Hansel Beckwith and the Carter Connection

Hansel Beckwith was born in 1820 in Warren County, Georgia.  His parents were Hansel Beckwith and Sarah Sallie Henderson.  Hansel married Caroline Carter, daughter of a wealthy plantation owner in Warren County, on August 30, 1838.  Hansel was 18 and Caroline was 15.

We don't know why but Hansel moved west. Prior to getting married, Hansel fought in the Battle of Shepherd's Plantation in the Creek Wars of 1836. Those battles occurred in Alabama along the Chattahoochee River, about 50 miles from Sumter County, Georgia.  He would have only been 16 when he participated in this battle.  Hansel received a land grant in 1852 from his service in the Creek Wars but his father in-law already owned land in northwest Sumter County in 1849. This property would become part of Schley County which came into existence December 22, 1857.

The connection to the Carter family is through Caroline.  Her father was Wiley Carter, Jimmy Carter's great-great-grandfather.  Wiley Carter has a fascinating story with adulterous accusations, theft, and shootings resulting in death. Those interested in his story can read it in Jeff Carter's book, "Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter" by clicking here.  Caroline's brother was Littleberry Walker Carter, Jimmy Carter's great grandfather. Littleberry's son was William A. Carter, who begat James Earl Carter, Jimmy Carter's father.

So that makes Caroline Carter Jimmy Carter's great-great aunt and Hansel Beckwith his great-great uncle. Hansel and Caroline had seven children (one stillborn).  Caroline died in 1854.  She is buried in the Carter family cemetery but the name was spelled Beckworth on her tombstone.

Hansel then married another wealthy plantation owner's daughter named Cathryn Dozier and moved to Schley county from south Sumter County. The Doziers were also from Warren County.  Hansel and Cathryn had two children including a son named Alburtus Lamar.  Alburtus married Carrie Bell Stewart and they had seven children.  One was Bessie Beckwith who is the grandmother of the writer of this blog. While Hansel Beckwith is Jimmy Carter's great-great uncle connected by Hansel's first marriage, our family is not related to the Carters since we are descended from Hansel's second wife.

Hansel built a beautiful home south of Americus, about 15 miles from the Doziers and Carters.  The name of the home is Tanyard Hall. The current owner, Dr. Gatewood Dudley is descended from Hansel and Caroline.  He has lived there for more than 30 years and now has the property for sale.  He has the house listed as being built between 1840 and 1850.  Since the date is not certain, is it possible this was his land grant property he received in 1852.

Hansel fell on hard times though.  There is documentation of Hansel Beckwith being named as an administrator in a will and his ability to do so is called into question because "he is known to be insolvent."  The cause of death listed for Hansel in 1885 was a morphine overdose.  To date, his burial site has not been located.

Did Hansel lose everything in the Civil War?  Why didn't he serve in the Civil War?  We will never know what became of Hansel.

U.S. Miltary Service: Calhoun, Middleton, Grimes, Rentz

As a tribute to Memorial Day, this post will touch on military service of my family in the U.S.  This blog is in no way complete and tends to stick to my more immediate family.  I welcome any content fellow family members can provide.  This blog will focus on my maternal side.  For my paternal  side, click here.

My mother's side of the family timed out so that the men missed much of the 20th century conflicts and also the Revolutionary war.  The Civil War and the ware of 1812 are prevalent in my maternal family history.

Civil War

My second great-grandfather, James Frank Calhoun fought for the Confederacy.  His record is as follows: Appointed 2d Sergeant of Co. G,  7th Regiment Ga. State Troops November 16, 1861. Mustered  out May 2, 1862. Enlisted as a private in Co. B (Milford Guards), 62d  Regiment Ga. Inf. May 31, 1862. Captured October 1863.  Transferred to Co. B, 8th Regiment, Ga. Calvary July 11, 1864.  Roll for December 31, 1864, last on file, shows he was "In hands of enemy." James made it home to Baker County Georgia and passed away in 1879. 

Lineage from Calhoun to me.  my mother:  Mary Lula Calhoun. Mary's father:  Zachariah Calhoun. Zachariah's father:  John T. Calhoun.  John T's father:  James Frank Calhoun.

Austin B. "Alsey" Middleton, also my second great-grandfather, enlisted as a private in the Georgia 29th Battalion which was ac
tually raised up in Schley County.  Alsey's great, great granddaughter, my mother Mary, would move to Schley County in 1947 when she married Donald Franklin.  Information about the 29th is as follows:

The commanders of the 29th were Lt. Col. Arthur Hood and Major Charles H. Camfield.  Company "D" was raised in Schley County and known as Hood's Cavalry or Schley Cavalry and had as its commander, Captain Jeremiah C. Lasseter, who in the 1860 census listed his profession as teacher.  The 29th Battalion was engaged in battles in McIntosh County, Ga from August 2 through August 4, 1864 and the Savannah Campaign in November and December 1864.

Lineage from Middleton to me.  my mother:  Mary Lula Calhoun. Mary's mother :  Claudia Mae Middleton.  Claudie Mae's father: William Middleton.  William's father:  Alsey Middleton.

In April of 1862, George Washington Grimes joined  the 55th Georgia Volunteer Infantry where the men from Miller County were known as the "Miller Wildcats." For details of their campaigns, click here.  Grimes was sick at the end of 1864 and was sent to a hospital in Knoxville, Tenn.  He made it home and lived until 1931.  G.W. Grimes was also my second great-grandfather.

Lineage from Grimes to me.  my mother:  Mary Lula Calhoun. Mary's mother :  Claudia Mae Middleton.  Claudie Mae's mother: Elizabeth Grimes.  Elizabeth's father; George Washington Grimes.

War of 1812

Joshua Rentz joined up to fight for his country at the age of 14, joining Juhan's Battalion, South Carolina Militia.

Lineage from Rentz to me.  my mother:  Mary Lula Calhoun. Mary's father:  Zachariah Calhoun. Zachariah's father:  John T. Calhoun.  John T's mother:  Arkansas "Babe" Rentz.  Babe's father: Joshua Rentz.

William Grimes. Sr. also fought in the War of 1812 with the : 2nd Regiment (Thomas) Georgia Militia. He joined at the age of 18.

Lineage from Grimes to me.  my mother:  Mary Lula Calhoun. Mary's mother :  Claudia Mae Middleton.  Claudie Mae's mother: Elizabeth Grimes.  Elizabeth's father; George Washington Grimes.   George's father: Williams Grimes Sr.

A Quick Overview of U.S. Military Service - Perrin, Beckwith, Franklin, Grantham, Dozier, Parham

As a tribute to Memorial Day, this post will touch on military service of my family in the U.S.  This blog is in no way complete and tends to stick to my more immediate family.  I welcome any content fellow family members can provide.  This blog will focus on my paternal side.  For my maternal side, click here.

Current

My first cousin, Andrew Perrin, has made his career serving in the military and includes serving in Operation Desert Storm. He has served as part of Special Forces and as a Ranger, sniper, interrogator and jungle specialist.He is currently stationed at Ft. Bragg as a member of the Army 101st Airborne.

Most famous

Col. "Charging" Charlie Beckwith is the most famous family member serving in the military. He is my father's first cousin. Col. Beckwith founded Delta Force and led the 1980 attempt to remove the American hostages held at the embassy in Teheran.  To learn more about Col. Beckwith, you can read his book, Delta Force.   Charlie's granddaughter, Mary Howe, has followed in his footsteps joining Air Force Special Ops unit that supports Delta Force in 2013.  She is currently deployed in the Middle East.

Charlie's older brother, Lamar Beckwith, served in WWII in the Army Air Corps.

WWII

Donald Franklin, my father, joined the Army October 11, 1942 at Ft. McPherson.  After basic training and before he was shipped out, Donald had a brush with fame.  He was stationed for a week with Clark Gable.  His time in the military was spent on Bermuda as a member of the Army Air Force, which later became a separate military branch.

All of Donald's sisters married men who served in WWII as well.  Uncle Howard Perrin flew planes, Uncle Howard Hall was in the 746th Railway Battalion, U.S. Army in Augsburg, Germany from 1944-1946.  Uncle Jimmy Stewart was a Marine and was at Iwo Jima.  These children of the 1920's grew up to earn the well-deserved title of "The Greatest Generation."

WWI

My grandfather, Henry Newton Franklin, joined the Army on October 22, 1917.  He and my grandmother had been married seven weeks.  Off he went to Ft. Screven on Tybee Island.  WWI ended November 11, before Newton was shipped out.

Civil War

The next generation to feel the affects of war goes back to my second great-grandfather, Benjamin J. Grantham who fought for the Confederacy.  His military record is as follows:
VOLUNTEER INFANTRY ARMY OF TENNESSEE C. S. A. SCHLEY COUNTY, GA SCHLEY

RIFLES Grantham, B. J.- private December 6, 1862. Detailed in Quarter- master Dept. February 1863. Surrendered at Greensboro, N. C. April 26, 1865.

Lineage from Grantham to me:  my father:  Donald Franklin. Donald's father:  H. Newton Franklin.  Newton's mother: Nancy Grantham.  Nancy's father:  Benjamin J. Grantham. 

Creek Indian War of 1836

Shepherd's Plantation battle marker

In 1836 when the Cherokee were removed from North Georgia, the Creeks, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminoles were also removed. Several battles broke out in 1836 and 1836 along the Georgia-Alabama borders south of Columbus.  The first battle in May of 1836 was in Roanoke, Ala., about 60 miles southwest of Sumter County where Hansel Beckwith (Beckworth) had settled.  Hansel signed up on May 30, just in time for the June 9 battle at Shepherd's Plantation, the most aggressive of the attacks.  For more information about the Creek Wars and the battle at Shepherd's Plantation, visit the Explore Southern History website.

Revolutionary War

While Amos Beckwith, also my fifth great-grandfather, did not fight in the Revolutionary War, he and his family did support the Colonial troups with supplies and was considered part of the war effort.

Lineage from Beckwith to me:  my father:  Donald Franklin: Donald's mother:  Bessie Beckwith.  Bessie's father:  Alburtus Beckwith:  Alburtus's father:  Hansel Beckwith.  Hansel's father:  Hansel Beckwith.  Hansel's father:  Henry Beckwith IV.  Henry's father:  Amos Beckwith.

William Beckwith 1571 - 1633

William Beckwith

1571 to 1633

 William Beckwith was born August 15 in Clint located in the northeastern portion of England's Yorkshire County.  Today, Leeds is the largest town in the area.  Clint is north of Leeds.

William's parents were Marmaduke Beckwith and Anne Dyneley.   In 1597, Marmaduke and his family moved 35 miles to Featherstone  south of Leeds but still in Yorkshire County.  The Beckwiths had traditionally lived in northeast Yorkshire and there is even a village, Beckwithshaw, that bears the family name.

On October 4, 1607, at the age of 36, William boarded the first supply ship to Jamestown in the colony of Virgina.  The ship arrived January 2, 1608, about eight months after the first settlers arrived arrived on May 13, 1607.  He was one of six tailors that came over on the first supply ship that carried 73 colonists.

We don't know much more about William Beckwith other than his profession.  We don't know why he made this incredibly bold decision to move to an unknown world likely to never see his family again.  Only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived the starving winter of 1609-10.  As if starving wasn't enough, the Algonquin Indians frequently attacked.  George Percy became colony leader after Capt. John Smith went back to England in 1609.  He proved inept and could not build relations with the Indians, thus endangering the colonists. 

On right, replica of a thimble found at Jamestown

William Beckwith was not on the 1624 census of Jamestown but he could have returned to England and then back to Jamestown during that time. Some researchers believe that in 1616,  William Beckwith married the daughter of John Baskeville and in 1619, they had a son, Henry Beckwith. However there does not seem to be clear documentation of either of these occurrences. The year of 1619 was also an important year in the history of Jamestown.  The first legislative body in America was formed there to address the Colony's first labor strike.  Slavery also came to Jamestown in 1619.

Unfortunately, few marked graves now exist from the early years of Jamestown.  At the time of this writing, only 26 of the estimated 3,000 found buried at the Jamestown site have been identified.  William Beckwith is listed in some research (with no documentation) as passing away in Jamestown in 1633. There is documentation that Henry Beckwith, possible son of William, moved to the colony of Maryland from Jamestown in 1669.

For more information on Jamestown, please visit the Jamestown website.  Even better, visit in person.  If you are a descendant, be sure to tell the staff that you are a descendant of one of the early settlers.

Pictured below is part of the 1617 foundation of the church in Jamestown.  

William and his family would have attended this church. 

This picture was taken December 2013 during a visit to Williamsburg and Jamestown.

Timeline of Important Events during William Beckwith's Life

1571
Queen Elizabeth I opens the Royal Exchange in London

1579
John Smith who was Jamestown's most famous leader, is born

1582
Pope Gregory XIII introduces the Gregorian calendar
Shakespeare marries Ann Hathaway

1584
The first of two British attempts to colonize at Roanoke North Carolina begun, they both failed

1603
Queen Elizabeth dies; James VI of Scotland is crowned uniting the two kingdoms 
Sir Walter Raleigh is sent to prison

1606
Virginia Company's first settlers leave London to establish Jamestown
Shakespeare's MacBeth first performed

1609
Galileo demonstrates his first telescope
Three Blind Mice first published in London

1619
First House of Burgesses in America at Jamestown
Slavery introduced to America at Jamestown

1620
Pilgrims arrive in America
French Huguenots declare war on French King Louis VIII
 First merry-go round seen at a fair in Philippapolis, Turkey

1623
First American temperance law enacted, Virginia
 First breach-of-promise lawsuit: Rev Gerville Pooley, Va files against Cicely Jordan, he loses

1624
First submarine publicly tested in London on the Thames before James I

1633
Galileo goes on trial for saying the earth revolves around the sun
 Lord Baltimore receives charter for Maryland

 

Sources

Timeline:  www.historyorb.com/
The Beckwiths by Paul Beckwith - https://archive.org/details/thebeckwiths00beck
The Conquest of Virginia, the second attempt by Conway Whittle Sams -https://archive.org/details/conquestofvirgin1929sams
Jamestown Rediscovery Project - http://historicjamestowne.org/