I would like to offer a little background of the area that I grew up in around Academia, Beale Township, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, in the country (or more appropriate, hills). I was born in 1931, during the depression, on a small farm, which was carved from the original Beale lands. My parents named me after my mother's father, George Crawford, and my maternal grandmother's brother Allen Kyle. With my father's surname added, I was tagged as George Allen Beale. My birth place is located about 10 yards from the Academia Academy. This academy had been one of the earlier Presbyterian churches, before the existing church at Academia. We presume that the area in front of the Academy was the original cemetery where the earlier settlers were buried, including Thomas Beale. I remember my grandmother saying that some visitors to her home would not drink our water because there was a graveyard there. Of course nothing is left now to suggest that a cemetery existed.
The period in the '30s was a trying time. We had no indoor plumbing, a pair of small hand pumps located on the back porch supplied our water needs. One pump supplied the drinking and cooking water from a dug well beneath the porch. It also had a cage box with a door on a rope and pulley system that could be lowered to a ledge near the well water level. This was our "refrigerator" keeping such things as milk and butter cool in the summertime. The other pump was connected to a cistern, an underground covered cement pool that caught and stored rain water as it ran off from the roof. This supplied cleaning and wash water. Baths were few and far between. A Saturday night stand up bath in a portable tub in the kitchen sufficed. There was no inside or outside bathroom. The toilet consisted of a small building located about 20 yards from the kitchen door in the corner of the yard. It had two open holes so two people could do their thing together. Since it was an open pit design, the aroma could get pretty rank, especially in the summertime. Toilet paper was a luxury and most "outhouses" had a box of corn cobs and old Sears catalogs and newspapers for convenience. We were one of the fortunate ones and had regular toilet paper. The accumulation of waste during the winter had to be eliminates in the spring. This was accomplished at night by lantern light, and the waste buried in the garden to provide compost. We had only wood stoves for heating and cooking, much the same way as the original settlers in the 1700s had it. The kitchen stove proved to be very versatile. Not only did it supply heat, but it was used for heating wash water, cooking all meals including pies and cakes. It also supplied the heat for the irons used to take the wrinkles out of the clothes, and for foot warmers when wrapped in a towel in bed on a cold winter night. We used kerosene lamps until I went to high school in the '40s, when we got electricity. We put in plumbing about 1947 and an indoor bathroom about 1950.
We attended the local one room school at Academia, the same one my father (and probably his father) attended. All eight grades were in the same one room. The student body consisted of about 13 kids for all grades, and one teacher. My eighth grade class had three kids. We all graduated to Juniata Joint High School at Mifflintown, PA. But in retrospect, it wasn't all that bad. I think we had a better opportunity to gain high moral standards by associating with a single dedicated teacher and by being in a "depressed" area that had essentially no crime. We were all very religious and tried not to miss any church services at the local Lower Tuscarora Presbyterian Church. My father became a civil engineer, my sister a registered nurse, and I obtained an MS degree in nuclear engineering. My mother's mother came from the Mifflin County Kyle family. That family settled in Mifflin County in 1781, and consisted mostly of farmers, but also did produce several public servants in both local and state government, i.e., judges and legislators. My mother's father was a Crawford from Juniata County whose family settled there in 1798. This family also consisted mainly of farmers but did produce several local and state officials and a long list of medical doctors. My father's mother was from the McWilliams family, most were farmers or blacksmiths. They settled in the area around 1812. My father's father's mother was a Brubaker. That family came to Chester County, PA in 1749 and settled in the Juniata County area in 1789.
All these families kept great records; my line of the Beales didn't. This is where I have encountered my challenges. There are very few families with the Beale surname left in the Juniata county area. There are multitudes of descendants of Beales still there, but apparently the Beales got "itchy" feet and left the area. The few contacts that I have had with Beales proved very unrewarding. Some cannot even place their great-grandfathers. Most remember their fathers talking about their grandfathers, or they were too young to remember talking to their grandfathers about prior generations. My father couldn't remember anything about his great-grandfather. Basically no-one in that time period was interested, My father told me there was a family bible somewhere but he didn't know what became of the bible.
Anyhow, this is where I started. After my father's death in 1988, I found a letter (1957) from Mary Beale Hitchens written to my father asking him for information on the Beales of Juniata county. As far as I could determine, my father offered nothing, because I believe he didn't know, and wasn't interested. As an example, my father's grandfathers brother was killed in the civil war and my father didn't even know his name. My mother's grandfather was in the civil war and my mother didn't know anything more until I got his military and pension records. Meanwhile, I obtained copies of Mary Beale's two books on the Beale families, researched the history books of Juniata County, visited libraries in various locations, including the Mormon library in Salt Lake City, Utah, went through courthouse records in Juniata, Mifflin, and Cumberland Counties, trying to get as much information on the Beales as I could.
Now the problems. The area that is now Juniata county was under Indian control until the Penn family obtained it from them in the "Treaty of Albany" in 1754 and 1758. The new land was incorporated in a huge county called Cumberland with the county seat located in Carlisle, PA. Cumberland county was formed prior in 1750. The area had four townships, Lack, Fermanagh, Mifflin and Greenwood. In 1789 the area became part of Mifflin county, and remained so until 1831 when it became Juniata county (Beale township came into being in 1843, Spruce Hill in 1858). Records were kept in all three counties (if at all sometimes). Birth and death records were not kept until 1890. This information was left up to individual families to keep, usually in family bibles, if the family were religious. If they weren't religious, who knows where the records were kept, if at all.
During this period the first census, 1790 was made. Tax records were also usually very complete, for lets face it, the government, as always, wanted its share. Unfortunately, recordings were let to the discretion, and intelligence of the recorder, and sometimes he put down what he thought he heard, and not necessarily what was right. As an example, Beale was recorded as Bale, Beal, Bal at various times in the tax records. Also some individuals were left out of the census or were up for questions, as examples:
1) Abner Beale shows up as a head of household in the 1790 census in Milford township, Juniata County, PA, living with three other males over 16 years of age. My computer records show no Abner Beale born in the area until 1838 (a son of David Beale, Jr., and grandson of the David Beale that originally settled in the area). Who was this Abner Beale? Were the other males Beales? Why no females? This was an uncommon occurrence for that period.
2) Abner Beale shows up again in the 1820 census for Lack Township as having 1-male over 45 yrs age (self probably), 3-males 16-26, 1-female 16-26, and 1-female over 45, probably his wife. Where was Abner during 1800 and 1820 census? What happened to him after 1820 census? Did he die during that time period?
3) A David Beale is listed as Head of Household in the 1790 census as living in Lack Township, Mifflin County, PA. It lists the household as having 3 males under 16 years of age, and 4 females (one of which was probably his wife). Again, my computer search shows three David Beales living at the census time (1790); a David Beale age 45 (one of original Beales to settled in area). David Beale, Jr. (would have been age 2 at 1790 census, so probably not him), and David Beale, eldest son of John and Tamar Beale (age 25 at 1790 census, probably this David since he conceivably could have 3 male children under 16 yr. of age at this time).
4) A Thomas Beale shows up as Head of Household in 1790 census in Milford township, Mifflin County, PA, as having 4 males over 16 years of age (one would be Thomas), 2 males under 16 years of age, and 2 females (one of whom would probably be Thomas's wife). My computer search shows two Thomas Beales who were living at 1790 time period, one a son of William Beale was only 1 year old so obviously not the Head of Household. The only logical Thomas Beale is the original one who settled in the Academia Area of Juniata County. He would have been 53 at the time of the census. He is listed in Mary Beale Hitchen's book as having 4 sons and 2 daughters. That leaves two males unaccounted for that showed up in the census. Who were they?
5) A William Beale shows up as Head of Household in 1790 census in Milford Township having 2 males under 16 and 4 females (one of whom was probably William's wife). My computer shows 3 William Beales living at the 1790 census time. The original William Beale, now 81, so probably not him. William Beale, Jr., age 52 at time of 1790 census, son of the elder William Beale who started it all and brother of David, Thomas and John Beale who settled in the Juniata County area. Could he possibly have moved to Juniata County to be with his brothers? He did come to help in the original survey. His father seems to have left him out of his will. Was he on his own? This could be the William Beale listed in the 1790 census, but probably he never came to Juniata County to live. From Mary Beale Hitchen's book, only Thomas (born ) and Hanna (born ) would have shown up in 1790 census. Who was the other male under 16 and who were the 2 females listed in the census?
6) James Heddleston shows up in the 1790 census as Head off Household in Milford County as having 1 male over 16 years of age, 2 males under 16 years of age, and 2 females (one probably his wife). Is this Tamar Beale's new husband? James seems to be listed as being taxed on the inventory that John Beale and widow Tamar Beale originally was.
7) A Thomas Beale is reported in the History of Juniata County to have came over to America with the Penn family in 1695 to help lay out Philadelphia. The history book implies that this is an ancestor of the Beales who later settled in Juniata County area. Why does this show up in the Juniata County History books? Apparently one of the Beales thought he was a relative or ancestor to have it included. Was this Thomas the father of William Beale who immigrated to West Whiteland, Chester County, PA in 1723? If so, did he entice his son William to go to America?
The Cumberland tax records show the following:
1) 1763
- John Bales 200 acres in Lack Township, Cumberland
2) 1768
- John Beal, 150 acres, 1 horse, 1 cow c in Lack Township Cumberland County
3) 1769
- John Beale, 100 acres, 1 horse, 1 cow, c in Milford Township (formed from Lack in 1769) Cumberland County
4) 1770
- John Beale, 150 acres, 2 horses, 2 cows, 12c in Milford Township, Cumberland County
5) 1776
- Thomas Beale in Lack Township
- John Beale, 200 acres in Milford Township
- John Beal
- Thomas Beal
- John Beal
6) 1778 (all listed as being in Lack Township)
- John Bailes
- David Bail
- Thomas Bail
7) 1779
- David Beale, Lack Township
- Widow Beale, 100 acres in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale, Lack Township
- Thomas Beale,
Milford Township
- Widow Beale (John's widow), 260 acres, horse, 1 cow in Milford Township.
- David Beale, Milford Township.
8) 1780
- Thomas Beale, Lack Township
- Widow Beale, 100 acres in Lack Township
- Widow Beale (John's widow), 100 acres, 1 horse 1 cow in Milford Township.
- Thomas Beale
9) 1781
- David Beale, 160 acres, 3 horses, 3 cows and 1 grist mill in Lack Township.
- Thomas Beale in Lack Township
- Widow Beale, 100 acres in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale in Milford Township
- Widow Beale (John's widow), 1 horse and 1 cow in Milford Township.
10) 1782
- Widow Bale, 100 acres in Lack Township
- David Bale, 160 acres in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale, 1 grist mill in Milford Township
11) 1786
- John Beale (deceased), 100 acres Lack Township
- David Beale, 1 grist mill, 1 saw mill, 2 horses, 3 cows, 1 still
- Thomas Beale, 1 grist mill, 6 horses, 4 cows, in Milford Township
- James Hiddleston, 100 acres, 2 horses, 2 cows in Milford Township ( this appears to be the inventory that John Beale's widow Tamar was assessed for previously, and she no longer shows up on the tax roles, also, I believe this Hiddleston is listed as William in Mary Beale Hitchen's book, "The Beales of Chester County"; (could his name have been William James Hiddleston?)
- William Beale, freeman in Milford Township
12) 1787
- David Beale, 1 grist mill, 1 sawmill, 2 horses, 4 cows (apparently sold the still) in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale, 1 grist mill, 4 horses, 3 cows in Milford Township
- James Hiddleston, 150 acres, 1 horse, 2 cows in Milford Township
- William Beale, freeman in Milford Township 13) 1788
- David Beale, 2 horses, 2 cows, 1 mill, 1 still (shows up here again) in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale, freeman in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale, 1 grist mill, 4 horses, 3 cows in Milford Township
- James Hiddleston, 50 acres (what happened to other 100 acres?), 2 horses, 2 cows (did he trade it for a horse!!!)
14) 1789
- David Beale, 2 horses, 2 cows, 1 tow milk (where are mills and still?) in Lack Township
- John Beale, freeman, $53.10 (quite a sum of money in those days) in Lack Township
- Thomas Beale, freeman, $37.00 in Lack Township
- David Beale in Milford Township
- Thomas Beale, 1 grist mill, 1 horse, 1 cow in Milford Township
- James Hiddleston, 50 acres, 2 horses, 2 cows
15) 1790 At this time Mifflin County was formed from Cumberland County and tax assessments were made on the Juniata County people through Mifflin County. Records are scarce as I have looked in the files in the Mifflin County courthouse and ran up against a system that has no file index, i.e., you have to look through each document for information for the ancient years.
Some tax records are listed in the History of Juniata County. The following is a listing of some of them:
- Thomas Beale, 1 grist mill 1768-1804 (the 1st west of the Juniata River
- Thomas Beale and William Sterrett, forge in 1792-1794 (only one in county)
- Peter Beale, distillery 1792
- Thomas Beale and William Sterrett, 2 distilleries 1794-1803
- William Beale, distillery 1804-1820 (one of Thomas's stills?)
- Peter Beale, distillery 1804-1812 (the other still of Thomas Beale's?)
- Thomas Beale, Plate 1780 (what's a plate?)
- Thomas Beale, saw mill 1769-1804
- Thomas Beale and William Sterrett, saw mill 1792
Now for my line. My great-great-great-grandfather was Peter Beale, Sr. Where did the Peter Beale, Sr fit in the Beale line? There is no listing for him during the 1790 census, but the 1800 census lists him as a head of household in Milford township. I have not yet been able to place Peter Beale Sr. My best estimate is that he was born about 1765-67. As background information, my name is George Allen Beale, born 1931. My father was Alton Beale, born in 1904. My grandfather was William McClellan Beale, born 1865. My great-grandfather was John Calvin Beale, born 1831. My great-great-grandfather was Peter Beale, Jr., born 1792. My
great-great-great-grandfather was Peter Beale, Sr., born about 1765-1667. All the above Beales lived and died near Academia, Juniata county, Beale Township, Pennsylvania. Alton Beale is buried in the Lower Tuscarora Presbyterian Church cemetery, Academia, Juniata County, PA. William and John Beale are both buried at the St Paul Lutheran cemetery, Nook, PA. Peter Beale, Jr., is buried in the Lower Presbyterian Church cemetery next to descendants of Thomas Beale. It is unknown where Peter Beale, Sr., is buried. His wife Barbara Beale is buried in the Beale lot in McCulloughs Mills Presbyterian cemetery, Juniata County, PA. There are empty grave sites next to hers. Also, there are empty spots (missing tombstones) next to Peter Beale, Jr., and his wife Margaret that also could be where Peter Beale, Sr., is buried. My mother still lives on original Beale property from the first Beale settlers that arrived there in 1763 (note though that the property is split from the original and was donated to the Lower Presbyterian Church to build a church and a manse for the minister). Her home is about 1/4 mile from the original Thomas Beale stone house (not on my mother's property) pictured in Mary Beale's book, "Here Comes Tomorrow". The Tuscarora Academy, originally the Presbyterian church, and where it is speculated that Thomas Beale is buried; see Mary Beale's book, "Here Comes Tomorrow", is on her property.
The connection into the Beale ancestry of Peter Beale Sr. is somewhat hazy. Records are very hard to find for the era during 1756-1800. The Academia area was originally included in Cumberland County until 1790, when it became part of Mifflin County. Later in 1832 the area was included in Juniata County. I have searched the records in Juniata, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties for Peter Beale, Sr., and have come up with very little.
The first record of Peter Beale, Sr., that I can find is that he was taxed for owning and operating a distillery in 1792 (as mentioned previously) in then Mifflin County (Thomas Beale and David Beale also were taxed at various times during the period 1760-1800 for distilleries in Cumberland and Mifflin counties (possibly Peter Beale was operating one of these distilleries, also note, why were devout Quakers such as the Beale brothers were supposed to be, operating stills? Were they turpentine stills, instead of liquor?).
The Juniata county history records show that the three Beale brothers, Thomas, David and John settled in the Academia area in 1763 on three large tracts of land owned by their father, William Beale of Whiteland, Chester county, PA. Thomas and David's descendants were well documented and both individuals became prominent citizens in their respective communities. They held important local offices and their families also produced prominent citizens (Mary Beale's book, "Here Comes Tomorrow", and "The History of Juniata County"). John Beale was reported to have died in the Revolutionary War in 1777 (Mary Beale, "The Beales of Chester County"). He left seven children. The younger ones, Joseph and Mary were raised by their grandfather, William Beale in Chester County, Pa, and their respective families are well documented and became very prominent (see Mary Beale's book, "The Beales of Chester County"). The remaining children from John Beale's family became obscure. David and William (sons of John Beale) remained in Juniata County and farmed land owned by their grandfather, William Beale, but their family line somehow becomes lost with time. The three remaining unnamed children, disappear from records.
The Cumberland County tax records show John Beale as being taxed for 200 acres of land, two cows and sundry other items up through 1777 (at which time it is reported that he died in the Revolutionary War). In 1778 his widow (Tamar Beale) shows up as being taxed for the same inventory up to 1782, at which time a James Hiddleston becomes the tax payer for the same land (but now three cows). Apparently John Beale's widow, Tamar, married Hiddleston during that time period. The tax assessment continues through 1789 for James Hiddleston at which time Mifflin County was formed, the Academia area became part of the new county, and I can find no tax records for Hiddleston after that. Possibly James Hiddleston and Tamar moved "west" as reported in Mary Beale's book, "The Beales of Chester County". (Note, "west" then was probably western Pennsylvania or Ohio). I have found no records on Hiddleston in the 1800 national census.
This brings us back to Peter Beale, Sr., and where he might fit into the Beale ancestry puzzle. Peter Beale does not show up in the 1790 census as a head of household. The 1800 census shows him as having 2 males less than 10 yr. age, 2 females less than 10 yr. age, a female between the age of 26 and 45 (his wife?), and a female over 45 yr. age (her mother?). Peter Beale (Sr.), shows up in the 1800 census as having two male children, and two female children under 10 yr. of age, and two female children between the ages of 10-16. Assuming that Peter Beale was between the ages of 20-25. (typical age for male marriages then), and if his children were born in 1788, 1790, 1792(Peter Beale, Jr.), 1794, 1798, and 1800, Peter Beale would have been born between 1764 and 1766. This would mean that Peter Beale Sr should have, 1) shown up as a head of household in the 1790 census, or, 2) he should have been living in someone's household with at least 3 females credited to him, or 3) he moved into the area after the 1790 census, or, 4) he changed his name from some other to Beale. Pursuing option 1) first, Peter Beale does not show up in the 1790 census. A Peter Bal shows up in Dauphin County (next to Mifflin County) with 3 males over, 2 males under 16 and three females. The timing isn't right for this to be Peter Beale, Sr. A Peter Bale shows up in Dauphin County with 1 male over 16, and 2 females. The timing is right for this to be Peter Beale (need to check out Dauphin County records at their courthouse). Option 4), if he or his family changed their name, I assume that they would not have changed their first names, i.e., Peter would remain Peter. First the name Peter is not a common English first name (however, neither is Joseph, nor Abner nor Abilon, before John Beale's marriage to Tamar Bourgoin). Second, assuming that Peter Beale was living in the Mifflin County (Juniata County area) during the time of the 1790 census, I researched the census records for family names that had Peter for a first name. I found two, a Peter Dailey and a Peter Sharpnack. Peter Dailey is listed as having a male child under 16 years of age, and 1 female (his wife, I presume) living in his household (Peter Beale has listed 2 male children between the ages 0-9, and 2 females between the ages of 10-16, in the 1800 census, so this could not be Peter Beale). Peter Sharpnack is listed in the 1790 census as having 3 males over 16 yr. age, 3 males under 16 yr. age and 3 females (since Peter Beale's children are all listed in the 1800 census as being between 1-16, I assume Peter Sharpnack is not Peter Beale). Option 3) is that Peter Beale moved into the area between 1790 and 1800 and possibly changed his name. Peter Bal shows up in Dauphin County (next to Mifflin County) with 3 males over 16, 2 males under 16 and three females. The timing isn't right for this to be Peter Beale, Sr. A Peter Bale shows up in Dauphin County with 1 male over 16, and 2 females. The timing is right for this to be Peter Beale (need to check out Dauphin County records at their courthouse). Tax records show Peter Beale as being taxed for a distillery in 1792 (and 1804-1812). This could mean that he moved in during 1790-1792 time period. I need to check the prior ownership of the distillery to determine who sold the still and who is registered as the new owner. Thomas Beale appears to have given up one during 1792. (could this be the one Peter Beale got?). Option 2), is that Peter Beale and his family were living in another household at the time of the census. This is a possibility since Peter would have two small female children and would have been about 24 yr. age in 1790. Only one of the Beales listed in the 1790 census had enough extra members to cover Peter's family (1 male over 16, 2 female children and 1 female wife); could have been Thomas Beale listed as having 7 males and 2 females in his household in 1790, when he was 53 years old). If Peter Beale did obtain the distillery from Thomas Beale in 1792 (Mary Beale Hitchens comments that Thomas Beale was having business problems about that time) and if he were living with Thomas Beale in 1790, then could he have been one of Thomas's sons? The timing is right. Peter Beale is buried in the Lower Presbyterian cemetery next to descendants of Thomas Beale's.
Another timely family to place Peter Beale is in the John Beale family. David Beale, John's eldest, was born in 1765. Joseph, listed as the fifth child, was born in 1774 and Mary, who was 7 at the death of her father, would have been born about 1770. This leaves two children born between David (1765) and Mary (1770). For this option, I'm speculating that Peter Beale was born about 1766 and could be the second or third child of John and Tamar Beale. Peter would have been about 10 years old at the death of John Beale and would have been at an age for that time when 10 year old children helped around the farm. I assume he and brother David, and the other child born during that time frame, could have stayed with their mother, Tamar Beale, and helped her. David, the eldest, shows up in the records as inheriting the land from his grandfather that his mother lived on, and produced the Enoch Beale line.
Some dilemmas to placing Peter Beale in the John Beale family are: 1) Peter is not a common first name for the Beale family, but then neither is Joseph before John married Tamar Bourgoin, whose father was named Joseph. Could it be possible that Tamar, the mother who was a French Huguenot, and possibly very religious, named her children after biblical persons, Joseph, Mary and Peter (and William???). 2) If Peter Beale was a grandson of William Beale, why was not Peter named in William Beale's will since the other grandchildren were given land or money?
Another option is the placement into the William Beale Jr. family. Little is known about this family.It was reported by Mary Beale Hitchens that William Jr. did not move to Juniata County area, but tax records do show a William Beale as having property in Lack Township during that time period that does not fit any of the other William Beales listed. The timing is again right for Peter Beale to fit into the William Beale Jr. family. William Beale, Jr., reportedly did visit the Juniata County during the original survey along with his father.