Jonathan Beale, Sr. was born on March 22, 1737 in York, Maine. He was the son of Elizabeth (Benson) and William Beale, Jr.
Jonathan is the ancestor that may have been the person that dropped the "e" off of the Beale name with the birth of his children whose names appear in the records as "Beal".
Jonathan served during the French and Indian Wars. He served under Captain Thomas Bragdon on the Fort Halifax expedition from May 24 to June 12, 1755. Fort Halifax was the most northerly English post along the Kennebec River near present day Winslow, Maine, to protect English settlements from the French and Indian attacks. In 1758, Jonathan was again called into military service. Under the command of Colonel Jedediah Preble and Captain James Gowen, Jonathan (rank of Private) along with other members of York fought against the French and Indians. Jonathan's unit was presumably at the disastrous defeat at Fort Ticonderoga (present day State of New York) in July of 1758. His military records also show that he served from April 13, 1759 to November 18, 1759. His unit was presumably at the final victory against the French at Quebec, Canada in September, 1759. Soon afterwards a treaty for peace was made between the English and the French, thus ending the French Wars in the New England area.
Military service would call upon Jonathan again when the Revolutionary War began. Jonathan served with the American Navy. He served on the Brigantine Freedom under the command of Captain John Clouston from August 18, 1777 to March 11, 1778. He next served on the Brigantine Tyrannicide under the command of Captain Allen Hallet from February 22, 1779 to April 30, 1779.
Jonathan married Mary Joy on October 31, 1760 at Berwick, Maine. Mary was the daughter of Thomas Joy. She was born about 1740 in Berwick, Maine. They had the following children (all born in Maine):
i Jonna, b August 20, 1761
ii Sarah, b December 31, 1762
iii Mary, b November 17, 1764
iv Jonathan Jr., b January 13, 1767 in Bath, Maine
v Patience, b April 29, 1769 in Durham, Maine
vi Elizabeth, b October 22, 1770 in Durham, Maine
vii Samuel, b January 30, 1773 in Durham, Maine
viii Lydia, b April 16, 1775 in Durham, Maine
ix William, b January 31, 1778
x Thomas, b August 10, 1780 in Durham, Maine
xi Mary/Molly, b November 29, 1781
Jonathan grew up in York, Maine. He also lived at Bath and Georgetown, Maine probably after the French & Indian Wars ended, after 1759. He next settled at Durham (originally called Royalsborough), Maine about 1773. He was living on the east end of Lot 61. There was a dispute between the Pejepscot Proprietors and the first settlers involving "clouded title" of ownership of the land. Many settlers were squatters - settled on the land without right or title, or they settled on public land to gain title to it. Massachusetts passed the "Betterment Act" in 1798 so that the settlers could obtain title to the land if they made paid a fixed price for the farm land they were living on. After the land was surveyed a report was submitted to the Massachusetts Governor on July 12, 1804. Jonathan's name appears on this list for ownership of Lot 61, showing he owned 100 acres of land at a value of $132.80.
About 1773, Jonathan started a ferry service across the Androscoggin River. This was known as Beal's Landing and Ferry, that operated at the east end of Lot 61 to Lisbon Falls on the opposite side of the river. The ferry continued till 1818, when two bridges were built at South West Bend and at Little River.
Today, an old abandoned dirt road over a stone bridge still leads the way to the Beal's Landing and Ferry site in Durham. With a second growth of trees and vegetation grown, old tree stumps can see be seen in and along the road, which is the width of a wagon. A road was built about 1773 to connect Lots 78-62 with another major road in the area. This is still a dirt road today, but it is named Cedar Pond Road. Lot 61 has been subdivided over the years. Located to the rear of 212 Cedar Pond Road is a dirt road that leads to the old stone bridge and then the road seams to vanish into the forest. But if you look closely, you can still see the dirt road location and it will lead you to the Beal's Landing and Ferry site. There are some old cellar holes, where houses also probably once stood are near the ferry site.
Jonathan shows up in the very first United States Census taken in 1790 as living in Durham, Maine. Later Jonathan and his son William moved to Monmouth, Maine where he died about 1825. It is not known when Mary died. It is not known where Mary and Jonathan are buried.
***See "Maine Families in 1790" book series, Volume 6 (pages 11-14) for a more in depth genealogy on Jonathan Beale, Sr. and his family.
