Simon Beaman (bef. 1627 - 1676)

Born before May 1627 in England

Husband of Alice (Young) Beaman — married 15 Dec 1654 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died Mar 1676 after age 48 in Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Simon Beaman migrated from England to USA 1648.

Simon Beaman's birthdate, birthplace, parents and date of migration are unknown (see research notes).

The earliest reference to Simon Beaman is on 26 May 1648 when William Pynchon of Springfield Massachusetts, recorded the sale of clothing to him. In 1653 his purchases from Pynchon make it clear that his occupation was as a shoemaker. On 17 November that year his first ownership of land is recorded.^[1][2]

The marriage of Symon Beamon and Alis Young took place on 15 day of 10 month 1654, that is 15 December 1654, according to the town records of Springfield.^[3] (In some publications and online trees this is erroneously interpreted as 15 October 1654.) They had at least 12 children:

• Simon Jr Beaman^[4]
• John Beaman. John Beamon, son of Symon Beamon was born 12 of 2nd month 1657 (12 April 1657)^[5]
• Daniel Beaman Daniell Beamon, son of Syman Beamon, was born 1 month 1658 (March 1658/59). (The day is barely legible in the image, but could be 3,^[6], though it has appeared in print as 15^[4] (the date of the following entry) and 1.^[7][8])
• Thomas Beaman. Thomas Beamon, son of Symon Beamon was born 29 of 10 month 1660. (29 December 1660)^[9][4][7][8]
• Josiah Beaman Josias Beamon, son of Symon Beamon was born 4 February 1662/63.^[10]
• Samuel Beaman^[4]
• Ruth Beaman^[4]
• Mehitable Beaman^[4]
• Alice Beaman^[4]
• Benjamin Beaman Benjamin Bemon son of Symon Bemon was born 20 Aug 1671.^[11][4][12]
• Abigail Beaman ______ Bemon, d/o Symon born 11 june 1673.^[13][4][12]
• Mary married John Miller ^{[4] [14]}

Date of death: Simon certainly died between 17 August 1675, when he incurred a debt and 26 September 1676 when administration of his estate was granted.^[1][2] His death is recorded in the register of deaths in Springfield, but without a date.^[15] The entries up to early February 1675/76 are in date order by month but not always by day. Then there are five undated entries. The first three are for the Keep family (John, his wife Sarah, and their infant son Jabez), the register simply says they died, but independent evidence shows that they were killed by a native American attack on Sunday 26 March 1676.^[16] After blank space of one or two lines, these are followed by Simon Bymon, and Pelatiah Morgan who was also "slaine by ye indians", another three or four lines blank, "Richard Sikes died March 1676", a blank space of four to six lines and the death of Benjamin Dorchester on 24 May which resumes the sequence of dated deaths. It seems likely therefore that Simon died in late March 1676 as his death is recorded amongst others which occurred that month.

Alice died on 8 October 1708.

Research Notes

Birth date: His age is not given in any of the New England records quoted extensively in the two detailed genealogies.^[1][2] The only thing that can be said is that he appears to have been an adult incurring debts on his own behalf in May 1648, and was therefore born before May 1627. No evidence has been found for any of the following:

• 1626: Previously on this profile.
• 1629: A Millennium File entry Ancestry Record millind #102415803 and some Ancestry trees.^[17]
• 1630: Another Millennium File entry: Ancestry Record millind #101430

Birth place This profile previously showed "Church Stretton, Cardington, Shropshire, England", and variations on this are repeated in numerous online trees. There is no evidence for Simon's birthplace being either Church Stretton or Cardington (two separate places in Shropshire). The parish register for Cardington 1598-1636 has lost the pages from 1613-1635 and there are no Beaman (or variants) events in the remainder of the register. The Bishops Transcripts do not survive before 1660. The records of the nearby parish of Church Stretton do not survive before 1661.

The suggestion that he came from Shropshire seems to come from the following excerpt from The Beaman and Clark Genealogy which is pure speculation linking Simon to the Justices of the Peace (originally from Shropshire) who took the Oath of Supremacy from William and John Beaman:^[18]

The clue to the Beaman home in England was the two magistrates before whom William and John took the oath. …

After a long search it was learned that Wm. VVhitmore and Sir Miles Runton lived in Bridgnorth, Shropshire … The parish records there are nearly illegible and the first search was a failure ; but another was made by a noted archeologist of the county ... He found no Beamans on the books, showing that tho William and John were probably employed in Bridgnorth yet they were not born there; but from his knowledge of the early inhabitants of the county and the residences of the different families, he believes that the Beamans came from at or near Bowman's Hill a place in the western part of Shropshire, in the parish of Cardington and near Church Stretton, a town that may be found on the map. He also that the name was originally the Norman Beaumont, and that Bowman may have been meant for the name of the family. There were no Beamans then in East Shropshire, and Bowman's Hill appears to have been their original home.

This is pure speculation:

• Simon's origin is assumed to be the same as that of two other Beaman's who emigrated on a different ship, and probably in a different decade.
• These men are assumed to come from the county associated with the Justices of the Peace who administered the Oath of Supremacy to them (though the location of the oath-taking has been questioned^[19]).
• A hill in that county with a similar name to the surname is found and assumed to be the men's place of origin, but even if the surname was derived from this place, there is no reason to suppose all its bearers lived near there several centuries later.
• if there "were no Beamans then in East Shropshire", then Simon (and William and John) didn't come from there.

Parents This profile previously had Adam Beaman and Helena Knightsford as Simon's parents. Adam Bemon and Helen Knightsford had a child Ralph baptised at Biddulph, Staffordshire on 28 September 1595. (All the names were rendered into Latin in the register: Adami, Helena and Radalphus). This baptism was 30 years before Simon was supposed to have been born. Biddulph is 55 miles from Church Stretton and Cardington. There is therefore no evidence to link him to these parents.

Arrival in New England: There is no evidence for his date of arrival, other than before May 1648 when he appears in William Pynchon's records.^[1][2] Two dates have been published but are unsubstantiated:

• The Beaman and Clark genealogy^[18] states that Simon arrived in 1635 as one of five youths named Beamon who emigrated that year, but it does not name a ship for him as it does for the others. The migration of William, John and Gamaliel to New England is well documented in the Great Migration series, but there is no mention of Simon which means that he does not appear in any New England records before spring 1641.^[20] It is possible he arrived on another boat without a surviving passenger list, and as he was underage managed to avoid being in any records for several years, but it seems unlikely.
• Filby indicates the he arrived in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1648,^[21] but this is the date he was first recorded and there is no evidence that it was when he arrived.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Starr, Frank Farnsworth. Various Ancestral Lines of James Goodwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin of Hartford, Connecticut (Hartford, Conn., 1915) Volume 1, Pages 141-153.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines. (Privately Printed, 1931) Volume 2, Pages 104-108.
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-7BG?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 28 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
   Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 14.
   Transcript: Symon Beamon joyned in marriage to Alis Young the 15 day of 10 mon: 1654.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} Burt, Henry Martyn. The First Century of the History of Springfield: The Official Records from 1636 to 1736, with an Historical Review and Biographical Mention of the Founders (Springfield, Mass.: H.M. Burt, 1899). Volume 2, page 527.
5. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-QC3?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 24 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
   Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 9v.
   Transcript: John Beamon sonne of Symon Beamon borne the 12 of the 2 mon: 1657.
6. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-QC3?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 24 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
   Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 10r.
   Transcript: Daniell Beamon the sonne of Symon Beamon borne the [illegible] day of ye 1 mon: 1658.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Lewis, Ella May. "Springfield (Mass.) records: additions and corrections." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume 87 (1933), pages 301-304. See pages 302 and 303.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Davis, Charles H. S. "Records of Springfield Mass." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume 18 (1864), pages 142-147. See pages 144, 145 and 146.
9. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-W69?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 25 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
   Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 10v.
   Transcript: Thom.. Beamon sonn of S... Beamo.. borne ye ... day 10 mo.....
10. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-W72?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 26 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
    Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 11v.
    Transcript: Josias Beamon son of Symon Beamon borne ye 4th of Febr' 1662.
11. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-WJZ?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 36 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
    Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 22v.
    Transcript: Beniamien Beman son of Symon Beman born August 20th 1671.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Davis, Charles H. S. "Records of Springfield Mass." [Space:NEHGR|The New England Historical and Genealogical Register]], volume 19 (1865), pages 61-64. See page 63.
13. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-WPC?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 37 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
    Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 24v.
    Transcript: ______ Bemon daughter of Symon born June ye 11th 1673.
14. ↑ Warren, Thomas B. Springfield Families. p. 47
15. ↑ "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-D1ZQ-Q1N?cc=1865477&wc=MJCS-7MS%3A1042553301 : 9 December 2022), 004375670 > image 61 of 594; Springfield City Hall.
    Births, marriages, and deaths, volume 1 (original), 1638-1728, folio 49v.
    Transcript: Simon Bymon died.
16. ↑ Judd, Sylvester, Boltwood, Lucius M. History of Hadley: Including the Early History of Hatfield South Hadley Amherst and Granby Massachusetts. (New ed.) (Springfield, Mass.: H.R. Huntting & Company, 1905.) Pages 156-157. Accessed 22 September 2023.
17. ↑ "Simon Beaman/Beeman 1629 Cardington, Shropshire, England" https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/7221440/media/607aff671ccd492d861bcc897a80d938
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Wooden, Emily Beaman. The Beaman and Clark Genealogy. (Rochester, 1909.) Pages 11 and 14. (Accessed 23 September 2023.)
19. ↑ Trueblood, Stephen. "Where did William Beamond come from?" post on Genealogist to Genealogist forum 17 February 2021. https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1189122/where-did-william-beamond-come-from (Accessed 23 September 2023)
20. ↑ Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999. Pages 217-222
21. ↑ Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s (Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012)
    Arrival Year: 1648; Arrival Place: Springfield, Massachusetts..
    Ancestry Record 7486 #3824990

Other sources consulted:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #135221929 for Simon has an image of a general marker relating to the moving of graves in 1840. It is not a reliable source about him.
• AGBI: American Genealogical-Biographical Index, Godfrey Memorial Library, Middletown, CT, USA.
  • Ancestry Record agbi #478937
    Hadleyms.hist:8, 152 Hadleyms.hist.h:203-5, 254
    see source below
  • Ancestry Record agbi #478939
    Boston Transcript Genealogy Column: Apr 14, 1930, item 9944:
    No new information; query only.
  • Ancestry Record agbi #478938
    Boston Transcript Genealogy Column: Nov 12, 1924, 1951:
    No new information, references Frank Starr, Ancestral lines of Goodwin & Morgan.
• Judd Sylvester and Lucius M Boltwood. History of Hadley : Including the Early History of Hatfield South Hadley Amherst and Granby Massachusetts. [New ed.] H.R. Hunting & Company 1905. Internet Archive. Accessed 21 Sept. 2023. [Noted in AGBI source above]
  All the mentions of Simon Beamon in this volume are to Simon the son of this Simon.
• Torrey, Clarence Almon. Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (NEHGS, Boston, 2015) Volume 1, Page 116.
  This lists the following sources:
  • Hale (1952) 716
  • Beaman 11
  • Sv. 1:147
  • Goodwin-Morgan 1:142
  • Deerfield 79
  • Dawes-Gates 2:104-5
  • Springfield Fam. (ms) 47
    Warren, Thomas B., Springfield Families, 3 vols. (Springfield, Mass., 1934–1935)
• Jacobus, Donald Lines. Hale, House, and Related Families, Mainly of the Connecticut River Valley (Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, 1952) Page 716.
  Mention of daughters' marriages.
• Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1862) Page 147.
  Very brief account without sources.
• Sheldon, George. A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts (E.A. Hall & Co., Greenfield, Mass., 1895) Part II, Page 79.
  Brief account without sources.

See also:

• Beeman, Bette Jane Percy. Descendants of Simon Beeman and Alice Young: along with all their children including Thomas Beeman and Phoebe Parks (1927)
• https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/39854:3824 Massachusetts vital records for Springfield https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7673585:2495?tid=11422566&pid=382310771892&hid=1019916113167 vital records original also noted in family histories and trees.