| State | Virginia |
|---|---|
| County (Primary) | Northampton |
| Other Counties | Somerset, Kent, Sussex |
| Family Name | Beckett |
| Family History Notes | 1. Peter1 Beckett, born say 1655, was a "Negro" slave who was taxable with Thomas Driggers from 1671 to 1677 in the Northampton County, Virginia household of John Eyres [Orders 1664-74, fol.114; 1674-79, 75, 191]. Sarah Dawson, a white servant, was another member of Eyre's household. She was born about 1661 since her age was adjudged to be sixteen years when Eyre brought her into Northampton County court on 26 November 1677 [OW 1674-79, 203]. Seven years later in 1684 she was given twenty-one lashes and ordered to serve Eyre another six years for having "three bastard Maletto Children by her said Masters Negro slave Peter." On 30 May 1687 and 28 May 1688 she was presented for bastard bearing and the following year on 29 July 1689 was called "Sarah the wife of Peter Beckett slave to Major John Eyre" when the court ordered one of her children released to her, "Shee findinge sufficient security to save the parish harmeless from the said Childe" [OW 1683-89, 59, 280, 292, 358, 442-3]. On 28 July 1702 she consented to the indenture of their daughter Ann, "daughter of Sarah Beckett," to Mrs. Ann Eyre until the age of eighteen [OW 1698-1710, 96]. Peter was free by 30 November 1703 when "Peter Beckett and Sarah his wife" successfully sued John Morrine for debt in Northampton County court. John Robins brought an action upon the case against him, but neither party appeared when it came for trial on 21 January 1717/8 [OW&c 1698-1710, 176; Orders 1710-6, 55]. Peter and Sarah's descendants were 2 i. ?Peter2, born say 1683. ii. Rebecca1, born say 1692, taxable in the household of John Drighouse in 1726 [Bell, Northampton County Tithables, 77]. 3 iii. ?William1, born say 1695. iv. Ann, born 10 December 1697, had a child by John Driggers in Northampton County in 1716. v. Jean, born say 1700, common-law wife of Thomas Driggers of Northampton County. vi. Elizabeth, born say 1705, common-law wife of John Driggers/ Drighouse. 2. Peter2 Beckett, born say 1683, was taxable in Bogerternorton Hundred of Somerset County from 1723 to 1740: listed with Devorix Driggers in 1725, with (his son?) William B____et in 1737, with (his son?) Deverix Becket in 1740 [MdHR C-812, List of Taxables, 1723-1740]. He was fined 2 shillings, 6 pence for uttering an oath in Somerset County in 1727. He was special bail for Devorix Driggers on 17 November 1730 when Devorix admitted in Somerset County court that he owed Christopher Glass 500 pounds of tobacco and 650 pounds of beef which he had contracted for in writing on 10 November 1729 [Judicial Record 1727-30, 147; 1730-3, 43-4]. The inventory of his Worcester County estate, taken by Arcada Okey on 10 May 1751, totalled 129 pounds and listed Bridget Doves and John Nienburgh as nearest of kin. The second inventory taken on 23 January 1754 by Joseph and his wife Arcada Okey included debts from William Cornish, Simon Collock, and Nathaniel Morris. One third of the estate went to Peter's widow Mary Beckett and the remainder to his son Beade Beckett and daughters Arcada Oakey and Hannah Beckett. The estate paid Samuel Handser 7 shillings [Prerogative Inventories 48:98-100; 60:89; Accounts 37:65-6; Balance Book 1751-5, 1:127 (MSA 533-1)]. Peter was the father of i. ?William2, born say 1716. ii. Arcada, married Joseph Okey. iii. Hannah. iv. ?Deverix, born say 1723, taxable in Somerset county in 1740, probably named for Deverix Driggers. v. ?Solomon, taxable in Mispillion Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, from 1743 to 1762 [Kent County Assessments, 1743-67, frames 10, 109, 125, 154, 174, 201, 204, 216, 247, 270, 349]. 4 vi. Bede1, born say 1740. 3. William1 Beckett, born say 1695, was taxable in Kent County, Delaware, from 1726 to 1756: listed in Little Creek Hundred, charged with the tax of _____ Drigers in 1727, called William Beckett Sen. from 1749 to 1756 when he was listed in Dover Hundred near Nehemiah Hansor and Samuel Hanson [Kent County Levy List 1743-67]. William was called a yeoman when he purchased two lots of ground within the town of Dover for 12 pounds by Kent County, Delaware deed on 2 April 1754 [DB O:256]. He left a 31 January 1757 Kent County will (signing the letter "B"), proved 7 May 1757, leaving Mary Concelor a bed, furniture and a sorrel mare; his daughter Comfort a horse; his son Nathan a gun; his son William a shilling; his daughters Sarah and Mary each a mare; and his wife Comfort all his lands. Nehemiah Handzor witnessed the will [WB K-1, 162]. William was probably the father of the illegitimate child Mary Concelor had in Kent County in August 1728 [Delaware Archives RG 3815.031, dockets 1722-32, frames 229, 235]. And he was probably related to a "Mulatto" child Abraham Beckitt who was supported by Richard Wells (of Dover Hundred), Esq., from the county levy in November 1757 and Tabitha Beckett, a poor woman, supported by Lydia Wells from Kent County levy in November 1758 [DSA, RG 3200, Levy Court Minutes 1732-, frames 34, 38; RG 3535, Assessments 1743-67, frames 221, 223]. Comfort and her daughter Mary Beckett sold 50 acres in Dover Hundred, Kent County, on the north side of the Dover River on 31 March 1758 [DB P:65]. Mary Beckett sold 50 acres in Dover Hundred, Kent County, on the north side of the Dover River on 31 March 1758 [DB P:111]. William was the father of 5 i. William3, born say 1720. ii. Comfort, born say 1723. iii. Nathan, born say 1728, taxable in Dover Hundred in 1758 and 1759 [Kent County Levy List, 1743-67, frames 213, 240]. iv. Sarah, born say 1734. v. Mary, born say 1736, charged Rike Miller in November 1771 with being the father of her illegitimate child [DSA, RG 3805, MS, indictments]. 4. Bede1 Beckett, born about 1738, was a twenty-one-year-old, born in Maryland, who was listed in the 11 May 1759 muster of Captain John Wright's Company in the French and Indian War (abstracted as "Bedy Bullett," in the same list with Samuel and Thomas Hanzer of Sussex County, that included mostly men born in Sussex County [Montgomery, Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, 278-9]. He married Ann Butler (no race indicated for either) in Sussex County on 21 April 1763 and their son William was born on 12 July 1768 [Records of the United Presbyterian Churches of Lewes, Indian River and Cool Spring, Delaware 1756-1855, 274]. Bede, a labourer, purchased 118 acres called Good Luck on the east side of the Green Branch in Sussex County on __ May 1764 for 37 pounds [DB K-11:60]. He was a delinquent taxable in Sussex County in 1767, taxable in Broadkiln Hundred in 1774, a Nanticoke Hundred delinquent in 1787 [Delaware Archives, Levy Assessment RG 2535]. He died about 1787 when Peter Beckett was granted administration on his estate [de Valinger, Calendar of Kent County Probate Records 1680-1800, 181]. He was the father of i. William4, born 12 July 1768, called William Butler Beckett when he was taxable in Sussex County in Nanticoke Hundred near Peter Beckett in 1791 and in Little Creek Hundred in 1796 [Levy Assessment List, RG 2535]. ii. ?Bede2, taxable in Nanticoke Hundred adjoining Peter Beckett in 1795. 5. William3 Beckett, born say 1720, was taxable in Little Creek Hundred in 1741 and 1742: in the same list as Samuel Hanson; taxable in Dover Hundred from 1748 to 1769: listed in Samuel Hanson's levy in 1748 (called "William Beckitt Jur"), perhaps deceased in 1769 when he was a Dover Hundred delinquent [Kent County Levy List, 1743-67, frames 437, 494, 508; 1768-1784, 26, 32]. In November 1752 he was fined 5 pounds by the Kent County court for keeping a tippling house without a license [RG 3805.002, Court of General Sessions, frame 214]. He was called William Beckett Junr, yeoman, on 13 February 1754 when he purchased 100 acres in the forest of Murderkill Hundred on the north side of Milstons Bridge for 35 pounds [DB O:220]. He may have had a child by one of Samuel Hanson's slaves. On 27 January 1770 Hanson made a deed of manumission by which he freed three slaves named Beckett: i. Charles, born about December 1740, a "Negro" about 30 years and one month old on 27 January 1770 when Samuel Hanson of Kent County set him free by manumission recorded in May 1775 [Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Duck Creek Monthly Meeting, Deed of Manumission of Slaves, 1774-1792, 21]. He was a "Negro" head of a Dover Hundred household of 3 "other free" in 1800 [DE:97]. ii. Peter2, born about June 1744, a "Negro" about 25 years and seven months old on 27 January 1770 when Samuel Hanson of Kent County set him free [Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Duck Creek Monthly Meeting, Deed of Manumission of Slaves, 1774-1792, 21]. He served in the First Company of the Delaware Regiment in the Revolutionary War and received pay from 1 August 1780 to 4 November 1783 [DHS, MS Delaware Regiment Pay Records, 1778-1783, certificates 54,483; 54,830; 54,938; 55,184; Public Archives Commission, Delaware Archives, 196, 607]. He married Betty Drigas (Driggers) on 27 November 1788 in Sussex County, Delaware [Records of the United Presbyterian Churches of Lewes, Indian River and Cool Spring, Delaware 1756-1855, 302]. He was administrator of the Sussex County estate of Bede Beckett in 1787 [de Valinger, Calendar of Kent County Probate Records 1680-1800, 181]. On 3 October 1792 he and his wife Elizabeth of Broadkiln Hundred sold for 120 pounds 118 acres in Broadkiln Hundred, Sussex County, which Peter had purchased from the estate of Beedy Beckett [DB 7:185]. He was a taxable in Nanticoke Hundred, Sussex County, in 1791 and 1795 and taxable in Little Creek Hundred, Sussex County, on a horse, cow and calf, and a shoat in 1796. He was a "Negro" head of a Delaware household of 3 "other free" in 1800 [DE:342] and 2 in 1810 [DE:161, 364]. iii. Isaac, born about November 1747, twenty-three years and 7 months old on 27 January 1770 when Samuel Hanson of Kent County set him free when he reached the age of twenty-five [Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Duck Creek Monthly Meeting, Deed of Manumission of Slaves, 1774-1792, 21]. He was head of a Dover Hundred household of 3 "other free" in 1800 [DE:41]. Other members of the family were i. John, born after 1775, head of a Worcester County household of 10 "free colored" in 1830. Endnotes: 1. 1740 is the last list of tithables for Somerset that included the portion of the county that formed Worcester in 1742. |
| Additional Notes | – |
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[Author (if known)], Free Black Families of Colonial Delmarva (abstracted by Paul Heinegg), [Date (if known)], Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History, Nabb Research Center, Salisbury University.
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