General Notes

WAS A PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON AND RESIDED IN N.Y. AND FLATBUSH, LONG IS. A
ND OCCASIONALLY ON HIS ESTATES ON THE MILLSTONE RIVER, N.J.. IN 1685 HE W
AS JUSTICE OF KINGS CO., N.Y.. HE WAS CAPTAIN OF MILITIA AT FLATBUSH IN 16
81, AND IN 1689 HE TOOK THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE AND WAS APPOINTED MAJ
OR OF ALL THE HORSE AND FOOT IN KINGS CO. AS APPEARS BY HIS MILITARY COMMI
SSION PUBLISHED IN "HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS OF N.Y.", VOL. XXXVI., P. 14
2. IN 1690 AND 1691 HE WAS A MEMBER OF LEISLER'S COUNCIL. HE DID NOT THORO
UGHLY AGREE WITH LEISLER IN POLITICS AND WHEN LEISLER'S CONDUCT CAUSED DIS
TURBANCES, DR. BEEKMAN PREPARED AND DELIVERED AN ADDRESS IN PACIFICATI
ON OF THE PEOPLE. WHEN COL. SLOUGHTER
CAME HERE AS DEPUTY GOV. IN 1691, TO SUCCEED DEPUTY GOV. NICHOLSON, WHO
SE GOVERNMEN AFTER THE ACCESSION OF WILLIAM OF ORANGE HAD BEEN OVERTHRO
WN BY LEISLER, DR. BEEKMAN WAS ARRESTED WITH LEISLER AND OTHERS AND WAS SE
VENTEEN MONTHS IN PRISION, BUT AFTERWARDS PARDONED. THE UNFORTUNATE PATRI
OT LEISLER WAS HANGED. GOV. BENJAMIN FLETCHER WHO SUCCEEDED COL. SLOUGHT
ER WAS IN TURN SUCCEEDED BY GOV. BELLOMONT. IN 1700 DR. BEEKMAN WAS APPOIN
TED LT, COL. AND THEN COL. UNDER RICHARD COOTE, EARL OF BELLOMONT. THE SA
ME DOCUMENTARY HISTORY
OF N.Y. HAS UNDER THE HEADING "PROVINCE OF N.Y." THE FOLLOWING CURIOUS ENT
RY:
"LIST OF YE PRESENT OFFICERS OF YE MILITIA IN HIS MA'TYS PROVINCE OF NEW Y
ORK IN AMERICA COMMISSIONED BY HIS EXCEL. RICH;D EARLE OF BELLOMONT CAP
T. GENERALL & GOV'R IN CHEIF IN & OVER HIS MA'TYS SAID PROVINCE &C VIZ:
" OF YE REGIMENT OF MILITIA IN KING'S COUNTY ON YE SAID ISLAND
STEPHEN CORTLANDT-COLONEL GERARDUS BEEKMAN-LIEUT. COL. } FIELD OFFICERS"
CORN. VAN BRUNT MAJ'R "OF YE FOOT COMPA IN YE TOWN OF NEW UYTREYT
JOHN VAN DYKE CAP'T JOOST VAN BRUNT LIEUT MATYS SMAKE ENSIGNE"
IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE HERE THAT LT. COL. GERARDUS BEEKMAN AND CAPT. JO
HN VAN DYKE MENTIONED ABOVE WERE ANCESTORS AND THAT THE EARL OF BELLOMO
NT WAS OF THE SAME FAMILY COLLATERALLY AS THAT OF HIS WIFE, NORA HAMILT
ON COOTE AITKEN.
AFTER THE DEATH OF THE EARL OF BELLOMONT, WHICH OCCURED 3-5-1701, THE KI
NG APPOINTED AS HIS SUCCESSOR, LORD CORNBURY, WHO BEGAN HIS ADMINISTRATI
ON ON THE 3RD OF MAY, 1702 ASSISTED BY A COUNCIL, CONSISTING OF THE FOLLOW
ING MEMBERS:
WILLIAM ATWOOD, WILLIAM SMITH, PETER SCHUYLER, ABRAHAM DE PEYSTER, SAMU
EL STAATS, ROBERT WALTERS, THOMAS WEAVER, SAMPSON SHELTON BROUGHTON, WOLFG
ANG WILLIAM ROMAR, WILLIAM LAWRENCE, GERARDUS BEEKMAN, AND RIP VAN DAM. MA
NY OF THEM ANCESTORS MENTIONED. IT IS QUITE REMARKABLE THAT THROUGHOUT T
HE DISTURBING POLITICS OF THE TIME COL. BEEKMAN WAS POPULAR WITH THE PEOP
LE AND YET RECEIVED IMPORTANT OFFICES AT THE HAND OF SEVERAL COLONIAL GOVE
RNORS. IN 1709 LORD LOVELACE, THE GOV., DIED AND LT. GOV. INGOLDSBY BECA
ME GOV, BUT WAS IMMEDIATLY
SUCCEEDED BY COL. BEEKMAN, WHO WAS APPOINTED TO FILL THE OFFICE UNTILL GO
V. ROBERT HUNTER ARRIVED IN N.Y. IN JUNE, 1710, WHEN COL. BEEKMAN BECAME P
RESIDENT OF HIS COUNCIL, RETAINING THE POSITION UNTILL HIS DEATH.
BESIDES HIS ESTATES IN FLATBUSH, COL. BEEKMAN HAD THREE LARGE FARMS IN N.Y
.. ONE FARM EXTENDED FOR TWO MILES ALONG THE RARITAN RIVER AND CONTAINED 1
800 ACRES. IT WAS HELD JOINTLY WITH LAFORD PATERSON OF FLATBUSH AND DE
ED OF CONVEYANCE TO THEM FROM WILLIAM DOCKRA AND REBECCA HIS WIFE, BEARI
NG DATE 2-2-1702, AND RECORDED IN BOOK I. OF DEEDS, P. 429, AT TRENTON, N.
J., STATES THAT THE CONSIDERATION WAS L 366. ANOTHER FARM OF 4000 ACR
ES IN SOMERSET CO. N.J., WAS PURCHASED 2-20-2702, OF RIP VAN DAM, ATTORN
EY FOR THOMAS HART OF ENG., ONE OF THE TWENTY-FOUR PROPRIETORS OF EAST JER
SEY, AND THE RECORD OF IT IS FOUND IN BOOK C OF DEEDS. ANOTHER FARM OF 6
08 ACRES WAS ON THE MILLSTONE RIVER, N.J., AND IS DESCRIBED IN BOOK A UND
ER DATE 10-28-1708. HIS SONS CHRISTOPHER, ADRIAN, AND DR. WILLIAM BEEKM
AN WERE OWNERS OF LARGE TRACTS OF
THESE LANDS.