Aaron Beekman
AARON BEEKMAN
Born: 31 March 1793, Harpers Ferry, (West) Virginia.
Married:
1) Sarah O'Brien/O'Brient
2) Beersheba Stuckey
Died: 10 February 1890, Mifflin Twp., Pike Co., Ohio.
Buried: White Oak Cemetery, Beavers Ridge, Pike Co., Ohio.
Children:
Winfield Scott, William Gerry, Snowden H., Mary Jane, Rowland P., Rueben (?), Thomas L., Sarah, Abigail, Maria (order uncertain).
Tombstone of Aaron’s second wife
Biography:
Aaron was the fifth child of William and Sarah (Furman) Beekman. He was born while his parents were living near Harpers Ferry, (West) Virginia and came to Pike Co., Ohio with them in 1801. It is stated by one source that he married to Sarah O'Brien "in the War of 1812", but the actual date appears to be 21 October 1819, four days before the birth of their child! This child was a son, and our ancestor. Sarah was born 1790-4 and died about 1820. She was quite possibly the daughter of one Peter O'Brien. Aaron served in the War of 1812 as a private in Capt. Joseph Rockholds Co., Ohio Militia. He enlisted on 28 July 1813 and was discharged on 5 September 1813. He apparently later received some bounty land for his service. After the death of Sarah, Aaron remarried to Beersheba Stuckey on 2 August 1827 in Adams Co., Ohio and by her had eight children. Beersheba was born on 5 June 1800 and died 3 January 1860. Aaron lived to be almost one hundred years old. He was, based on oral account and deathdates of other ancestors, undoubtedly the person referred to by a great grandson, Winfield Scott Woods, in recalling how his great grandfather killed one of the last bears ever killed in southern Ohio, with a muzzle loader gun. This occurred only shortly before Aaron's death. Aaron was a farmer. His real estate was valued at $1,000 in 1850. That figure was the same for 1860, along with $212 in personal estate. When Beersheba died in January 1860 with breast cancer, Aaron lived with his son William who lived, as he had been himself, in Mifflin Twp., Pike Co. Aaron appears with William in the census records of 1870 and 1880. He died there in Mifflin Twp., on 10 February 1890 at 96 years, 10 months and 10 days of age. He died with influenza. The Waverly Courier newspaper, issue of 20 February 1890, gave the following notice - "From Latham: 'Father Aaron Beekman was no doubt the oldest person in our county departed this life last Monday. His age was 97 years, 10 months and 10 days. He was a soldier in the war of 1812. His remains were placed in the tomb at White Oak on Tuesday." The age the newspaper gave is one year off.
Children:
1) Winfield Scott, our ancestor. See separate entry.
2) William Gerry, born 28 June 1828 and died 22/23 February 1901. The tombstone (White Oak Cemetery) reads 22 February 1901, while his death record states that it was on the 23rd. The cause of his death was "not known". He was a farmer and a minister who married to Margaret Nace, sister of Catherine Nace, on 16 January 1848. She was born 29 November 1828. She was illiterate. They had ten children. William joined the Christian Church at age 21 and soon became an elder, a position he held until 1866 when he was ordained. In 1870, his real estate was set at $150 and personal estate at $300. The family lived in Mifflin Twp. Pike Co. in 1880. He still engaged in farming after becoming a minister. He served two terms as a township trustee, as the Assessor for seven years and as Justice of the Peace for 6 years. He was director of the Pike County Infirmary for three years. His wife Margaret died on 11 November 1891 and he later remarried to Abigail Potts Mitchell in c. 1897. In 1900, they lived in Mifflin Twp. and an 11-year-old girl was with them as a border and “servant”.
a. George Ed, born c. 1849 and became a teacher and also did bookkeeping. In 1870, his personal estate was $250. He is most probably the George E. Beekman born 1848 and died 1935, buried in White Oak Cemetery. He is said to have had poor eyesight.
b. Winslow Parker, born c. 1851. He was a "farm laborer" in 1870. He married Virginia Knox on 4 March 1875. He died 1935.
c. Aaron Asbury, born 3 February 1852. He was also a farm laborer, but unlike his brother Winslow, he is listed as having real estate valued at $1000 - when he was only 17 years old! He died on 9 March 1937. He married to Cora A. Evans, on 29 August 1880, and she died 4 April 1915 at age 52 years, 9 months, 22 days.She was the daughter of a Methodist minister named Charles Evans and his wife Irene. Her mother married secondly to Winfield Scott Beekman. Aaron Asbury and Cora had eight children, including a 21-year-old son, Alva G., who was accidentally killed by a falling tree on 19 April 1905. It was claimed by his brother George that Aaron was not a king husband to Cora, and not easy to live with period! He married secondly to Martha Rhoads of Sinking Spring, Ohio. She apparently was not a very kind soul herself!
d. Elizabeth Jane, born c. 1855 and married in 1872 to Jesse W. Shanks, who was born 1852, Sunfish Twp., Pike Co., Ohio.
e. James B., born c. 1860.
f. Nathaniel Green, born c. 1860, perhaps a twin of James. He was alive in 1937, living in St. Jose, Illinois.
g. Mary C. L. V., was born in June 1863. She appears be the Mary C. Beekman buried in White Oak Cemetery who was born in 1863 and died 1935. Her husband was Benjamin F. Beekman.
h. Verna A. M., born c. 1866. She married to William Rayborn on 24 December 1889 and died in 1954.
i. Virginia P., born c. 1868. She married to Jacob J. Genther. One source claims she died c. 1898, but her brother Aaron’s obituary indicates that she was still living in 1937!
j. Margaret F., born 20 May 1871 and died in infancy. Her middle name appears to be Frances.
3) Snowden H., born 10 January 1830. He married to Indiana Mick, daughter of George and Ruth (Kidd) Mick, in Highland Co., Ohio on 30 September 1858. She was born on 21 August 1834. They are said to have "lived in the west" and one record has them in Marion Co., Iowa for at least a brief time. In 1860, they appear in Cass Co., Illinois, Indiana’s mother living with them at the time. In occupation, Snowden is listed then as a physician. In both 1880 and 1890, Snowden appears in Clinton Co., Ohio in the town of Wilmington. He and his wife still lived there in 1900. A death record for Snowden has him dying at his home in Wilmington, Ohio on 20 December 1909. He is buried in the Sugar Grove Cemetery there. Snowden served as a Union soldier during the Civil War, a private in Co. B of the 175th Ohio Infantry. He enlisted on 2 September 1864 and was discharged on 31 May 1865. His regiment served in Tennessee, fighting in Nashville and Columbia. Snowden also worked both as a farmer and carpenter. In 1900, Indiana is noted as being the mother of eight children, five of whom were still living. However, in 1910, it is claimed that she was the mother of but one child, who was still living, Anna, who would be Ruth Anna. Indiana was still alive there in Clinton Co. in 1910, living with her daughter and son-in-law and family.
a. Ruth Anna, born 1859 in Ohio. She was listed as a teacher in 1880. She married to Stephen Allen Brackney.
4) Mary Jane, was born, it is said, on 2 December 1831. Her grandson George, however, claimed that she was born on 21 July 1831. She was still living at home at the time of the 1860 census. She married later that year in Pike Co. to Henry H. Valentine, a farmer, on 20 September 1860. He was born in February 1836. In 1880, they lived in Miffllin Twp., Pike Co., Ohio and had three children living at home. Mary died 15 January 1906.
a. Walter L., born c. 1862. He married Amy Smalley on 28 August 1844 in Pike Co., Ohio.
b. George E., born 17 October 1863. He married Elizabeth Genther on 24 November 1887 in Pike Co., Ohio. He died 30 March 1947 and is buried in White Oak Cemetery.
c. William H., born in May 1867. He still lived at home in 1900.
5) Roland P., born 2 February 1833. He married to Susan Scowden on 19 October 1856 and they had at least four children. His name also appears spelled as Rowland and a middle name of Newbar is also given for him. He was a farmer. In 1860, there is no real estate listed for him, but $120 in personal estate is noted. They lived in Mifflin Twp., Pike Co., Ohio. It is thought that Roland might have died in the Civil War. He served in the 63rd Ohio Infantry, Co. HI, as a corporal. Whether or not he died in the war, he does not appear in the 1870 census, Susan showing up at that time as head of household with children Eliza and Aaron. Susan was born 14 December 1835 and died 8 February 1913.
a. Eliza Jane, born c. 1858. She is possibly the Eliza Beekman who was born 1856 and died 1930, the grave of whom is in Gardner Cemetery near Susan (Scowden) Beekman's grave. She married William Freshour 3 October 1874.
b. Aaron, a twin, who was born c. 1859. He married Louie O’Brient on 26 April 1879.
c. twin of Aaron who died.
d. Lydia, married James Freshour and had 4 children. There is a tombstone record of a Lydia (Beekman) Freshour who lived 1857-1940, though she is noted as a wife of a William.
6) Rueben, born c. 1833. He was a farmer. This name appears in the 1850 census, but it is very possible that this is actually the Roland/Rowland of above and not a separate child.
7) Thomas L., was born on 16 October 1834. It appears that he may have been married twice. Mother of his daughter Flora is named as Maria O'Brient. He was later married to Marie Perdue. In the census records of 1880 and 1900, his wife is named as Temple M., perhaps meaning Temple Marie. She is noted to have had seven children by 1900, two of whom had died by then. They are also noted in the census that year as having been married for 35 years. He was a farmer, though named simply as a "day laborer" in 1860. He then had a personal estate of $100. No real estate was listed. He lived at the time with his father.
a. Flora Bertha, born 1 October 1870.
b. John W., born in April 1873.
c. Melinda S., born 20 September 1876, twin of Lizzie. This is probably the "Matilda" that shows up in the census.
d. Lizzie A., born 20 September 1876, a twin of Melinda.
e. Thomas L., born 17 September 1879.
8) Sarah.
9) Abigail.
10) Maria.
Submitted by Michael & Donna Brown
Sept 2007
Copyright © 2007
Pike Co. Genealogy & Historical Society
P. O. Box 224,
Waverly, Ohio 45690