News from Charles

Chronologically this is a long mystery story with a very short abrupt conclusion!

In the early 1970s I started to compile my Beal Family History ( known later, as BEAL OHANA) and was not making much headway! It was a period when research was done by mail and digging through old records. A pencil and a lined pad was the only required equipment besides a genealogical library, something I did not have until I retired in Hawaii. Fortunately I found The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormons). At the Family History Library in Kaneohe, Hawaii, I found not only files and books, but learned about the use of microfiche and microfilm. Over eight years I managed to trace my family history back to my ancestor William Beale/Bale, born about 1664 in York, ME.

By this time I had contacted other BEAL family genealogists, including John Beal of Alabama who had researched and written an article entitled "The Real Father of Arthur Beal of York ME". This article made many references to sources, most well known researchers and writers on New England, including Stackpole, Banks, Little, Holmes, Waters, Noyes, Libby, Davis, Savage, Hotten, plus the general confusion regarding the Beals of New England in official records, i.e. deeds, courts, wills. He concluded that Arthur Beal of York, ME was the son of Arthur Beal and Elizabeth Watts and was baptized in S. Maurice, Plympton Parish, Devon County, England. I had waded through most of the same sources, he had, looking for William, but unfortunately when I tried to contact him specifically regarding his knowledge about Banks notes regarding a Volume III, HISTORY of MAINE, he had passed away.

In my own research and verified by several other Beal Family Genealogists, namely, Charles Lewis Beal of CA and Ann Beal Logan of Canada, we developed the descent from William Bale/Beale to present day descendants. I asked Ann to check out the Banks notes left at the Bangor Maine Public Library and she found no further information in them.

Charles L. Beal and myself had co-authored an article on Jonathan Beale born 22 March 1737, York, Maine for Joseph Crook Anderson, CG, Editor for Volume 6, MAINE FAMILIES IN 1790, published by the Maine Genealogical Society (pages 11-14). Jonathan was a veteran of the French and Indian Wars and Revolutionary War and grandson of William Beale, Sr.

I had found a handwritten annotated record in the Gaol Records, York, Maine, also known as the Nathaniel G. Marshall's York town records, The written record revealed in an entry on 2-40, on page 85 the words inserted "Bro of Edwd fr 26-Son of Arthur I-" in the first line after "William Bale". This I questioned, as being Marshall's copy from the original record. I corresponded with Virginia S. Spiller, Librarian, OLD YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, extensively in 1994. In her final review she concluded that the written records of Nathaniel G. Marshall (NGM) are: I quote: "In most cases regarding this particular book of Nathaniel Marshall genealogists note the source of the information and attribute it to NGM but they are by no means the vital records of York when they are addendas such as we see on the pages."

This handwritten annotated record was not included in Lester MacKenzie Bragdon & John Eldridge Frost's "VITAL RECORDS of YORK MAINE", published jointly by Picton Press with the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Other notes made by Nathaniel G. Marshall were apparently not used in their book, either. I determined that since NGM's transcribed book could only be used as a source of leads, I had to find some other way to prove or disprove the relationship between Arthur BALE/BEAL and WILLIAM BALE/BEALE/BEAL.

Charles L. Beal published his family's descent from William at:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/e/a/Charles-L-Beal/

and then he specialized in SONS OF AMERICAN REVOLOUTION and the CIVIL WAR and their cemeteries in California.

Ann Beal Logan became a professional genealogist and Chair, Ontario Genealogical Society, Halton-Peel Branch in Canada and a Co-Administrator with me for my BEAL SURNAME DNA PROJECT.

In 2001, I became a pioneer DNA Genealogist, mentored by Alan Savin of England, Kevin F. Duerninck, Douglas M. Mumma and Bennett Greenspan using his firm, Family Tree DNA as my testing provider.

About the same time, I began my world wide search for living male Beal descendants of William Bale/Beale/Beal and Arthur & Edward Bale/Bales/Beal of York, Maine. I needed to use genetic tests as a tool for genealogy, to obtain the necessary Y-DNA results to prove or disprove their relationship.You can find backgound for this process at my web pages above, or: http://www.familytreedna.com and: http://www.dnaheritage.com [now defunct] on the Internet.

After several years of searching, I found living male Beal descendants with proven descent from the two questioned York families. Look in the results and migration pages of my DNA Project at the Ancestral Haplotypes (genetic signatures) for William and Arthur They prove they were not related, as determined by the test results of BEAL 101, 102, 104, 115 for William and the different migration & test results for Arthur of BEAL 110, 116, 120. Although both were in York, Maine at the same time, Arthur's earliest known ancestor was in Plymouth, Devon, England and William's parentage has not yet been determined by genealogical records, beyond York, ME. Arthur's descent has included many Beal/Beals of Washington Co., ME and has validated the work in Velton Peabody's, book TALL BARNEY'S PEOPLE of Beals Island, Maine.

To determine the validity of establishing an Ancestral Haplotype (genetic signature) we use standard genealogy research methods to develop proven ancestry backed up with genealogical records. This recorded ancestry coupled with DNA test results gives us the Ancestral Haplotype. After that a living male can take a Y-DNA test and if his test results match the genetic signature, he knows he is related to the earliest ancestor identified for the Ancestral Haplotype. Many genealogists find breaks in their ancestral lineage caused by missing records ("brick walls"). Some brick walls can be broken through by using this method.

In addition, we have established an Ancestral Haplotype for John Beal, colonial immigrant, Hingham, Norfolk, England and Hingham, Massachusetts using the test results of BEAL 103, 111, 114 and BEALS 202, 203 & 205. (an example of name variations that would have been passed over without DNA analysis and evidence of common descent).

For William Beale, another colonial immigrant with descent from Tuckley, Glouchester, England and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, we established another Ancestral Haplotype, using the test results of BEAL 106, 108, 112.

We are working on establishing more Ancestral Haplotypes for other SOUNDEX B400 colonial families including BEAL, BEALE, BEALS, BEALL, BEEL and BELL in our DNA Project.

We are also working to locate more ancestors and lines of descent in the United Kingdom (UK) and worldwide for our BEAL SURNAME DNA PROJECT participants. New advances including the use of mtDNA (mitrochondrial DNA) and Y-SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) DNA testing are becoming available and our participants are beginning to use these tests to learn more about their origins. They can also join the Genographic Project.

By visiting Google on the Internet, you can find the first article written on my project in Dick Eastman's Online News Letter, dated 05/24/2001. You will see that we are meeting much of our objectives for the project.

Charles E. Beal

[email protected]

[note: Charles E. Beal, founder of THE BEAL SURNAME DNA PROJECT died 27 October 2013]

Family Genealogist, Member of NATIONAL GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, OLD YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MAYFLOWER SOCIETY, BEALS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, CLAN BELL INTERNATIONAL and BEALL FAMILY ASSOCIATION