The Beckwiths - Genealogy of the Family and Origin of the Name - ... Mathew BECKWITH (of the eighth generation from Adam BECKWITH, who was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire, England, 22nd Sept. 1610, emigrated to New England in 1635 and resided for a short time at Saybrook Point. He moved thence to Bramford in 1638; was among the first settlers of hartford, Conn. in 1642 and finally settled at Lynne in 1651. He purchased large tracts of land on the Willimantic River. For him was constructed the bark "Endeavor", the first vessel launched from New London. He traded largely with Barbados and was of the class known as 'planters'. Mathew Beckwith died 13th Dec. 1681. His grandson, James BECKWITH was born at New London, June 1st, 1671, removed to Lynne in 1692, married Sarah GRISWOLD, Sept. 16th, 1693 and died in 1719. His wife died Oct. 10th, 1714. He has a large family. Two of his sons, Samuel BECKWITH and Renald BECKWITH migrated to Nova Scotia in 1760 and became the founders of the Beckwith families in the Maritime Provinces. Samuel was born at Lynne, Conn. May 14th, 1709 and in 1740 married Miriam MARVIN d/o Capt. Renald MARVIN of Lynne. They had three sons, Samuel BECKWITH, Marvin BECKWITH and John BECKWITH. When the French were expelled from Horton and Cornwallis, the British government held out strong inducements to New Englanders to occupy the land, and one of the results was the sailing of a fleet of 22 vessels from Connecticut, carrying a large colony. This fleet arrived June 4th, 1760 and the colonists landed near the town plot of Cornwallis. Among this goodly company was Samuel Beckwith and his two sons, Samuel and John. Marvin, the other son, remained in the United States. Samuel Beckwith, Sr. received a large grant of land from the British government. His son, Samuel, who became a merchant and extensive farmer of Cornwallis, married Miss Rebecca CHIPMAN who was born at Newport, Rhode Island, Nov. 21st., 1750. They had four daughters and one son, Marvin H. BECKWITH, who settled at Halifax. One of his sons, Rev. William BECKWITH, a Baptist clergyman has been in the province many years. Mrs. WORTMAN, one of the daughters of Samuel Beckwith, lived in St. John some time, removed to Moncton and died there. John Beckwith became a wealthy land owner. He owned all the dike land on the Canard River above what is now called Middle Dike. He married Miss Catherine CHIPMAN, sister to his brother's wife, by whom he had issue, two sons, John C. BECKWITH and Handley BECKWITH and six daughters. Five of the daughters married respectively, Mr. SANFORD, Mr. PINEO, Mr. BARNABY, Mr. MORSE and Mr. COGSWELL. His son, John C. had one son, Chipman BECKWITH who at one time conducted a hotel in St. John and three daughters who married Mr. CALHOUN, Mr. WELLS and Mr. STEVENS, all of Albert Co. His other son, Handley, born at Cornwallis, March 6th, 1770, married a Miss NEWCOMB by whom he had 13 children, but only six lived to mature age. He died Feb. 29th, 1860, and his wife died March 19th, 1863. Joseph BECKWITH, his second son, was called 'the sweet singer of Israel'. He has a daughter and three granddaughters residing here, Mrs. STARR and her daughter, Mrs. John MITCHELL of Rothesay, Mrs. Walter MITCHELL of this city and Mrs. Allen SHARPE, Carleton. His third son, Mayhew BECKWITH, born at Cornwallis in 1798 and who died April 7th, 1871, was a prominent merchant in that community, a leading Baptist and took a leading part in the organization of Acadian University and represented Kings Co. in the N.S. Legislature about 20 years. He married Miss Eunice RAND, sister of Hon. Caleb RAND of Kentville, March 21st, 1829. She died Feb. 8th, 1852. They had eleven children, nine of whom are still living. His eldest son, John A. BECKWITH, once a merchant of Cornwallis, is now one of the most celebrated fruit growers and packers, as well as farmers of Nictouax, N.S. He married Miss Barniby of Cornwallis and had seven sons, all of whom, following Horace Greeley's advise went west. Two are at Victoria, B.C., two at Portland, Oregon and one in Montana. One is dead. Mayhew's second child is the wife of James E. MASTERS of St. John; his third, Robert Nelson BECKWITH of the customs dept., Halifax is father of the popular purser of the "Duart Castle"; his fourth is the wife of T.H. RANDALL of Lawrencetown, N.S.; his wife is the sixth of V.A. LANDRY, proprietor of the Weymouth, N.S. 'Free Press' and L'Evangeline newspapers; the seventh is the wife of M. SHEFFIELD, M.D. of St. John; the eighth, Edward M. BECKWITH, is a flour merchant, ship owner and acting J.P. at Canning, N.S.; the nighth, Mayhew Burpee BECKWITH is in the employ of the British government, as government physician at Jamaica and the tenth is the widow of W.A. SHEFFIELD, Shieffield's Mills, Cornwallis, N.S. There is nothing in the records or tradition to show that Renald Beckwith, born at Lynne, Conn. Feb. 6th, 1706 ever went to Cornwallis, N.S. with his brother Samuel, and it is clear, that he never settled there. Records state, however, that he went to Fredericton, N.B., where he married Miss Mary HANDLEY. One of his sons, Nehemiah BECKWITH, who was born in Connecticut, but settled in Fredericton, met his death by drowning, married Miss Julia LeBRUN, a descendant of C.L. LeBRUN de Du Plessis, cousin and provate secretary to the great Cardinal de Richelieu. One of Nehemiah's sons, the late John A. Beckwith, who born at Fredericton, Dec. 1st, 1800, filled many high offices. He represented York Co. for eleven years, was a member of the Excutive Council and Provincial Secretary from 1867 to 1871 and was called to the Legislative Council in 1874. He was for a time mayor of Fredericton, chairman of the provincial board opf agriculture, a director of the Quebec and N.B. Railway, and also held office of the agent of the N.B. and N.S. Land Co. Hon. John A. Beckwith was twice marriage. One of his sons is mayor of Fredericton, one city clerk of Fredericton and another chief engineer of the provincial public works department. A fourth son resides in Boston. One of his daughters married James HAZEN of Oromocto (Sunbury Co.) and is the mother of J.D. HAZEN, M.P. for St. John.