Notes for Richard Beeson

Notes for Richard Beeson

Richard Beeson and his wife Charity Grubb were very well-known and active members and missionaries of the Quaker church. Richard and Charity helped form Hopewell Meeting in Virginia and were amoung the earleiest members of New Garden Meeting in Guilford Col, NC. They both remained in Guilford Co. until their deaths.

Hopewell Monthly Meeting Notes:
"Feb 24, 1736: Richard Sr. and wife and family granted certificate to Hopewell MM, Va. (by New Garden MM, PA). "
"Oct 21, 1752: Richard and wife granted certificate to New Garden MM, N.C."

In the area of the Hopewell Meeting: The Meeting House of Quaker Prividence around present day Berkely County Highway 15 was erected by 1741, but it is believed that the meetings were first held in Richard Beeson's house by 1738. The cemetery for the meeting house was located in the southwest corner of Richard Beeson Jr.'s 249-acre tract, #148A. On present day maps, it is located on the north side of Berkely County Highway 15 approximately one-half mile east of the Tuscaroro Church (not the meeting house location). Providence meeting, which seems to have been the same as Tuscarora, near Martinsburg, was officially established in 1738. The minutes of Chester Quarterly Meeting, under date of September 13, 1738, show that Hopewell Monthly Meeting presented the case of Friends "living near or about Richard Beeson's," who requested the liberty of building a meeting-house for worship. Liberty was granted. On June 10, 1741, Hopewell was reported int he same quarterly meeting as saying that the Friends near and about Richard Beeson's had built a meeting-house, met there twice a week, and wiches a preparative meeting by themselves, they being a considerable distance from any other meeting. The request was allowed. Providence meeting was also known as Beeson's Meeting.

In 1758, under stress of the French and Indian War and fear of "and Indian enemy", the attendance at Providence fell so low that the preparative meeting there was discontinued. The discontinuance was apparently first suggested or allowed by Hopewell Monthly Meeting, Providence being a branch of Hopewell, and soon recognized as necessary by Chester Quarterly Meeting. The latter was divided in November 1758. IN this division Hopewell became part of Western Quarterly Meeting, whose minutes contain the following entry: "11 Mo. 20, 1758. It having been for weighty reasons recommended by the Quarterly Meeting from which we are divided that Providence Particular Meeting (in Virginia) should be discontinued, by an account now received from Hopewell Montly Meeting we are informed that advice is complied with. "

Richard Beeson was in Orange County, Virginia on the 11th day, December 1735 when hen attended the marriage of John Ross and Lydia Hollingsworth "at their public meeting at Hopewell". Richard Sr. and wife Charity requested a certificate of removal from New Garden Monthly meeting to Hopewell on the 27th day of March 1736. At that time they were living in Leacock Township, Chester County, PA. John was in Orange County, VA by the 25th day of January 1737 as evidenced by a certificate from Gwynedd Monthly Meeting in present-day Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The journal of John Fothergill states that there was a meeting at Richard Beeson's home on September 18, 1736, called Providence Meeting at the time. This seems to suggest that Richard and Charity immediately removed to the Shenandoah Valley after leaving Pennsylvania.

Richard Beeson bought a 1,650 acre plot of land patent-dated 12 Nov 1735 for 70 pounds on Sept. 28, 1737 from George Robinson III. The tract was located on both sides of Tuscarora Creek (branch of Opequan Creek). From County Land Records "Overseer of the 'Warm Springs Road' from the north Mt. to Opeq. Creek, Richard Beeson (Tract 148A). He became observer on 14 Aprl. 1744. This road is from present day Martinsburg, WV to Flowing Springs Rd. (Jefferson County Hwy 17.)"

Richard and Charity sold 249 acres of the 1,650-acre patent land to son Richard Beeson, Jr. for 20 pounds on Jan 6, 1744. (Tract 148A). They sold 300 acres from the same tract to son Edward Beeson for 20 pounds on Oct 8, 1743 and on January 6, 1744, they sold 226 acres to son Benjamin Beeson for 20 pounds.

Richard and Charity Beeson were received at New Garden MM in North Carolina on the 30th of November 1754. He had 55 acres surveyed on 29 October 1756 and received a grant from Granville on 17 August 1759 for his land which was located on the south side of Deep River opposite to Stephen Haworth in Rowan (then Guilford, now Randolph) County, North Carolina. Richard and Charity sold 325 acres of the 1,650 acre patent land to William Patterson for 200 pounds on 27 November 1758; they were in Rowan County, North Carolina at the time.

Richard Beeson's will, written 29 March 1775 and proved in 1788 in Randolph County, North Carolina, states that he was from Deep River in Guilford County, North Carolina and wills to "his grandson Stepharias Haworth/Hayworth 200 acres of land I now live on." He left son Benjamin Beeson the east end and son Issac Beeson the west end of the remainder of the tract. The remaining part of his "Movable Estate shall be Equilly Divided among all my children to wit--Benjamin, Isaac, Pheby, and Charity."