Pane-Joyce Genealogy

54853. John Beard. Born ca 1748 in Hampstead, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. John died bef 1820.

John was born either in Newbury, MA, or in Hampstead, NH, depending on whether he was born before or after his parents moved. His mother Hannah was dismissed from Newbury to Hampstead in 1752, so it’s more probably he was born in Newbury.

From Wells’ History of Barnet:588
John Beard, b. Hampstead, N. H., 1748, came came to Newbury [Vermont] at 14 and lived with General Bayley until 21 when he m. Ruth Bedell of Haverhill, NH. Came to Barnet, Vt; returned to Newbury 1785. In Barnet again 1793, and lived between McIndoes and Barnet villages. Served in the Revolutionary War, guarding and scouting under several commands. Beard's Falls are named for him.

From the History of Newbury, Vermont:630
One of the earliest accounts preserved in town is one of Col. Frye Bayley’s, which reads as follows:
“1768, Col. Jacob Bayley, Dr. to one Coat and Waistcoat, and Breeches, with Buttons and Trimmings for John Beard's Freedom Suit. £6. 8. 0.”
The custom of giving a “freedom-suit” survived to a late day. The process of “binding out” boys and girls was very common, down to within about fifty years [this was written in 1902], and there have, possibly, been a few instances since that time. In earlier days, when families were very much larger than now, it often happened that a man died, leaving a large family of helpless children. It was then the duty of the poor masters, or selectmen, to find homes for such children, and apprentice them to learn the “art, mystery, trade, and calling,” as the indenture read, of a husbandman, cordwainer, or blacksmith, as the case might be. A “bound out boy,” as such an one was, is often alluded to, in the literature of the present day, as hardly more than a slave. In reality, scarcely anything better could happen to a homeless child, than to be placed in a good family where he would be well fed and clothed, taught industrious habits, given the rudiments of an education, and sent regularly to meeting. Some of the best men and women ever reared in Newbury were brought up in that way.
Minors and indentured children were often allowed to “buy their time,” i. e., by the payment of a certain sum, one, two, or three years before attaining their majority, the obligations between them and their parents or guardians, was dissolved.

There are a couple of statements about Beards, Bedels, and other families in David Sutherland’s Address Delivered to the Inhabitants of Bath on the evening of Jan 23, 1854, Rand & Avery, Boston, 1855
http://archive.org/details/addressdelivered00suth
[Page 30] That portion of the town on the west of the mountain, has always been considered as containing one eighth part of the property, and the same proportion of the population. Phineas Chamberlain, and Solomon Smith, were in married life when I came here, and are so still; the only couples that remain. Batchelder and Hindman occupy their fathers' places. The Johnsons and Blodgets came into town the same year with me. The residue are gone, root and branch. The Hadlocks, the Sanborns, Beards, Blakes, Dodges, Hurds and Annises, have given place to the Wardens, Bedels, Hastings, Carbees, Holts, and Abbotts.
[Page 44 includes a list of some of the 100 names of Grantees to the town charter, about 1770, followed by a list of some who came later] Among the one hundred names of Grantees to whom this Charter was given, are found the following:
John Sawyer, Timothy Barron,
John Hazen, Samuel Sandborn,
Moses Pike, Benjamin Sandborn,
John Hew, Ebenezer Richardson,
James Dodge, Joseph Herriman,
Edward Blair, Jaasiel Herriman,
Daniel Been, Nehemiah Lovewell,
Elijah King, John Hastings,
Timothy Bedel, Benjamin Sawyer,
Robert Bedel, Robert Gilman,
Moody Bedel, Philip Gilman,
Cyrus Bedel, Paul March,
John Bacon, Joseph March,
William Belknap, James Bayley,
Nathaniel Merrill, Deliverance Sawyer,
Jotham Rindge, Nathan Caswell,
Joshua Bayley, Abner Bayley,
Jacob Bayley, Esq., Jonathan Bayley, Esq.,
Israel Morey, Esq., John Hurd, Esq.,
Isaac Rindge, Esq., Nath'l P. Sargent, Esq.,
Clement March, Esq., Joseph Wright, Esq.,
Hon. Theodore Atkinson.
Considerable additions were made to the number of settlers, soon after the granting of the second Charter. Among those who now came here, were John Waters, Benjamin Lee, Joseph Tilden, John Beard, Ezekiel Colby, Robert Bedel, Daniel Bedel, Abel Chase, Noah Moulton, Edward Bailey, William Belknap, Benjamin Prentiss, Francis Fullerton, Reuben Foster, John Sandborn, and Ebenezer Sandborn ; the latter settled on the farm now belonging to S. and W. Minot, and Daniel Bedel on that now occupied by Nathan Hunt. Samuel Titus also came about the same time and commenced on the west side of the Ammonoosuc, on what is known as the Harris farm, now belonging to Martin and Seth Chamberlin. Col. Timothy Bedel, one of the Proprietors under the last Charter, moved to Bath, from Haverhill, in 1769, and settled on the Bedel farm, (on the west side of the Ammonoosuc and southwest of the Newell farm) now owned by Albert G. Moulton. About the same time John Dodge, came and established himself at Dodge's Falls on the Connecticut River.
[page 99] The following list contains the names of those who entered
the Revolutionary war from Bath.
Timothy Bedel, Daniel Bedel, Moody Bedel, John Bedel,
Jacob Bedel, Joshua Bedel, Richard Bedel, Robert Bedel,
John Beard, Cyrus Bailey, Abel Chase, Eliphalet Cleaveland,
Elisha Cleaveland, Solomon Cleaveland, John Dodge, James Eastman,
Jonathan Eastman, Obadiah Eastman, William Eastman, John Foreman,
Francis Fullington, Hugh Gammel, Jeremiah Gilman, Peter Gilman,
Samuel I. Gilman, David Greenleaf, Daniel Hunt, Joshua Hunt,
Zebulon Hunt, Ira Hand, Ebenezer Holladay, Noah Holladay,
John Jewett, Benj. Lovekin, John Merrill, Thomas Newman,
Moses Pike, Moses Pike Jr., John Rowell, Ebenezer Sandborn,
Mark Sandborn, Richard Sandborn, Joshua Sanders, Stephen Smith,
John Waters, David Weeks.

Until 1792 when Caledonia County was formed, Barnet was part of Orange County. There are no Bairds or Beards in Orange county in the 1790 census.

1800 Federal Census. Barnet, Caledonia County, Vermont
Roll 51, page 233
Famly of John Baird
3 males 16-25 [James, John Jr, & Moody]
1 male 45 and over [John]
1 female under 10 [Betsey]
2 female 10-15 [Hannah & Janet]
1 female 45 and over [Ruth]
Also, there are John and James Beards in the 1800 census for Barton, Orleans Co., VT. They’re both single males 16-25. Perhaps they’re the same men being double counted, but they could be unrelated.

On 12 Dec 1772 John married Ruth Bedell (50912) , daughter of Jacob Bedell (33782) (29 May 1709-bef 1762) & Mary Dorington, in Haverhill, Grafton County, New Hampshire. Born on 11 Sep 1751 in Salem, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Ruth died in Barnet, Caledonia County, Vermont, on 16 Mar 1843; she was 91.

Ruth Bedell, also spelled Bedal or Bedel.

In 1810 there don’t appear to be any Beard families in the area except that of John Baird, Jr. John Sr. may have died by 1810 and none of the family are heads of households except John Jr.

1820 Federal Census. Barnet, Caledonia County, Vermont.
Roll 127
Family of Ruth Beard
1 male 10-15 [James Welch, 11]
1 female 16-25 [Betsey?]
1 female 26-44 [Hannah, 32]
1 female 45 and over [Ruth, 69]
Ruth’s sons, John and Moody, are also listed in Barnet.

In 1830 and 1840, Ruth was probably living with her daughter Hannah Welch and grandson James Welch in Barnet.

Their children include:

60954i.

Abigail Beard (Died young) (ca 1775-)

60955ii.

Stevens Beard (Died young) (ca 1777-)

60956iii.

Polly Beard (ca 1779-1842)

60957iv.

Moody Beard (say 1780-ca 1849/50)

60958v.

John Beard (ca 1782-bef 1850)

60959vi.

James Beard (1784-bef 1870)

60960vii.

Janet Beard (ca 1786-)

60961viii.

Hannah Beard (ca 1788-1866)

60962ix.

Moses Beard (Died young) (ca 1790-)

60963x.

Betsey Beard (Died unmarried) (ca 1792-)

54854. Hannah Beard. Born on 5 Sep 1751 in Hampstead, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.

54855. (a child) Beard. Born in 1752.

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