John George Beck

Biography

Updated 9 January 2023

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Beck-226

Johann Georg Beck, also called Hans Jerg, was baptized 14 May 1705 in (today) Oberriexingen, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the son of Ulrich & Margaretha Beck (see media).[1][2][3][4] At the time of his birth, the region was considered part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1805.

He married Anna Maria Gucker 21 Jun 1729 in Oberriexingen, the daughter of Hieronymus Gucker & Agnes Vogel (see media).[5][6][4]

Children: All born in Oberriexingen[2]

1. Anna Maria, bapt: 1 Mar 1730[7]
2. Elisabeth, bapt: 14 Feb 1732[8]
3. Jacob, bapt: 23 Jun 1734;[9] died before 1740
4. Hans Jerg (George) Beck/Peck, bapt: 2 Dec 1736[10]
5. Margaret, bapt: 12 Dec 1738[11]
6. Jacob, bapt: 9 Sep 1740[12]
7. Barbara, bapt: 8 Mar 1743[13]
8. Regina, bapt: 3 Jun 1745; died 25 Mar 1750[14]
9. Christina, bapt: 16 Sep 1747[15]
10. Hieronymus, bapt: 13 Sep 1750[16]

Immigration:

A Beck Family history compiled by Clarence Beck in the 1930's, contains the transcription of a certificate issued 24 Apr 1752 for the family of Hans Jerg (Johann Georg) Beck prior to emigration (see media).[4] It was provided as a means of identification as they traveled and includes the names and dates for the family members.

This information was presumably taken from the Oberriexingen church records. Some of the spellings and dates are slightly different than the church records themselves. However, it provides the following:

Anna Maria's parents are listed as Hieronymus Gucker & Agnes Vogel
Hans Jerg's parents are listed as Ulrich Beck & Margaretha Schraÿ
Death:

He wrote his will 20 Aug 1772 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. It was probated 9 Jun 1775 (see media).[4]

Johann Georg (Hans Jerg) Beck died 11 May 1775 in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton, Pennsylvania. He is buried in the Old Beck Cemetery.[17]

Notes

Excerpt from The Ancestry of Joseph Schoch:[18]

Rev. Fleck also writes (4/7/1950) "You have inquired about some family names: the name Gucker and the name Vogel have died out here at Oberriexingen, but the name Beck is quite common here and the name Schray is very widespread." "Whether Agnes Vogel is descended from the Rev. Paulus Vogel, pastor at Kornwestheim about 1588, cannot be confirmed. Our oldest church records go back only to 1670, all earlier records were burned in 1693. The name Vogel is however very common throughout Wurttemberg."

Now the dates of birth of some of the above differ a little from records which some of our Pennsylvania relatives have preserved. According to the Pennsylvania records Anna Maria Beck was born March 5, 1730, Jakob (the first one) was born July 14, 1734 and died in Germany, his death accounts for another child being named Jakob.

Christina was born September 15, 1747 according to the Pennsylvania Records and Hieronymus was born September 13, 1749. The Pennsylvania records are supposed to have been copied in 1753 from the Oberriexingen church records. Perhaps in copying, the date of birth has sometimes been confused with the date of baptism. Rev. Fleck has written (2/27/1950) that Hieronymus was born on September 13, 1750, and again (7/4/1950) he writes that, "On September 13, 1750 they (the Beck family) were still here when their youngest son Hieronymus was baptized."

Rev. Fleck also says that Anna Maria Gucker, mother of the above family, was born February 9, 1709. The two records also differ as to the middle name of the fourth child, the one from which we are descended. This child was given on Rev. Fleck's records as Johannes Georg, while on the Pennsylvania records he was given as Johannes Jakob (John Jacob).

From Find A Grave Memorial

He married Anna Maria Gucker in Germany, 1729. She was the daughter of Heaxognius Gucker and Agnes Vogel. Source: Dorothy L. Peters, Route 3, Box 3576-FF, Stroudsburg, PA 18360.

Johannes Georg was the first of the Beck ancestors to arrive in America. He arrived with his fifteen year old son at the Port of Philadelphia aboard the ship "Richard and Mary" on September 26, 1752. The ship had sailed from Rotterdam, Netherlands, byway of Portsmouth, England. His wife, Anna Maria, and six other children followed at a later date. Three of their children had died in Germany.

Johannes was the youngest of six children of Ulrich Beck and his wife Margretha Schrayin. Ulrich was a "respected citizen and farmer" who lived at Ober Riexingen in Wurttenburg, Germany. The family was Evangelical Lutheran by choice, and Johannes was confirmed in St. George's Evangelical Lutheran church in Upper Riexingen, Wurttenberg in 1729 at the age of twenty four. His father died that same year and Johannes married Anna Maria Gucker. Little is known of their lives during the twenty three years before coming to America except for the births of their ten children.

George, as Johannes was later called, settled with his family in Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania and apparently prospered. They attended church in a small log structure, and across the road was the little cemetery where several family members were later buried. George died twenty three years after his arrival in America, in the year 1775. He was survived by his wife and seven children, listed in his will on file at the Northampton county court house in Easton, Pennsylvania. He was buried in the cemetery mentioned above and his grave stone is still in existance (1990) along with those of his son John Jacob (called George) and his son's wife, Anna Mary Beck.

His gravestone, inscribed in German reads as follows:

Hier Ruhet Der Lieb Von Johan Georg Beck ErWurde Gebohren Den 14 May 1705 Hat Gestorben Den 11 May 1775

This translates to: Here rests the body of John George Beck. He was born May 14, 1705 and died May 11, 1775.

His wife outlived him, but if she is buried in the same cemetery, there is no separate marker for her. This cemetery is called the "Old Cemetery", or is often referred to as the "Old Beck Cemetery". At the present time (1990), there are thirteen gravestones in existence there, although the worn bases of other stones can be seen in the grass. There is a marker to the memory of the unknown buried there. Present family members see to it that the cemetery is maintained and kept neat. It lies within the community of Mt. Bethel, PA.

Two of the daughters of Johannes Georg are of special interest to the descendants of Nicholas Schall. The records of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church (often called the "Blue" Church) in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, PA. show that in 1755, Elisabeth Beck, daughter of Jerg Beck of Blue Mountain, was married to Adam Weiser. One of their daughters, Anna Elizabeth Weiser, became the wife of Andreas/Andrew Schall on June 30, 1773. At that time, Andreas was fifty, and his wife must have been a teenager. They became members of Dryland Evangelical Lutheran Church at Hecktown, PA. and had eight children.

Aiso married in the "Blue Church" were Anna Margretha Beck and Nicholas Schall Jr., on June 5, 1759. So it is that two branches of descendants of the Nicholas Schall I family are also direct descendants of Johannes Georg Beck. At this time, there is no information regarding a connection between the Beck family and the "Blue Church" area, located near Coopersburg, PA. No record of history of the Becks before they settled in the Mt. Behtel area has been uncovered. Perhaps "Old Blue" was the home church of the two husbands.

Dorothy L. Peters

Husband of Anna Maria Gucker (1729-?)
Father of Anna Marie Beck (1755-1821)

Hier Ruher der leib von
JOHAN GEORG BECK
Er Wurde Geboren
den14th May 1705
ist Gestorben im May
1775 ist alt wurden
ohngefehr 70 Jahr

• *****************************

Here rests the body of
JOHAN GEORG BECK
He was born
on the 14th of May 1705
He died in May 1775
In his 70th year of age.∼Johan Georg Beck, also in the records as Hans or Johann Jërg Beck, was born in Oberriexingen, Württemberg. He married Anna Maria Gucker on 21 Jun 1729, Oberriexingen. The couple had 10 children, all of them born in Oberriexingen: Anna Maria Beck, Elizabeth Beck Weiser/Wysor, Jacob Beck, Margaretha Beck, Hans Jërg "George" Beck (changed to Peck), Johann "Jacob" Beck, Barbara Beck, Regina Beck, Christina Beck, and Hieronymous Beck.

∼Hans Jerg Beck was born on 16 May 1697 in Oberriexingen, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. He was the son of Ulrich Beck (1655-1729) and Margaretha Schray Beck (1665-).

Hans married Anna Maria Gucker (1709-1775) on June 21, 1729 at Oberriexingen, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Anna was the daughter of Hieronymus Gucker (1680-1712) and Agnes Vogel Gucker (1675-1712).

Hans Jerg and Anna Maria Gucker Beck were the parents of the following 11 known children: Anna Maria Beck, Elizabeth Beck, Hans Jerg Beck, Jacob Beck, John Jacob Beck, Margaretha Beck, Ann Elizabeth Beck, Barbara Beck, Regina Beck, Christina Beck and Hieronymus Beck.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s about Hans Gerog Beck: - Name: Hans Gerog Beck - Year: 1752 - Place: Pennsylvania - Source Publication Code: 1804 - Primary Immigrant: Beck, Hans Gerog - Annotation: Taken from original manuscripts in the state archives. Names given throughout pages 1-677. Foreigners arriving in Pennsylvania named on pages 521-667. No. 3776, Kelker, supplements this. - Source Bibliography: EGLE, WILLIAM HENRY, editor Names of Foreigners Who Took the Oath of Allegiance to the Province and State of Pennsylvania, 1727-1775, with the Foreign Arrivals, 1786-1808. (Pennsylvania Archives, ser. 2, vol. 17.) Harrisburg [PA]: E.K. Meyers, 1890. 787p. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1967. - Page: 361

Hans died in May 1775 in Mt Bethel, Northampton, Pennsylvania, United States. He was 78 years old.

Famous People related to Hans Jerg Beck: Cary Grant(1904-1986), British-born, American Actor, Archibald Alexander Leach, better known by his screen name, Cary Grant, was an English film actor. With his distinctive Mid-Atlantic accent, he was noted as perhaps the foremost exemplar of the debonair leading man, not only handsome, but also witty and charming. He was named the second Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. Relationship: 15th Great Grandson (Through his daughter, Elizabeth).

References

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jan 9 2023, 16:24:58 UTC
• “Southwest Virginians - The Roseberry-Sutton; Keister-Foster and Howell-Burnop Families Of Carroll, Montgomery, Pulaski and Floyd Counties, VA.” < link >
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Beck-226 cites

1. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3R-RHD : accessed 19 October 2015), Hanss Jerg Beck, 14 May 1705; citing ; FHL microfilm 1,184,612.
2. Local heritage book Oberriexingen http://www.online-ofb.de/famreport.php?ofb=oberriexingen&ID=I1008&n...
3. Church book Oberriexingen, Landeskirchliches Archiv Stuttgart > Dekanat Vaihingen an der Enz > Oberriexingen > Taufregister 1670-1743 Band 1 (http://www.archion.de/p/55fb6102c8/) ($)
4. From the research of Mark Steinke, shared on Ancestry.com, 2014
5. "Deutschland Heiraten, 1558-1929", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NZ5M-8P5 : 9 July 2021), Anna Maria Gucker in entry for Hannss Joerg Beck, 1729.
6. Local heritage book Oberriexingen https://www.online-ofb.de/famreport.php?ofb=oberriexingen&ID=I1106&...
7. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3R-17K : 25 February 2020), Anna Maria Beck, 1730.
8. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N89L-SQS : 25 February 2020), Elisabeth Beck, 1732.
9. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3T-M7J : 25 February 2020), Jacob Beck, 1734
10. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3R-PHL : 25 February 2020), Hanss Jerg Beck, 1736.
11. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N89L-SQJ : 25 February 2020), Margaretha Beck, 1738.
12. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3R-P32 : 25 February 2020), Jacob Beck, 1740.
13. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3T-9JF : 25 February 2020), Barbara Beck, 1743.
14. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NNC4-PD9 : 25 February 2020), Regina Beck, 1745.
15. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3T-S3X : 25 February 2020), Christina Beck, 1747.
16. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NC3T-HMK : 25 February 2020), Hieronymus Beck, 1750.
17. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9427243/hans-jerg-beck : accessed 27 April 2022), memorial page for Hans Jerg Beck (14 May 1705–11 May 1775), Find A Grave: Memorial #9427243, citing Old Beck Cemetery, Mount Bethel, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Bertha B. Buttner (contributor 46618041) .
18. The Ancestry of the Joseph Schoch family: One time of Metamora, Michigan, and of other allied families of Michigan, by Joseph L Gardner, Hazel Park, MI; Publ: 1951
19. Acknowledgments: Research of Mark Steinke, 1998