Revision as of 23:26, 8 November 2006

Jacob Beals

The name Beals is English, but many immigrant families Anglicized their names. This particular Beals name may have been Biehl originally, of German origin. The family intermarried with other German families who migrated to western PA at about the same time from the Lehigh County area. (See Brey, Klein). In various records they spelled the name Beal and Beals.

Jacob Beals is the progenitor of our line, and although he was born in Pennsylvania, his place of birth has yet to be proven. What is known of Jacob Beals is that he was born in Pennsylvania in 1806. A biography of his son Hiram (Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, 1898 by Beers, p. 1408) says that Jacob was "a native of Berks County, of German descent." The same source says that his wife, Elizabeth Bry, was born in Lehigh County.

(click here to read the full biography of Jacob Beals)

Ancestry chart segment

 Generation 4              Generation 5      Generation 6
 
                                         +-- [unknown]
                                         |   (????-????)  
                       +-- Jacob Beals --+
                       |   (1806-1890)   |
 James Francis Beals --+                 +-- [unknown]
 (1846-1930)           |                     (????-????)
                       +-- Elizabeth Brey
                           (1808-1899)

Sources:

Children

Children with Elizabeth Brey:

Places of Residence

Photo Gallery

Sources

Ref. Num.	Description	Image of original
1	1840 United States Federal Census, Richland Twp., Venango Co., PA, Page 60, line 11 lists Jacob Beals as the head of a household containing 2 males between 0 and 5 years of age [probably Jacob Beals, Jr., and William Beals], 2 males between 5 and 10 [probably Samuel Beals and Benjamin Beals], one male between 30 and 40 [probably Jacob Beals], one female between 10 and 15 [probably Flora A. Beals], and one female between 20 and 30 [probably Elizabeth Beals]. This census page is not dated.
2	1850 United States Federal Census, Beaver, Clarion Co., PA, Page 33, lines 5-14 lists Jacob Beals, 44, married to Elizabeth Beals, 40. They live with their eight children: daughter Flora A. Beals, 21; son Samuel Beals, 19; son Benjamin Beals, 17; son Jacob Beals, 15; son William Beals, 12; son Hiram Beals, 10; son Levi Beals, 7; and son James Beals, [age illegible]. The elder Jacob Beals, Samuel Beals, Benjamin Beals, and Jacob Beals, Jr. are all farmers. Everyone was born in PA. Elizabeth Beals cannot read and write. Samuel, Benjamin, Jacob Jr., William, and Hiram all attended school in the year. This census is dated 24 Sep 1850.
3	1870 United States Federal Census, Richland Twp., Clarion Co., PA, Page 4, line 40, and Page 5, lines 1-3 lists Jacob Beals, 65, married to Elizabeth Beals, 62. They live with two children: son Levi Beals, 24, and son James Beals, 22. Jacob Beals and Elizabeth Beals cannot write. Everyone was born in PA. Jacob Beals has no occupation listed, Elizabeth Beals is keeping house, Levi's occupation is Works at Carpentry, and James is a laborer. This census is dated 30 Aug 1870.
4	1880 United States Federal Census, Richland Twp., Clarion Co., PA, Enumeration District 79, Page 33, lines 9-11 list Jacob Beels, 75, married to Elizibeth Beels, 72, living with a servant named Lilli[?} Rochel[?], 14. Jacob Beels is a farmer and Elizibeth keeps house. Elizabeth Beels cannot write. Everyone and their parents were born in PA. This census is dated 10 Jun 1880. The following entry on this page is that of Jacob Beals' son, Levi F. Bells, 34, and his family (including 4 children), suggesting that they lived on adjacent property.
5	Gravestone at Salem Lutheran Cemetery, Clarion County, PA. Reads: "Jacob Beals, Born Apr. 15, 1806, Died Oct. 20, 1890, Elizabeth, his wife, Born Mar. 1808, Died Jan 15[?] 1889"
6	Cemetery Association Record from Salem Lutheran Cemetery Association lists Jacob Beals, 1806-1899, as married to Elizabeth Brey, 1808-1899. It lists their descendants down as far as four generations in some places. Some of those descendants are my anscestors, including son James Beals, daughter-in-law Olive Bower, grandson Elgie Beals and grandaughter-in-law Winnie Kline.
7	Will for Jacob Beals, Jr..names [foster dau.]Olive Samantha Bower; wife Clara A. Beals; mother and father Jacob and Elizabeth Beals; brothers Benjamin, William, Hiram, Levi F., and James F.; sister Flora Ann Biery; Executors Levi F. Beals and George F. Kribbs. Signed[his mark] 4 Jan. 1877; probated 19 Mar. 1877
8	Hiram Beals biography Hiram Beals, an honored veteran of the Civil war and a leading citizen of Richland township, Clarion county, was born July 31, 1840, in Venango county, Penn., and is a son of Jacob Beals, a native of Berks county, of German descent. The mother, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Bry, was born in Lehigh county, and was a daughter of Michael Bry. In 1839 the parents took up their residence in Venango county, where the father died at the age of eighty-three years, but the mother is still living at the advanced age of ninety. He was a famer by occupation, a Democrat in politics and a Lutheran in religious belief. The mother is also a consistent member of the Church. Their family numbered eight children, namely: Flora Anna; Samuel; Benjamin; Jacob;, who was a Union soldier during the Rebellion; William; Hiram; Levi; and James. (See complete article). From Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania (Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion Counties), 1898 by Beers, p. 1408.	complete transcription
9	Personal correspondence from Elizabeth Wilson Williams, regarding correspondence from her cousin, Nancy Walls: quotes a "blue book about the first settlers of Clarion County, which became lost/stolen from the library"; she didn't record the title. In this book was this: (the double name spelling must be Nancy's editing; other parts of the wording make it appear to be an extraction of data rather than an exact transcript.). Elizabeth Brye/Brier b. 1 Mar. 1808, daughter of Michael Brey/Brier, farmer, Democrat, Lutheran, arrived, resided Venango County 1839; Clarion County 1841. Elizabeth was originally of Lehigh County
10	Jacob Beals homestead Beaver township, Clarion Co. PA near Mariasville
11	Personal correspondence from Elizabeth Wilson Williams.	N/A

Source Notes

Regarding the lack of an 1860 census record: I have manually reviewed all census entries for Richland, Beaver, Salem, Elk, and Licking Townships, Clarion County, PA, along with Richland Township, Venango County, PA. No sign of the Jacob Beals family was found. The census for Richland Twp. Clarion Co. contains only one Beals residence, that of William Beals [son of Jacob] and his wife Susana. In Beaver Twp., we find another son, Jacob Beals, Jr. and his wife Clara. In Salem Twp., we find a third son, Samuel Beal and his family, as well as the infamous Daniel Beals and his wife Elizabeth. No Beals (or variants) in Elk & Licking Twps.. Richland Twp, Venango Co., has a David Beels w/ wife Margaret, as well as an Elizabeth Beels (37) working as a "domestic" in the home of a Mr. Coutter.

Conjecture

• Regarding the 1860 Census: The fact that Jacob's sons are all still in the area, and that there is also no sign of Jacob's wife or other children (especially James Francis Beals) in 1860, that their home was simply left out of the census for one reason or another.

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