Noah Beauchamp
Encyclopedia
Noah Beauchamp was a blacksmith
and an Indiana
pioneer. He was also the first person to be legally hanged in Parke County, Indiana
, after murdering his neighbor, George Mickelberry, over a dispute.
to Thomas and Sarah Adams Beauchamp. As an adult Noah was over six feet tall, burly and had a ruddy complexion. He was said to been quick to anger and as a young man, Beauchamp had a disagreement with his father over the morality of slavery. The younger Beauchamp was very religious, a devout Baptist
, and he was vehemently against slavery
. His father, who owned slaves, may have disowned Noah, who soon left for Kentucky
and then Ohio, where he may have met Elizabeth Adams who became his wife. His first child, Noah Beauchamp, Jr., was born in Cincinnati, Ohio
, on November 29, 1804.
By 1811, Beauchamp had moved with his family to Connersville Township
in Fayette County
in the Indiana Territory, where he set up a blacksmith shop. On December 14, 1812, Beauchamp purchased a tract of land in Fayette County and lived there until the 1820s, the family moved to Edgar County, Illinois
. They resided in Illinois until the mid 1830s, when he relocated again to Indiana, this time to Vigo County.
, that abutted his farm was the Mickelberry family. George Mickelberry and Beauchamp became embroiled in a heated dispute over property boundaries, but the tension between the two families wasn't bad enough to prevent Mrs. Mickelberry from hiring Beauchamp's daughters to knit. It was after one of these knitting jobs, in July 1840, that a larger dispute took place, this time between the Mickelberry and Beauchamp women. The Mickelberry daughters were spreading the word around town that Beauchamp's daughters stole some left over wool from the job. Beauchamp heard the accusations and quickly became very angry over the claims. He decided to confront George Mickelberry about the charges.
Beauchamp began walking over to George Mickelberry's house and decided to stop and ask God
for guidance. He stopped in a clearing, where meat had been prepared and where a large butcher's knife was left on a stump. After Beauchamp prayed, he decided to take the knife with him in case Mickelberry's farm hands were around to give him trouble. Instead, only Mickelberry answered the door when Beauchamp knocked. In the doorway, Beauchamp, in anger, began to berate Mickelberry over his daughters' behavior. One of the daughters was in the living room, and began talking back to Beauchamp. Becoming enraged, Beauchamp threatened the daughter saying, "If you was a man I'd cut you into laces," as he brandished the knife. At that point, Mickelberry put his hand on Beauchamp's shoulder and reflexively, Beauchamp plunged the knife into Mickelberry's chest. His breast bone cracking at the force of the blade, he died almost instantly.
In a panic, Beauchamp immediately ran from the house toward the Wabash River
. There he stole a row boat and escaped. When the word got out that Beauchamp had killed George Mickelberry, a large manhunt began, searching all over Vigo County and the surrounding area, but Beauchamp was nowhere to be found. George Mickelberry's family grieved for their loss and Mickelberry was buried.
, where he borrowed money to open a blacksmith shop. He owed large debts and the son of one of the men who loaned him money saw the wanted poster in the local hotel that was brought down to Texas by a traveller in April 1841. Since Beauchamp had not thought to use an assumed name, it wasn't long before the lenders son and another man went looking to collect the $500 reward on the fugitive.
Beauchamp was quickly apprehended and the two men set out for a river to ship Beauchamp back to Indiana in custody. Before they made it to the river, Beauchamp broke free and overpowered one of the men. He made a run for it but was soon recaptured. Beauchamp was locked in one of the cabins on the boat as it made its way up river. Unknown to his captors, Beauchamp used the sheets of the bed to fashion a noose and tried to kill himself in the cabin, but was foiled when someone came to check on him.
In Vigo County, before Beauchamp's trial began in earnest, his lawyer got a change of venue to Parke County, since the case was so well known. His daughter-in-law's parents Sanford
and Rhoda Ransdell testified for the defense but to no avail. After a lengthy trial Beauchamp was sentenced to death on September 8, 1842.
The gallows were constructed in Rockville, Indiana
. On the morning of December 30, 1842, Beauchamp's old friend and minister, Reverend Newport, delivered a sermon outside of Beauchamp's jail cell window. Beauchamp had his last meal, said his goodbyes to his family and friends and was taken to the gallows, where a large contingent from Vigo County waited. When he was asked if he had any last words, Beauchamp said, "Goodbye," and he was hanged.
On November 7, 1825, Beauchamp's cousin
, Jereboam O. Beauchamp
, was also involved in a fatal stabbing, with parallels to Noah Beauchamp's case. Jereboam Beachamp fatally stabbed Colonel Solomon P. Sharp
in a murder that became known as the Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy. Jereboam Beauchamp, in an effort to defend the honor of his wife, killed Sharp in his own doorway with a knife. Just like Noah Beauchamp, this Beauchamp fled and a large manhunt took place. He was captured, tried to kill himself, was saved at the last minute, was tried and hanged.
Noah Beauchamp was a direct descendant of the Quaker Ambrose Dixon
, Dixon was Beauchamp's great-great-great grandfather.
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
and an Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
pioneer. He was also the first person to be legally hanged in Parke County, Indiana
Parke County, Indiana
Parke County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana. It was formed in 1821 out of a portion of Vigo County. The county seat is Rockville....
, after murdering his neighbor, George Mickelberry, over a dispute.
Early life
Noah Beauchamp was born in MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to Thomas and Sarah Adams Beauchamp. As an adult Noah was over six feet tall, burly and had a ruddy complexion. He was said to been quick to anger and as a young man, Beauchamp had a disagreement with his father over the morality of slavery. The younger Beauchamp was very religious, a devout Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, and he was vehemently against slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. His father, who owned slaves, may have disowned Noah, who soon left for Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and then Ohio, where he may have met Elizabeth Adams who became his wife. His first child, Noah Beauchamp, Jr., was born in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, on November 29, 1804.
By 1811, Beauchamp had moved with his family to Connersville Township
Connersville, Indiana
At the 2000 census, there were 15,411 people, 6,382 households and 4,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,894.5 per square mile . There were 6,974 housing units at an average density of 857.3 per square mile...
in Fayette County
Fayette County, Indiana
-2010 Census Data:As of the census of 2010, there were 24,277 people and 9,719 households residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 10,898 housing units at an average density of 51 per square mile...
in the Indiana Territory, where he set up a blacksmith shop. On December 14, 1812, Beauchamp purchased a tract of land in Fayette County and lived there until the 1820s, the family moved to Edgar County, Illinois
Edgar County, Illinois
Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 18,576, which is a decrease of 5.7% from 19,704 in 2000...
. They resided in Illinois until the mid 1830s, when he relocated again to Indiana, this time to Vigo County.
The murder
One of the neighboring families, in Sugar Creek TownshipSugar Creek, Indiana
Sugar Creek is an unincorporated town in Moral Township, Shelby County, Indiana. It is also an eponymous rivulet that runs through Crawfordsville, Indiana, Shades State Park, and Turkey Run State Park....
, that abutted his farm was the Mickelberry family. George Mickelberry and Beauchamp became embroiled in a heated dispute over property boundaries, but the tension between the two families wasn't bad enough to prevent Mrs. Mickelberry from hiring Beauchamp's daughters to knit. It was after one of these knitting jobs, in July 1840, that a larger dispute took place, this time between the Mickelberry and Beauchamp women. The Mickelberry daughters were spreading the word around town that Beauchamp's daughters stole some left over wool from the job. Beauchamp heard the accusations and quickly became very angry over the claims. He decided to confront George Mickelberry about the charges.
Beauchamp began walking over to George Mickelberry's house and decided to stop and ask God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
for guidance. He stopped in a clearing, where meat had been prepared and where a large butcher's knife was left on a stump. After Beauchamp prayed, he decided to take the knife with him in case Mickelberry's farm hands were around to give him trouble. Instead, only Mickelberry answered the door when Beauchamp knocked. In the doorway, Beauchamp, in anger, began to berate Mickelberry over his daughters' behavior. One of the daughters was in the living room, and began talking back to Beauchamp. Becoming enraged, Beauchamp threatened the daughter saying, "If you was a man I'd cut you into laces," as he brandished the knife. At that point, Mickelberry put his hand on Beauchamp's shoulder and reflexively, Beauchamp plunged the knife into Mickelberry's chest. His breast bone cracking at the force of the blade, he died almost instantly.
In a panic, Beauchamp immediately ran from the house toward the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
. There he stole a row boat and escaped. When the word got out that Beauchamp had killed George Mickelberry, a large manhunt began, searching all over Vigo County and the surrounding area, but Beauchamp was nowhere to be found. George Mickelberry's family grieved for their loss and Mickelberry was buried.
Aftermath
In the meantime, Beauchamp had fled to TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he borrowed money to open a blacksmith shop. He owed large debts and the son of one of the men who loaned him money saw the wanted poster in the local hotel that was brought down to Texas by a traveller in April 1841. Since Beauchamp had not thought to use an assumed name, it wasn't long before the lenders son and another man went looking to collect the $500 reward on the fugitive.
Beauchamp was quickly apprehended and the two men set out for a river to ship Beauchamp back to Indiana in custody. Before they made it to the river, Beauchamp broke free and overpowered one of the men. He made a run for it but was soon recaptured. Beauchamp was locked in one of the cabins on the boat as it made its way up river. Unknown to his captors, Beauchamp used the sheets of the bed to fashion a noose and tried to kill himself in the cabin, but was foiled when someone came to check on him.
In Vigo County, before Beauchamp's trial began in earnest, his lawyer got a change of venue to Parke County, since the case was so well known. His daughter-in-law's parents Sanford
Sanford Ransdell
Sanford Wesley Ransdell was an early American pioneer and soldier in the Battle of Tippecanoe. Ransdell was born in Orange County, Virginia on September 11, 1781...
and Rhoda Ransdell testified for the defense but to no avail. After a lengthy trial Beauchamp was sentenced to death on September 8, 1842.
The gallows were constructed in Rockville, Indiana
Rockville, Indiana
Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World".-Geography:...
. On the morning of December 30, 1842, Beauchamp's old friend and minister, Reverend Newport, delivered a sermon outside of Beauchamp's jail cell window. Beauchamp had his last meal, said his goodbyes to his family and friends and was taken to the gallows, where a large contingent from Vigo County waited. When he was asked if he had any last words, Beauchamp said, "Goodbye," and he was hanged.
On November 7, 1825, Beauchamp's cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
, Jereboam O. Beauchamp
Jereboam O. Beauchamp
Jereboam Orville Beauchamp was an American lawyer who murdered the Kentucky legislator Solomon P. Sharp, an event known as the Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy. In 1821, Sharp was accused of fathering the illegitimate stillborn child of a woman named Anna Cooke. Sharp denied paternity of the child, and...
, was also involved in a fatal stabbing, with parallels to Noah Beauchamp's case. Jereboam Beachamp fatally stabbed Colonel Solomon P. Sharp
Solomon P. Sharp
Solomon Porcius Sharp was attorney general of Kentucky and a member of the United States Congress and the Kentucky General Assembly. His murder at the hands of Jereboam O...
in a murder that became known as the Beauchamp–Sharp Tragedy. Jereboam Beauchamp, in an effort to defend the honor of his wife, killed Sharp in his own doorway with a knife. Just like Noah Beauchamp, this Beauchamp fled and a large manhunt took place. He was captured, tried to kill himself, was saved at the last minute, was tried and hanged.
Noah Beauchamp was a direct descendant of the Quaker Ambrose Dixon
Ambrose Dixon
Ambrose Dixon was an early American Quaker pioneer who was born in England and emigrated to the America at an early age where he lived in the Virginia Colony before moving to Maryland....
, Dixon was Beauchamp's great-great-great grandfather.