James Beebe
Encyclopedia
James Beebe Reverend, presided over the Unity Parish
at North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut
, between 1747 and 1785. He was an Army Preacher
in the French and Indian War
and a patriot
.
in 1717, the son of one of the town founders. He studied theology
at Yale University
in New Haven, Connecticut
.
Beebe married Ruth Curtiss, the daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Stiles) Curtiss, in 1749 and they raised five daughters and two sons; the youngest son, David Lewis Beebe, graduated from Yale College in 1785 and followed in his father's profession.
Besides his pastoral duties, Mr. Beebe also managed a large farm, was part owner of the local grist and sawmills and he owned slaves. One slave in particular was Peg, the wife of free slave Nero Hawley
. Since Beebe owned Peg, he owned all of her children too, who were subsequently emancipated by their father after Beebe's death. Beebe died in office on September 8, 1785, in his 68th year. His wife Ruth died on July 29, 1818 at the age of 94.
Beebe's gravestone at the Unity Burial Ground
reads:
in Trumbull
and advised them that Reverend Beebe was ready to become the minister at their parish. Beebe was ordained and installed at Unity Parish in May of 1747. Beebe had his work cut out for him though, as the church had become scattered in 1744 by the conversion to Episcopacy by the last pastor, Reverend Richardson Miner. Under Beebe's leadership, 167 parishioners were added to the Unity Church rolls. Reverend Beebe's ministry in Trumbull lasted for 38 years until he died in office on September 8, 1785, in his 68th year.
. His eldest son James, was a Captain in the Continental Army
and wintered with George Washington
at the Valley Forge
winter encampment.
Beebe was a staunch supporter of the Revolution. One night he organized a public meeting at his house to talk about the Revolution. While he was addressing the people, gunfire was heard and fires were seen in the distance as if the British were coming. Beebe suspected this was a trick. So, he sent a small party by a back road to check it out and to cut-off the retreat of this scouting party. They captured the culprits, who turned out to be young men from the town who had burned some cornstalks and were playing a joke on the people at the meeting to test their patriotism.
on Monday May 26, 1783 in North Stratford, now Trumbull
, commemorating the end of fighting in the American Revolutionary War
. This celebration included feasting, prayer, speeches, toasts, and two companies of the North Stratford militia
performing maneuvers with cannon
discharges and was one of the first documented celebrations following the War for Independence and continued as Decoration Day and today as Memorial Day
with prayer services and a parade.in May of 1783 to commemorate the end of fighting in the American Revolution. The celebration included feasting, prayer, speeches, toasts, and two companies of North Stratford militia performing maneuvers with cannon discharges and was one of the first documented celebrations following the war.
Nichols, Connecticut
Nichols, a historic village in southeastern Trumbull on the Gold Coast of Fairfield County, was named after the family who maintained a large farm in its center for almost 300 years. The Nichols Farms Historic District, which encompasses part of the village, is listed on the National Register of...
at North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
, between 1747 and 1785. He was an Army Preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
and a patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
.
Biography
Beebe was born in Danbury, ConnecticutDanbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
in 1717, the son of one of the town founders. He studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
.
Beebe married Ruth Curtiss, the daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Stiles) Curtiss, in 1749 and they raised five daughters and two sons; the youngest son, David Lewis Beebe, graduated from Yale College in 1785 and followed in his father's profession.
Besides his pastoral duties, Mr. Beebe also managed a large farm, was part owner of the local grist and sawmills and he owned slaves. One slave in particular was Peg, the wife of free slave Nero Hawley
Nero Hawley
Nero Hawley , born into slavery in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, enlisted in place of his owner, Daniel Hawley, in the Continental Army on April 20, 1777 during the American Revolution and earned his freedom...
. Since Beebe owned Peg, he owned all of her children too, who were subsequently emancipated by their father after Beebe's death. Beebe died in office on September 8, 1785, in his 68th year. His wife Ruth died on July 29, 1818 at the age of 94.
Beebe's gravestone at the Unity Burial Ground
Unity Burial Ground
The Unity Burial Ground is a small graveyard located on the southeast end of White Plain in the Nichols section of Trumbull, Connecticut. It is located a few rods north of the site of the first meeting house that was built in the parish of Unity. The cemetery was laid out in 1730 and the first...
reads:
Ministry
In the fall of 1746, the Fairfield East Association of Ministers contacted the Church at the Unity ParishNichols, Connecticut
Nichols, a historic village in southeastern Trumbull on the Gold Coast of Fairfield County, was named after the family who maintained a large farm in its center for almost 300 years. The Nichols Farms Historic District, which encompasses part of the village, is listed on the National Register of...
in Trumbull
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
and advised them that Reverend Beebe was ready to become the minister at their parish. Beebe was ordained and installed at Unity Parish in May of 1747. Beebe had his work cut out for him though, as the church had become scattered in 1744 by the conversion to Episcopacy by the last pastor, Reverend Richardson Miner. Under Beebe's leadership, 167 parishioners were added to the Unity Church rolls. Reverend Beebe's ministry in Trumbull lasted for 38 years until he died in office on September 8, 1785, in his 68th year.
Military service
Beebe served as an Army Chaplain in the 3rd Regiment raised in the Colony of Connecticut in March of 1760 during the French & Indian War. Beebe was a Patriot, and served in the local militia for eight months in 1776 during the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. His eldest son James, was a Captain in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
and wintered with George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
at the Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
winter encampment.
Beebe was a staunch supporter of the Revolution. One night he organized a public meeting at his house to talk about the Revolution. While he was addressing the people, gunfire was heard and fires were seen in the distance as if the British were coming. Beebe suspected this was a trick. So, he sent a small party by a back road to check it out and to cut-off the retreat of this scouting party. They captured the culprits, who turned out to be young men from the town who had burned some cornstalks and were playing a joke on the people at the meeting to test their patriotism.
A Great Jubilee Day
Reverend Beebe organized A Great Jubilee DayA Great Jubilee Day
A Great Jubilee Day, first held on Monday May 26, 1783 in North Stratford, now Trumbull, commemorated the end of fighting in the Revolutionary War...
on Monday May 26, 1783 in North Stratford, now Trumbull
Trumbull, Connecticut
Trumbull, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut in the New England region of the United States, is bordered by the towns of Monroe, Shelton, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Easton along Connecticut's Gold Coast. The population was 36,018 according to the 2010 census.Family Circle magazine...
, commemorating the end of fighting in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. This celebration included feasting, prayer, speeches, toasts, and two companies of the North Stratford militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
performing maneuvers with cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
discharges and was one of the first documented celebrations following the War for Independence and continued as Decoration Day and today as Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
with prayer services and a parade.in May of 1783 to commemorate the end of fighting in the American Revolution. The celebration included feasting, prayer, speeches, toasts, and two companies of North Stratford militia performing maneuvers with cannon discharges and was one of the first documented celebrations following the war.