife they were married in 1889 and their marriage certificate number is 5627. Robert and Henrietta were married on July 18, 1894 the marriage certificate number is 8875. His first marriage was to Annie Holland on May 22, 1889, the certificate number is 5627. Based on the dates of the marriages all of the children listed in the 1910 census are Henrietta's, and they are: Edna May (age 12); Letiticia (age 11); and Ethel ( age 8). Ethel's birth was found in the index at Italiangen.org, she was born on March 14, 1902 and her certificate number is 13395 in Manhattan. In 1919 Robert Jr. was police chief in Leonia, New Jersey. An article found here shows his occupation (for a laugh, and perhaps insight on hazing back in 1919 it's a good article).
Henry C. Beck was in the American-Spanish War and can be found in the 1910 census living in Washington D.C. When he was honorably discharged in 1902 for serving his 3 years, he immediately re-enlisted (the day after). In 1917 he again enlisted for WWI, from his military records we learn that he was born on October 19, 1865 and his middle name was Caulfield. From a search of military records it appears as though Henry C. Beck enlisted a total of 7 times in the army.
In 1920 Robert and his family have moved to Leonia, Bergen, New Jersey. Policeman is no longer listed as having an occupation, and is listed as being 56 years old. His children, the two living with him, are listed as Maebelle and Ethel Agnes. They all live at 378 Bronx Ave.
In 1933 Henry C. Beck died. His address was listed as 12-26 148th St. in Whitestone. He was buried in St. Mary Cemetery. His wife's name was Marcella F., and surviving him was (besides Marcella) one son: Harry C.; two sisters: Jane Estabrook and Mrs. Frank Sutherland; and one brother: William Beck. Also dying in 1933 was Cap't Estabrook who left behind 3 daughters: Mrs. Evelyn Soffell, Mrs. Mildred Lindeke, and Mrs. Edith Ott; two sons: Robert (with the Police Dept.) and Albert (in the U.S. Navy); and his wife: Jane Beck Estabrook.
In 1937 Frank Sutherland dies in Brooklyn, his address being 800 Ocean Ave. He leaves behind his wife: Mrs. Mary Beck Sutherland; and children: Frank Jr., Chester O., Robert F., and Ruth. (Robert F. died in August 1976, Chester O. died in Nov 1959). Mary Elizabeth Beck Sutherland died in November 1959. All of the people with death dates in this paragraph were buried in Green-wood Cemetery in N.Y.C. in lot 12995.
Jane Miller Beck Estabrook died on March 5, 1952 in Astoria, Queens, New York. Her obituary is included in the slideshow below. All images pertaining to these people can be saved to your hard drive by right clicking and pressing save image. The writing overlapping them is their source info.
Robert Sr. first appears in 1870 in NYC Ward 20 living on 59th Street. His occupation is Grocer, and he is 38 years old. He is married to Emma Caulfield by this time, most likely marrying in Ireland, but possibly in NYC. There are four children listed in the 1870 census: Robert (age 7); Henry (age 5); Joseph (age 3); and John (age 2). Based on Robert's age I did a quick search of available Ireland records and found a Robert Beck born August 27, 1830 in Dromore Parish, County Down, Ireland to John Beck and Mary Thompson. Could this be the same Robert? It's a possibility as everything except mother's maiden name matches with William above.
In the 1880 census of NYC (New York City) Robert has a new occupation. He is now listed as a Pro Dealer, and his age is recorded as 45. His wife, Emma, is recorded as being 40 years old. They have the following children: Robert B. (age 16); Henry C. (age 14); Joseph W. (age 12); John (age 10); Jane M. (age 8); Samuel M. (age 6); Mary E. (age 5); Thomas (age 3); and William L. (age 1).
Although some family tree's have Emma's death date as being in the 1890's I have found this to be untrue as in the 1900 census of Manhattan Robert Beck born in a J. month (January, June, or July) of 1831 who has been married for 37 years (giving a marriage year of 1863) can be found living with Emma (born in May of 1839); and son William L. (born in January 1871). This is what first caught my attention as the policeman Robert because the two immediate neighbors of this family are policeman. In Emma's census she states that she has 7 out of her 10 children living. I have only found the 7 children I have listed, and 3 of them have disappeared sometime prior to this census. I cannot account for or name the other 3.
John Beck was married in 1898 to Anna Elmenia Walker (daughter of Angus alias August Graham Walker and Elmenia Elizabeth Shaw). Together they can be found in the 1900 census with daughter Florence Virginia Beck, born May 25, 1899 (certificate # 21704). In the 1905 census Anna E. can be found widowed with the following children: Florence V. (age 6), Edith E. (age 3), and Helen C. (age 2). John Beck must've died on August 16, 1904 as that is the only John Beck listed that is the correct age (certificate number 28726). Helen C. Beck marries Louis J. McDonough on November 5, 1927 in Manhattan (certificate number 30470), Florence V. Beck possibly (the only Florence V. listed) married Denis P. Canavan on March 27, 1937 in Manhattan (certificate number 6543), and Edith Elmeni Beck (birth date of August 19, 1901) married Harry J. McCallum on June 18, 1934 in Manhattan (certificate number 14655). Edith is buried in the Long Island National Cemetery
In 1910 I find Robert B. Beck, Sr. living with his daughter, Jane Miller Beck Estabrook and her husband, William Estabrook in Queens. He is listed as age 77, and widowed. This census states that he immigrated in 1859 and that he was naturalized. Also listed in this census with Jane are her children: Mildred (age 5); Edith M. (age 3); and Robert W. (age 2). Based on the fact that Robert B. was still living in 1910, I did a search at Italiangen.org for deaths of Robert Beck's between 1910 and 1920....I found a 74 year old Robert Beck dying in Queens on July 1, 1913, the certificate number for this Robert Beck is 2158. Extending the results did not increase the findings....the closest Emma Beck that I could find was a 56 year old that died in Manhattan on April 15, 1901 (certificate number 12020). I have no way of finding out if these are the correct dates for Robert and Emma, but they are my best educated guess. I am unable to find an obituary for either Emma or Robert.
In 1910 still in Manhattan (at 510 Manhattan Ave) we can find Robert B. Beck age 36. He is on his second marriage, and his occupation is.....you guessed it, policeman. His wife, Henrietta is 30 years old. Henrietta's maiden name was Lowe It appears that Robert's first wife was Annie Holland, if she was Robert's first wife they were married in 1889 and their marriage certificate number is 5627. Robert and Henrietta were married on July 18, 1894 the marriage certificate number is 8875. His first marriage was to Annie Holland on May 22, 1889, the certificate number is 5627. Based on the dates of the marriages all of the children listed in the 1910 census are Henrietta's, and they are: Edna May (age 12); Letiticia (age 11); and Ethel ( age 8). Ethel's birth was found in the index at Italiangen.org, she was born on March 14, 1902 and her certificate number is 13395 in Manhattan. In 1919 Robert Jr. was police chief in Leonia, New Jersey. An article found here shows his occupation (for a laugh, and perhaps insight on hazing back in 1919 it's a good article).
Henry C. Beck was in the American-Spanish War and can be found in the 1910 census living in Washington D.C. When he was honorably discharged in 1902 for serving his 3 years, he immediately re-enlisted (the day after). In 1917 he again enlisted for WWI, from his military records we learn that he was born on October 19, 1865 and his middle name was Caulfield. From a search of military records it appears as though Henry C. Beck enlisted a total of 7 times in the army.
In 1920 Robert and his family have moved to Leonia, Bergen, New Jersey. Policeman is no longer listed as having an occupation, and is listed as being 56 years old. His children, the two living with him, are listed as Maebelle and Ethel Agnes. They all live at 378 Bronx Ave.
In 1933 Henry C. Beck died. His address was listed as 12-26 148th St. in Whitestone. He was buried in St. Mary Cemetery. His wife's name was Marcella F., and surviving him was (besides Marcella) one son: Harry C.; two sisters: Jane Estabrook and Mrs. Frank Sutherland; and one brother: William Beck. Also dying in 1933 was Cap't Estabrook who left behind 3 daughters: Mrs. Evelyn Soffell, Mrs. Mildred Lindeke, and Mrs. Edith Ott; two sons: Robert (with the Police Dept.) and Albert (in the U.S. Navy); and his wife: Jane Beck Estabrook.
In 1937 Frank Sutherland dies in Brooklyn, his address being 800 Ocean Ave. He leaves behind his wife: Mrs. Mary Beck Sutherland; and children: Frank Jr., Chester O., Robert F., and Ruth. (Robert F. died in August 1976, Chester O. died in Nov 1959). Mary Elizabeth Beck Sutherland died in November 1959. All of the people with death dates in this paragraph were buried in Green-wood Cemetery in N.Y.C. in lot 12995.
Jane Miller Beck Estabrook died on March 5, 1952 in Astoria, Queens, New York. Her obituary is included in the slideshow below. All images pertaining to these people can be saved to your hard drive by right clicking and pressing save image. The writing overlapping them is their source info.
Margaret Beck
Margaret Beck was born about 1840 in Ireland. She immigrated, likely with her mother, around 1852 or 1853 (according to the 1900 and 1910 census' consecutively). By the 1860 census she was married to Edmund Thomas Forster, an Englishman. She can be found in every census in Sodus, Wayne County, New York until her death in 1914. While no records actually say that she was born a Beck, including her obituary, a few newspaper articles from fultonhistory.com have made reference to all of the Beck children's relations (including Robert in New York City).
Margaret and Edwin had the following children:
Margaret and Edwin had the following children:
- Robert E. Forster (1858 - 1942), married then divorced (or at the very least separated....his wife was from Rochester. They were married after 1892 and separated before 1899 according to newspaper articles located at www.fultonhistory.com)
- William E. Forster (1861 - September 4, 1917)
- Mary Agnes Forster (1868 - January 2, 1943)
Wayne County Genealogical Resource, Beck Family, Francesca Premo, [email protected], last revised on 07/26/14