I am not going to debate who is William's father here. I will just present some of the conflicting information that is out there for the reader to know about. This is certainly not the entire scope of information available, but just some of the highlights presented here. I will use the spelling of Beale/Beal interchangeably in this chapter.
There have been a few possibilities shown as to the father of William. William, Arthur and Edward Beale all lived in the same area (South of the York River) of York, Maine. But when you read the York Deeds, and other records of that time, you will not find them referring to each other as being related. Arthur states that Edward is his only son though.
Joseph Beale arrived with Captain John Mason in 1631 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Beal's of Durham, Maine area will tell you that was William's father. Joseph Beale's family is listed as: Arthur, William and Abishag. William states in the York Deeds that he has a sister named, Abishag. The Town of York records were destroyed by the Indian attack of the York Massacre in January, 1692. There may have been some proof in those records, but they are gone forever.
Charles Edward Banks (History of York, Maine, two volumes) states that William is not related to the other Beale families in York. Unfortunately, Charles Banks died before the third volume was written. The third volume would have contained the genealogy of William. His notes (if they exist) on William Beale, Sr. have not been found.
Everett S. Stackpole (History of Durham, Maine with Genealogical notes) tells in his book that Joseph Beale was the father of Arthur, and Arthur had a son named William.
Walter Lindley Mower (History of the Town of Greene Androscoggin County Maine 1775-1900 with some matter extending to a later date) tells that Joseph Beale was the father of Arthur, William, and Abishag, this according to the history of Durham, Maine.
Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby and Walter Goodwin Davis (Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire) say that William is apparently related to Arthur, and is sister to Abishag.
George Thomas Little (Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, Volume 1) shows that Colonel William Beale had a son named Arthur. Arthur then had two sons named William and Arthur.
Nathaniel G. Marshall (Town clerk of York, Maine from 1875-1879) copied the town records. He added genealogical notes to the York families in these records. He says that William's father is Arthur and William's brother is Edward.
Beal Family Genealogy Papers - 14 Pages by a unknown Beal relative. A fourteen page typed document passed down through my family line. It is not known who did this work. This document has been found in other Beal families and other family lines from the Beal line. It shows that Joseph Beal had three children: Arthur, William, and Abishag.
John D. Beal, Jr. (The Real Father of Arthur Beal of York, Maine) spent years researching Arthur Beal and other Beal names in the 1970s and 1980s. He did not show any connection to William here.
There was also a William Beale of Marblehead, Massachusetts. That was just down the coast from York, Maine. William married Martha Bradstreet, and they had a son named William born about the same time of William Beale, Sr. His family is considered to be well documented, and he is not really considered to be the father of William Beale, Sr.
There was also a William Beale that sailed on the ship, Fortune that arrived in November, 1621.
William and Abishag were brought up by John Hole according to them and recorded in the York Deeds. At the same time, Joanna Crocker was also brought up by John Hole and his wife, Elizabeth. John and Elizabeth had no children of their own. William and Abishag started living with him about 1671-1675. John Hole was a wealthy man, but it appears that William and Abishag did not received any of their wealth from the Holes. John had dealings with the John Beex & Company (of London, England) along with Barbados (West Indies, possible birth place of William). Barbados was a sailing link between England and the Colonies. Colonel William Beale also had some ownership with the John Beex & Company. Other names that may take a part in this are: Richard Leader, Captain John Mason, Hutchinson family, Samuel Clarke. John Hole and Samuel Clarke were son-in-laws to Richard Leader. Richard Leader managed the Iron Works (from about 1645-1650) at Lynn, Massachusetts. William Beale of Marblehead and his third wife, Mary Hart had connections with the Ironworks through Mary's father. Richard Leader also owned the Great Works (saw mill he started about 1651) in Kittery, Maine. Captain John Mason had started a mill here at one time and had abandoned it. About 1655, he sold the Great Works to the John Beex & Company along with Colonel William Beale, Captain Thomas Alderne and Richard Hutchinson.
Other possible theories: Maybe William and Abishag were illegitimate children that ended up being brought up by the John Hole family. Or they were possibly servants for the Hole family. Maybe they were orphans because their parents died when they were young.
So with this brief information I have mentioned above, it is really hard to say positively who William's parents were. Unless there is some proof still undiscovered out there to give us more evidence in this matter.
