Captain Joseph Beckwith

  Noted events in his life were:

• Birth: From Vital Records of Lyme, Connecticut to the End of the Year 1850, page 220, 15 Apr 1679, Lyme, Connecticut. Extracted from the land records

Birth of the children of Joseph [z] B[eckwith] and Susana his wife

Joseph Berket was borne: 15 April 1679

Note: Berket is assumed to be Beckwith, not his middle name.

• Residence: Joshua Hempstead Diary Records, Connecticut Historical Society, 6 Dec 1714, Lyme, New London, Connecticut. Mond 6 Decembr 1714 I wrote an agreement between Jos Beckwith & Wm Minor Concerning ye bounds of some land.

• Church: From East Lyme Society Records, 14 Mar 1725, Lyme, New London, Connecticut. March 14, 1724/5… Joseph Beckwith owned ye covenant and were taken under watch of ye church (pg. 11)

Note: He would have been known as Joseph, not Joseph Junior, as his father had died.

Source Citation
[East Lyme Society]. Record of baptisms, marriages, and persons who owned the covenant, 1737-1761, MS 83382, Connecticut Historical Society (CHS), Hartford, Connecticut. Transcribed by Julia Morrow, CHS Collections Associate, February 2022.

• Family: From Vital Records of Lyme, Connecticut to the End of the Year 1850, p. 220. June 1699 Joseph Beckwith Juner was married unto Marah his now wife
this 18 day of May 1699 LLR2:200
[she is called Marah Lee dau. of Thomas]
Joseph Beckwith the son of the above sd was borne 1 June 1700
July 1700 Thomas Beckwith was borne the first of July 1702
Ezekiah Beckwith was borne 5 September 1704
November 1706 Mary Beckwith was borne 20 August 1706
Susanna was borne ye 14 of may 1708
Mary ye second was born 3 of April 1710
Lydia their daughter was borne Feb. 16 1712/3
Elijah Beckwith was born 15 December 1715
Nathan Beckwith was born 22 Febr 1717/8
Dority Beckwith was born ye 19 September 1720
Stephen Beckwith was born 6th day of March 1722

• Occupation: Operated a roadhouse, 1730, Lyme, New London, Connecticut. From Joshua Hempstead Diary Records, Connecticut Historical Society

Wednsd 22 1730 April I went with Lt Chapman. Mess Thos Prenttis & Jno Richards Selectmn to Setle the Bounds Between us & Lyme also Capt Stephen Prenttis with us & Cuzn Thos & John Lee. wee mett at Jno Champlins & Lodged at Capt Jos. Beckwiths.

fryd 24 April 1730 wee dined at Capt Beckwiths. (Continuation of trip on 22 April 1730)

• Family History: From Additional Beckwith Notes by Frederick H Beckwith, Stratford, Connecticut, 1956. Capt. Joseph Beckwith - Son of Joseph - b. 15 April 167S d. 9 Aug. 1741 at Lyme, Conn. Will 3 Dec. 1735- m. Mary (Marah) Lee dau. of Thomas Lee, jr., b. 28 Apr. 1679 d. 2 April 1761. She m. (2) 16 May 1745 Capt. Daniel Sterling m. (3) Capt. John Riggs of Derby, Conn. He d. 24 Sept. 1755, age 78. Her Will was dated 16 June 1759 at Colchester, Conn.

CHILDREN (All born in Lyme, Conn.)

1 - Joseph (Capt.) b. 1 June 1700 d. 1783

2 - Thomas b. 1 July 1702, living at Bristol, Conn., 1789

3 - Hezekiah b. 5 Feb. 1704/5

4.- Susannah b. 11 May 1708 m. Amos Tinker

5 - Mary b. 15 April 1710 m. Capt. Matthew Marvin

6 - Lydia b. 16 Feb. 1712 m. (1) 27 April 1732 Benj• Huntley m. (2) 30 Dec. 1739/40 John Crossman

7 - Elijah b. 15 Dec. 1713 m. Lydia Smith dau. of Samuel Smith

8 - Nathan b. 12 Feb. 1717/18 d. before 1759

9 - Dorothy b. 19 Sept. 1720 m. Simon Smith, son of Samuel Smith

10 - Stephen b. 6 Mar. 1722

The Colonial Records of Connecticut "May 1727 - This Assembly does establish and confirm Mr. Joseph Beckwith of Lyme to be Captain of the East or Second Company in the Town of Lyme aforesaid, and or¬ dered to be commissioned accordingly.”

"Oct. 1727 - Upon the Memorial of Samuel Gilbert, Resolved by this Assembly, that Capt. Joseph Beckwith of Lyme be appointed instead of George Way, to see so much of the real estate of Capt. Joseph Way deceased, in conjunction with the said Gilbert, etc."

Note: See notes on Gilbert Family p. 25.

Notes from Joshua Hempstead Diary - "1730 May 22 fair I went with Lt. Chapman, Mess. Thomas Prentis and Jno Richards, Selectman to seth the bounds between us and Lyme, also Capt. Stephen Prentis with us, cuzns. Thos. and John Lee, we met at Jno Champlins and loged at Capt. Jos. Beckwith."

Also "1757 April Sund 10 fair I was out all day and in the eve att. Colin. Steven Lee to visit Mrs. Riggs, widow of Capt. Riggs, late of Derby. She is my kinswoman and own sister to Colin. Lee, her first husband was Capt. Joseph Beckwith and her second Deacon Sterlin of Lyme. She was the third daughter of my uncle Lee who lived and died in Lyme and was first of ye name there and came over as a child with my Grandmother in the first Settlement of this Country. He had two sisters, one was the mother of the family of Hides in Norwich and Lebanon, etc."

Joseph Beckwith in his will states that he is husbandman (farmer), mentions wife Mary, a son Joseph and four daughters - Susanah, Mary, Lydia and Dorothy. Sons - Elijah, Nathan and Stephen were without heirs at the date of his will. His three sons Joseph, Thomas and Hezekiah had already received their portions. Nathan and Stephen were under age according to his will.

His widow Mary (Beckwith) Riggs in her will mentions her children in the following order: Joseph, Lydia, Thomas, Hezekiah, Elijah, Nathan who was dead and had given his daughter Mary his share, Stephen, Mary, Dorothy and Susanna.

In copying the will the N.E. Hist. & Gen. Reg. Vol. 40 misinterpreted her son’s name Hezekiah as Zachariah. In a letter dated 13 April 1954 Mr. John G. Feders, Town Clerk of Colchester examined the will under a magnifying glass and stated the first letter seemed to be a "H” and copied the name Hezekiah. As Hezekiah was mentioned in his father’s will it is self evident that there was not a son Zachariah

• Family History: From Beckwith Note 6, by Albert C. & Edward S. Beckwith, 1907, Page 4. JOSEPH, (Joseph), born at Lyme, April 15, 1679; appointed captain of militia in 1727; died at East Lyme, Aug. 9, 1741, " in his 64th year," as reads his headstone, - but stone-cutter and parish clerk have disagreed in other instances. Before his death and afterward his house was an inn, as is mentioned in Hempstead's Diary. May 18, 1699 he married MARAH LEE, (Thomas) who was MARY in later records, though an elder half-sister was so named. She was married May 16, 1745 to Capt. Daniel Sterling. Again widowed, she was married to Capt. Riggs, of Derby. She died in 1759.

57. JOSEPH.
58. THOMAS.
59. HEZEKIAH.
60. Mary, born Aug. 20, 1706; died early.
61. Susannah, born May 14, 1708; m'd to Amos Tinker; a daughter, Mrs. Mary Gilbert.
62. MARY.
63. Lydia, born Feb. 16, 1712, m'd April 28, 1732 to Benjamin Huntley; mentioned in her mother's will as Mrs. Crossman.
64. ELIJAH.
65. NATHAN.
66. Dorothy, born Sept. 19, 1730; m'd to Simon Smith, of New London.
67. STEPHEN.

• Gravestone: From Find a Grave, Aug 1741, Lyme, New London, Connecticut. Capt Joseph Beckwith Jr.
Birth: 15 Apr 1679 Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, USA
Death: 9 Aug 1741 (aged 62) East Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, USA
Burial: Old Stone Church Burial Ground, East Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, USA
Memorial #: 22326315
Inscription: Here
Lies the Body of
Capt Iofeph Beckwith who Died
Avgvst ye 9th 1741
In the 64th year of
his Age
Age 64; Colonial Wars
Family Members
Children
Thomas Beckwith Unknown-1770
Joseph Beckwith Unknown-1783
Hezekiah Beckwith 1704-1791
Maintained by: Blackpony (47650315)
Originally Created by: Annette (48858366)
Added: 20 Oct 2007
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22326315/joseph-beckwith
Citation: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/22326315/joseph-beckwith : accessed 20 September 2021), memorial page for Capt Joseph Beckwith Jr. (15 Apr 1679–9 Aug 1741), Find a Grave Memorial ID 22326315, citing Old Stone Church Burial Ground, East Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, USA ; Maintained by Blackpony (contributor 47650315) .

Joseph married Marah (Mary) Lee, daughter of Thomas Lee Jr and Mary DeWolf. (Marah (Mary) Lee was born on 28 Apr 1679 in Connecticut and died on 2 Apr 1761 in Colchester, New London, Connecticut.)