The Beach Family, circa 1915.
Standing left to right: Elizabeth Beach, Richard Gresford Beach, Anna Morgan Beach.
Seated: Anna Cosgrove, Leonard James Beach, Eva Beach.
John Beach was born on August 1, 1838 in the small village of Cockfosters
near Enfield, Middlesex, England and was christened on
August 26, 1838 at Monken Hadley, London. He was the fifth son of James
Beach and Martha Cheadle and the second to be named John. His father,
James, was an
agricultural laborer, as were his older brothers. As a child,
John lived with an extended, multi-generational family.
Grandmother Katherine (Borkett) Beach was the head of household and John's aunt
Charlotte Beach Jackson and her daughters were
also a part of the home.
John's older brother, William Beach, married Mary Ann Nash on December 29, 1850 at Weld Chapel, Southgate. William and
Mary Ann were parents to six children: William (1852), James (1854), Emily Ann (1860), Eliza (1862),
Martha (1857), and Louisa (1869). Many descendants of William and Mary Ann are still living in the Southgate area
today.
On the first of March 1855, John Beach, joined the 22nd Cheshire
Regiment of the English army enlisting at
Greenhill near Barnet, Hertsfordshire. He served in the army for a
total of 21 years-as a private for 13 years, a corporal for 6 years,
and a sergeant
for the last years of his service. John Beach received four Good Conduct badges during his time of service. His tours of duty included
service in New Brunswick, Canada, and Malta, as
well as service at home. After discharge from the 22nd Regiment John
served as a staff sergeant in the Cheshire Militia. As an adult, John
stood 5 feet 8 and 1/4 inches tall with brown hair and hazel-colored eyes.
John married Elizabeth Gitton (or Gittens) on February 12, 1867 at the Garrison in
Fredericton, New Brunswick. Elizabeth was one of six children born to John Gittens and Elizabeth Cox of Badger, Shropshire (married October 12, 1825 in Acton Round, Shropshire). Both John and Elizabeth
Gittens worked as gardeners-perhaps on one of Badger's estates.
John Beach remarried on November 5, 1878 at
Saint
Mary, Chester. His
second wife was Scottish-born Helen Eular (or Eweler) Morgan, daughter of Donald Morgan and
Jane Oman of Halkirk, Caithness. A son,
Charles Thomas Gresford Beach, was
born to Helen and John on November 23, 1879 and baptized December 31 at Saint
Mary on the Hill.
On June 6, 1881 five year old William Albert Beach died of Tabes Mesenterica, a Tuberculosis of the abdominal lymph nodes. Unheard of today, the disease
was caused by drinking the milk of cows infected with Tuberculosis. William was buried in the Beach family plot in Overleigh cemetery.
John and Elizabeth Beach's first child, Leonard
James was born in November 6, 1868 in Fredericton.
A daughter, Edith, was born on the 15th of July, 1870 in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland near Charles Fort, the English garrison. Arthur John Beach was born May 9, 1872 at Fort
George, Saint Pierre Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. Daughter Martha Louisa was born on July 18, 1874 and
baptized October 18, 1874 at Saint Mary on the Hill Church
in Chester, England. A son, William Albert (baptized May 15, 1876 at Saint Mary on the Hill)
was the last child to be born to Elizabeth and John. Elizabeth Beach
died on August 30, 1876 at the age of 42. She was buried on September 2 in Overleigh Cemetery, Chester.
Saint Mary the Virgin Church,
Monken Hadley
View from the front door of the church
With special thanks to Louise Cook.
Saint Mary on the Hill, Chester. Photo provided by "Cheshire Churches." See link on Links page.
(Above) Inside Overleigh Cemetery, Chester
(Below) The Beach family stone in Overleigh Cemetery
Monumental Inscription of stone below.
Click on the photo to see it at full size.
With special thanks to Doug Shaw, Chester.
"In Affectionate Remembrance
ELIZABETH
Wife of JOHN BEACH
Sergeant 1st Royal Cheshire Militia
Who died August 30th 1876 aged 42 years
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which will be revealed in us
Also of
WILLIAM ALBERT
who died June 6th 1881 in his 6th year
also of
JOHN BEACH
Latterly Sergeant 22nd Regiment
Who died June 20th 1881 in his 43rd year."
In 1881 John, Helen, and the remaining five children were living in the military barracks in Chester. John was working as an drill instructor at Arnold House, a boys' school in Llanddulas, Denbighshire, Wales. The school had recently moved to Llanddulas from Chester and the Beach family was preparing to relocate to the area as well, but these plans were not to be.
Arnold House, Llanddulas, as
it looks today. Special thanks
to John Roberts.
On June 20, 1881, at about 5 o'clock pm, John Beach and several of the Arnold House students went down to the shore to swim. According to newspaper accounts of the incident, some of the students swam out beyond their depth. Seeing the danger, John Beach swam out in an attempt to help the students. Weighed down by his boots he returned to shore to remove them and returned to the water. The attempt to carry the drowning student to the shore proved too much for John, who reportedly suffered from heart disease. John Beach was drowned in the attempt to rescue his student while the student himself was brought to safety by a stranger who happened by the scene. John's body was discovered and brought to shore a short time later. Attempts at resuscitation were not successful. An inquest into the incident was held the following day. The jury returned a verdict of accidental drowning. Following the inquest the foreman of the jury requested that the fees usually given to the jury be given instead to the widow of John Beach along with a request that the county do whatever possible to assist the family.
Remembrance card for John Beach.
In perfect health he left his home.
Not thinking that his time was come
A sudden change upon him fell,
Not time to bid his friends farewell
'Tis nothing strange,
God's will be done.
Special thanks to Diana McCord.
On June 23 a funeral was held in Chester with military honors. John Beach's flag-draped coffin was brought to Overleigh Cemetery, Chester escorted by a cortege of military personnel of both the Cheshire Militia and the 22nd Regiment, a firing party, band, clergy, and students of Arnold House. At the conclusion of the burial service three volleys were fired.
Above, the view from Arnold House to the sea.
Below, the shore at Llandulas.
Special thanks to John Roberts.
In 1882 the John's eldest son, Leonard Beach, followed in his
father's footsteps and joined the 22nd Cheshire Regiment as a boy private. At the time Leonard
was but 14 years
old and weighing 79 pounds, he stood only 4 feet, 10 inches tall
with a 24 inch chest! Leonard served at home from August of 1882 until September of 1883, in
India from 1883 until 1887, and Burma from 1887 until 1889. His
last five years of service were spent at home. For his military service Leonard was awarded the India Medal with clasp and the
Burma Medal. In 1891 both Leonard and his younger
brother, Arthur, were stationed in Lancashire living in
barracks with the 22nd regiment. Both were privates in the army at the time.
Leonard was discharged from the military on August 9, 1894
after 12 years of service. A search for the military records for Arthur Beach was unsuccessful.
That same month following his discharge, Leonard left England for the United
States. He departed from Liverpool, aboard the ship Southwark, and arrived in Philadelphia
on September 1, 1894. According to the ship's manifest, he was bound for Hartford, Connecticut. In fact, his stepmother Helen and
half-brother Charles had arrived there earlier-several of Helen Beach's siblings
had most likely settled in the U.S. many years earlier. The 1900 Census gives the date of
Charles and Helen's arrival in the U.S. as 1893. However, in
searching the 1891 Census of England, no trace
of Charles, Helen, or Helen's sister, Annie Morgan, is to be found. The Beaches settled
in Hartford, Connecticut. Helen and Charles resided on Main
Street in the home of Charlotte Ely, a woman well into her 70s.
Helen worked as a housekeeper for Miss Ely while Charles found
employment as a lawyer's clerk. Helen's sister, Annie, worked as a nurse for
Miss Ely and lived in the house as well.
Portrait of Annie Morgan, date unknown. Special thanks to Diana McCord.
While the Beach brothers, Leonard and Charles, began their new lives in a new country, their
siblings remained behind in England. By 1891 both Martha and Edith Beach had moved to
Stourbridge in Worcestershire. Edith, the older
sister, was living on her own and working as a dressmaker. Martha, only 17 years
old in 1891, was living in the home of Joshua and Eliza Sugden. Eliza Sugden, nee Gittens,
was the sister of Martha's mother, Elizabeth.
On February 24, 1895 Edith Beach married Edmund King, a butcher, at the parish church in Stourbridge. On December 11,
1895 a daughter, Winifred Edith King, was born to Edith and Edmund in their home
at 97 Douglas Road, Handsworth, Staffordshire. By the time of the 1901
census Edmund, Edith, and Winifred were living in Birmingham. A second daughter, Marjorie, was born in Birmingham in 1905.
On September 8, 1903 Martha Louisa Beach married Joseph William Chance at the Register Office in Stourbridge. Joseph Chance, the son of
William Chance, was a mines agent. Interestingly, the marriage certificates for both of the
Beach sisters indicate that
their father's occupation was that of a school master rather than a soldier.
It is at this point that information about the English branch of the family grows scare. Anyone with information
about Martha, Edith, or Arthur Beach and their decendants is encouraged to contact me by email.
Portrait of Anna Morgan Beach, aged 12 years, c. 1918.
Leonard Beach named his youngest daughter after his
step-mother's sister, a "great lady."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Leonard Beach married
Anna Elizabeth Cosgrove (1872-1931) on November 28, 1895 in Manchester, Connecticut. Anna was most likely born in the townland of Tanderagee, the daughter of William Cosgrove and
Elizabeth Troughton (or Trouten) of Ballymore, County Armagh, Ireland. The couple moved into a home on Birch Street in
Manchester. Leonard worked as a silk weaver while Annie looked after her growing
family: Eva (1896-1976), William John (1897-1898)
Richard Gresford (1898-1982), Elizabeth (1900-1977), and Anna Morgan (1906-1992) Beach. Young William Beach
died of cholera on September 12, 1898, just a few days after his first birthday. He is buried in the Beach family plot in East Cemetery, Manchester.
The Cheney Brothers Mill, Manchester, early 20th century photo.
For more information, use the link at the bottom
of this page.
Around 1902, Leonard relocated his family in Bridgeport, CT. According to the family story, Leonard
had been employed by the Cheney Silk Mills of South Manchester. Following his probable involvement in several union disruptions
at the mill, Leonard was told to leave Manchester. The tone of the story always implied that a not so subtle threat was a part of the
decision to leave Manchester. Arriving in Bridgeport, Leonard began working for the Bridgeport Silk Company. During the family's years in Bridgeport, Leonard held a variety of
jobs-everything from a laborer at the local
locomobile factory to a watchman at the Crown Corset Company!
It would appear that Leonard's youngest child, Anna Morgan, had aspirations of pursuing a career in motion pictures! A 1921 contest for young ladies
interested in appearing in a motion picture entitled "Made in Bridgeport" inspired young Anna, then 15 years old, to enter herself. Her photograph and
a brief description of her talents were included in her entry. For a transcription of the entry, please click here.
Dr. Charles Beach caring for a patient.
He is directly above the patient, not wearing a cap.
Special thanks to Diana McCord.
On June 8, 1909 Charles Beach married Lucy Goodwin Porter (1875-1960), daughter of Samuel Quincy Porter and
Frances Ann Smith. The marriage took place in Unionville (Farmington), Connecticut. Charles became a physician and
the family settled in Hartford. Charles and Lucy were parents of two sons, Quincy Porter and Harry Morgan Beach (1912-1997). Both Charles and Lucy Beach passed away in 1960.
Meanwhile,
the children grew, married, and had children of their own.
On February 11, 1931 Anna
Cosgrove Beach died in Bridgeport following
a long illness. She was buried in the Beach family plot in East Cemetery, South Manchester. Leonard
died on March 17, 1936 and is also buried there along with their son, William.
Today the three generations of descendants of John, Leonard, and Charles Beach
live in various parts of the east coast of the United States. Other
descendants are still to be located...
