The following article had been sent by Sharon B. Lytle, McCook, NE and Robert Barnes Jr,
Kansas City, KS. A most valuable piece of information. Featured in The Beebe Connection, February 1989, Vol 13-1.
Boston Transcript, 22 Aug 1928 - Beebe - T7419
BEEBE, FOUNTAIN. "Nauset." 9 Jul 1928.
Aaron Fountain was evidently of New London, CT, in 1681, as in December of that year Samuel Beebe makes deed of gift of certain land to "my son-in-law Aaron Fountain," to be for "his wife's use." It is evident this wife died within a very few years and Aaron Fountain removed to Fairfield, CT where, possibly as early as 1690 he married, second, a widow, Hannah Winton.
The Fairfield Church baptisms give the following:
May 29, 1698: John Winton, son of Hannah Fountain.
May 29, 1698: Samuel, son of Aaron Fountain.
June 5, 1700: Aaron, Moses and Hannah, children of Aaron Fountain.
May 9, 1702: John, son of Aaron Fountain.
The important record is, however, found in Stamford, CT.
Registration as follows:
"John Mills of Stamford and Mary Fountain, daughter of Aaron Fountain, was born to him by his first wife, Mary, who was the daughter of Mr. Samuel Beebe of New London, were married in Fairfield by Major Peter Burr, Asst.
Oct 2, 1702."
The court records at New London, 1712, of the distribution of the estate of Samuel Beebe, who died that year mentions a "daughter Mary, deceased," as she had already received her portion nothing more was set out for her representative.
Miss Caulkins in her genealogies, in her History of New London , was entirely ignorant of this daughter Mary, so erroneously assigns the daughter, Susanna Beebe, as the wife of Aaron Fountain. (Next several words were unreadable) followed by Savage, by the Beebe Genealogy , and so the error has been perpetuated in print.
Samuel Beebe, the father, has been also erroneously given by Miss Caulkins in her largely guess-work attempt at the Beebe family histories. She strangely assigns to Samuel Beebe a presumptive first wife, Agnes Keeny, an alleged sister of his known wife, Mary Keeny. There is not the slightest record of any such Agnes Keeny, or of such a first wife but Miss Caulkins by certain erroneous assumptions finds herself involved in conditions that she deems a first wife necessary, hence an Agnes Keeny was evolved to fit the supposed conditions. This alleged first wife, "Agnes Keeny," is also accepted by Savage and the Beebe book; but careful research of original records over wider areas, show this first wife theory is to be a mistaken -?-. Mary Keeny clearly stands as first and only wife of Samuel Beebe - so mother of all his children. There are other cases where Miss Caulkins evolves a maiden out of her inner consciousness to feature as wife of an early settler but she usually bases this guess as by "inferential testimoney," but in the case of Agnes Keeney, she is given if an approved fact.
The correction I here present is the unanimous finding of several of the most experienced genealogists of Connecticut, who have spent months in searching original records for actual and correct data, an in final adjustment of their notes could state facts, without necessity of resorting to speculation.
Samuel Beebe was born in Broughton, England in 1633. He married at New London, Conn., probably as early as 1660, Mary, daughter of William and Agnes Keeny, said Mary born about 1639; she died March 9, 1725, "aged about 76 or 77 (HEAMPSTEAD's Diary, pg 155). She testified at New London, Sept 30, 1662, as Mary Beebe, "aged about twenty-two years."
Their children were as follows (the order of births are slightly
speculative):
Samuel, "eldest son" md Feb 9, 1681-2, Elizabeth Rogers
Mary, md Aaron Fountain before 1681
Agnes, md John Daniels, Oct 22, 1685
William, md Ruth Rogers; had second wife Hannah
Nathaniel, md Elizabeth Wheeler, Jul 2, 1697
*****chk this Ludlow Mass.
said he d 2 Jul 1697
Susanna, md Thomas Crocker, as second wife, April 23,1700.
Jonathan, md Bridget Brockway, settled in East Haddam, Conn.
Mercy, md Richard Tozer, April 8, 1702
Thomas, md Ann Hobson, Dec. 17, 1702
EAMPSTEAD's Diary, pg 155: May 9, 1725 states as follows: "Old Goodee Beebee Died." May 10, "I was at the funeral of old Ms. Beebe, aged about 86 or 7. Her husband was 1 of ye first Settlers of ye Town."
The BEEBE Genealogy assumes this to be Abigail York, the widow of John Beebe, and fixes her age accordingly. This identification is certainly erroneous, and was certainly Mary (Keeny) the widow of Samuel Beebe. The following clearly proves the contention.
HEMPSTEAD's Diary, pg 105: Jan 7, 1720-21, "Old Goodee Beebee was buried, ye widow of Lt. John Beebee deceased." The above shows that the Beebe Genealogy seems to show a lack of care of of genealogical ability. S.M.F.
(This ends the article)
Some of the Ancestors & Descendants of Samuel Converse Jr. Vol II, Page 772, The Allen Family. Ft. Wayne, IN Allen County Public Library.
Grace Edgecomb, b 16 Mar 1712-13, married James Daniels of Groton, CT. The date of their marriage is not found in the records of New London because the town of Groton in 1705 ceased to be included in the territory of New London, and became a separate town. James Daniels was b 31 Aug 1708, and was the son of John Jr., and Anges (Beebe) Daniels, and grandson of John, Sr., and Mary (Chappell)Daniels....
John Daniels, Jr., eldest son of John, Sr., was born 19 Mar 1665-6, died 15 January 1756, and married 3 December 1685, Agness Beebe, daughter of Samuel Beeby, who wrote his name indifferently Beeby or Beebe, and who with his three brothers, first appears among the grantees or planters in New London about 1651, and was among the first comers there. His three brothers were Lieut. John Beebe who served as an officer in King Philip's war, Sergeant Thomas Beebe, owner of barque "Speedwell" and somewhat prominent in town affairs, and Nathaniel Beeby, who in 1712 had charge of the guard of the beacon on the west end of Fisher's Island. The Beeby brothers had house lots on Cape Ann Lane and grants of land at Fog Plain, and near the pond at Lanthorne Hill, east of the Mystic River. Samuel Beeby was one of the subscribers to the patent of New London 14 Oct 1704. In a deposition in 1708, he states his age as 67, and says "I came to this town nearly sixty years ago." He died in 1712 leaving a wife, Mary.
[The discrepancy begins here]. His former wife was Agnes or Annis, daughter of of William Keeny who was born in 1601, came from Gloucester, Mass, with Rev. Richard Blinman about 1650, had a farm at Nahantick, was owner of the barque "Hopewell," and his wife was a member of Mr. Bradstreet's church.
Samuel Beeby's son, Samuel, Jr, in right of his wife, Elizabeth, dau of James Rogers, "as well as by extensive purchases from the Indians, became a great landholder. He was one of the three who owned Plum Island in the Sound, and living upon the island in plentiful farmer style, with sloops and boats for pleasure or traffic at his command, he was often sportively called 'King Beebee' and 'Lord of the Islands.' A rock in the sea, not far from his farm, was called 'Beebee's throne.'
(The above account of the Daniels, Chappell, Beeby and Keeny families is from Miss Caulkins' History of New London.)
Thus Miss Caulkin's mistake starts weaving a web of errors.
History of Ludlow, Massachusetts written by Alfred Noon, 1912. Page 352. Even in this biography we find the same mistake being generated.
To wit:
Samuel Beebe, son of John, was born June 23, 1633; died in 1712; married first, Agnes Keeney; second, Mary Keeney, daughters of William Keeney. He offers some different dates on the children as well:
Samuel, b cir 1660: died 10 June 1716; md Elizabeth Rogers.
Susannah, b cir 1663; died 1680; md Aaron Fountain
William, b cir 1665; died 1750; md Ruth Rogers
Agnes, b cir 1667; died 3 Dec 1685 John Daniels. [In the book someone had scratched out with pen the "died" and placed an "m" over it which is most logical].
Nathaniel, b cir 1670; died 2 July 1697; md Elizabeth Wheeler
Ann, b cir 1672; md 23 April 1700, Thomas Crocker
Mary, b cir 1678; died before 1712; md 8 April 1702, Richard Tozer.
Thomas, b cir 1682; md 20 Dec 1707, Anna Hobson
Genealogical and Biographical Record of New London County, CT. 1905, J.H.Beers. Page 845.
Frank Gurdon Keeney is a descendant of one of New England's old and time honored families, which family has resided continuously in New London county for 250 and more years. On Oct.19, 1650, grants of land were made by the townsmen of New London to a colony of persons from Gloucester, on the eastern coasts of Massachusetts, on the peninsula of Cape Ann. The colony was led by Richard Blinman, who for eight years had been the minister of the Gloucester Church. His party composed of Obediah Bruen, Andrew Lester, James Averye and Robert Isabel. Mr. Blinman had previously agreed to be minister in Pequot (New London). About this time William Keeney, Ralph Parker and John Edlerkin had grants of land at Pequot, and all, probably, says Miss Caulkins, in her history of New London, Conn., belonged to the Cape Ann party. Early in 1651 New Street in New London was opened in the rear of the town plot for the accommodation of the Cape Ann Company; it took the name of Cape Ann Lane. Of the nine lots -- six acres each -- on New Street, William Keeney's was nearly opposite the south entrance of this street on Nahantic road. Mr. Keeney was aged sixty-one years in 1662, and his wife, Agnes or Annie, was at the time aged sixty-three years. He died in 1675. His daughter Susanna, who married Ralph Parker, in 1662, was aged thirty-four; another daughter, Mary, who married Samuel Beebe, twenty; and John, a son was aged twenty-one years.....
The above information on the Keeney's is covered more in depth. Wm. and Agnes were included and we can see why Samuel and Mary's first daughter was named Agnes, probably after her mother.We must not think of Miss Caulkin's as a poor genealogist but as one who has offered much information and many clues. When facts are found to disprove her theory, that's ok. They were and we are human's.
If you have any thoughts on the above theory, won't you please let us know? We would be glad to have some input.