Beckingham Emigration and Immigration

Emigration / Immigration

There are many Beckinghams (and variations on spelling) scattered across the world with large numbers in the United States of America, Canada and Australia in particular. The name is also to be found in New Zealand and South Africa and no doubt many other countries.

If you know of a branch or twig of the name elsewhere, please let me know. My e-mail link is at the foot of the column on the left. I will attempt to set the following records out in chronological order, again if you know of others, please tell me, thank you.

Two of the earliest Beckinghams to cross the Atlantic to the Americas (as they were then known), were brothers, John and William Beckingham, who sailed as servants to Joseph Richards on the "Amity" which arrived at Upland, Pennsylvania on the 3rd or 8th August 1682 (it depends on which web site you look at). However, I have seen the names written as Buckingham, and their master, Joseph Richards and his wife Jane came from Newland, Witney in Oxfordshire where the Buckingham name is more prevalent than Beckingham.

However, there was a slightly earlier Beckingham in Virginia; Robert who we believe came from Salisbury in Wiltshire as his will, proved in 1675, refers to his home parish and known siblings. Robert was born circa 1630 but we do not know of any children born to him. Robert can be found in the pdf and gedcom on the Salisbury Pedigree page. Records show that Robert was in Virginia around 1669.

Now the following are events in my database, and I will happily try and connect you to one of them if you think that you might tie in -

1721 - A William Beckingham aged 19 arrived in Maryland, being bound apprentice to Ambrose Cock for a term of five years. I do not know what became of William and his family apart from the fact that he married Elizabeth Piper in Maryland in 1726 and they had a son, Charles in 1727. William's English roots go back to a John Beckingham marrying a Mary Carter in Bayford, Hertfordshire in 1637.

Before 1816 - to Canada - a Thomas Beckingham of Hampshire, England is in Prince Edward Island and starting a complete line of Beckinghams there. These link to the Great Hidden Pedigree.

1837 - to Australia - convict Richard Lyons Beckingham, serving 7 years. He was transported on "The Asia" on 4th August 1837 and arrived in Australia on 3rd December. He was granted his pardon in 1844 but after that time we have no record of him. Where did he go then?

1848 - to USA - the US 1850 census for Hamilton, Ohio shows a Benjamin Beckingham, a 28 year old born in England, a shoemaker, his wife Thomasina, a son William born in 1846 in England and a daughter, Sarah, born in Ohio in 1849, from which we can deduce that they arrived in the USA around 1848. But I can find no English record of them, yet, nor is there any obvious sign of the family in later US censuses. Was this a mispelling of Buckingham?

1849 - to New South Wales, Australia - brothers Shadrach and Simon (or Seymour) Beckingham and their respective families set out from Overton in Wiltshire and arrived at Port Jackson, NSW on 8th June 1849. Their ship was "The Emigrant" which initially sailed from London and called at Plymouth in March 1849. There are many present day Australians who can claim descent from these two brothers. Another family from the Great Hidden Pedigree starting their dynasty.

1854 - to Victoria, Australia - William Beckingham born 1839 at St Lukes, Middlesex. His parents George and Mercy (nee West) also emigrated although I do not have any date, but George died at Prahran, Victoria in 1868. Victoria records show that George was originally from Hampshire, but in 1851 he and Mercy were with their son, William, in the parish of St George in the East, London.

1860 - to New South Wales, Australia on "The Chance" - Frances and John Beckenham of East Hanney in Berkshire. She was 16 and he only 14. Again, many of the Australian Beckenhams can claim descent and a link to the Blewbury/Sutton Pedigree from this family.

In the 1860's, 1870's, 1880's and 1890's many arrived in the USA from Ireland. I have some details of their families but tracing them back into Ireland is proving difficult.

1862 - to Victoria, BC, Canada - there is a G Beckingham listed as a passenger on "The Cyclone" sailing from London. I believe that this is another George Beckingham who married a French girl, Adele Lachanne, and had three sons and a daughter. George was stated to be both a gentleman and commercial traveller, but originally he went to the goldfields of the Cariboo. He is also is seen to be re- entering the US on later occasions. George was part of the London/Newcastle Pedigree.

1863 - to Timaru, New Zealand - Honeyborn Beckingham and family. His son, James Edward, had arrived there in 1860 and Honeyborn and his wife, Sarah, went in 1863. His son George and family, along with his unmarried sister Ann are also shown as passengers on "The Lancashire Witch" sailing from London on 4th July 1863 and arriving at Lyttleton and Timaru on 13th October. Honeyborn's descendants are in New Zealand, the UK and the USA today.

1866 - to New Brunswick, Canada - George William Beckingham was an English soldier and married Maria Perrin in St John, New Brunswick in 1867. George originally came from Brentford in Middlesex and was from the Great Hidden Pedigree.

1869 - to New York - after her husband, James Robert Beckingham, died in 1863, the widow Elizabeth Beckingham (nee Fancy) with her youngest three sons sailed from Liverpool on "The City of Paris" and arrived in New York on 26th April 1869. According to the 1900 US census, her eldest son, Joseph, originally entered the US in 1869 as well, but he is shown as arriving at New York from Spain on the 8th January 1874 on the "City of Brooklyn". This family group has descendants in and around New York today and are from the Great Hidden Pedigree.

1870 - to New York - Charles Henry Beckingham, his wife Susanna and two sons arrived from London on "The New World". Charles then is noted as travelling in and out of New York until 1875 when he came back to stay. The family settled in the New Jersey area. I feel sure that there are more family members than I currently have notes for. Charles was part of the London/Newcastle Pedigree.

1871 - to Canada - Edward Beckingham, from Middlesex, with wife Anne (Lewington) and three children. Edward and Anne settled in Ontario but some of the family moved to New York. This family are from the Great Hidden line.

1874 - to Port Lyttleton, New Zealand - on "The Cashmere", as John Beckingham, 19, but actually Eli Beckingham from Clench Common in Wiltshire, who then moved onto Sydney, NSW in 1877 where he married and still has descendants. Eli and his descendants are from the Savernake Pedigree.

1874 - to Illinois, USA - Another Savernake Pedigree family - Thomas Aymer and his wife Mary Jane (nee Beckingham) emigrated on 20th October and settled in Christian County, Illinois. They originated from Easton Royal, Wiltshire and another family from there, the Mills, also went to Christian County. Mary Jane's sister, Elizabeth also emigrated and may be the 'Emily' Beckingham who arrived on the "SS Egypt" on 28th January 1879 from Liverpool.

1903 - to Victoria, BC, Canada - Charles Henry Beckingham from Southgate, London. He married Annie Deakins in 1911 and they settled in Victoria, BC. This Charles was also a part of the London/Newcastle Pedigree.

1908 - to Ellis Island, New York - Benjamin James Beckingham was born in Hampshire on 14th October 1882 and travelled to New York on "The Luisitania", leaving on 3rd October 1908 and arriving six days later. He is shown as a waiter at this time although in later US censuses, he becomes known as James, and is a butler. He is from the Great Hidden pedigree.

1911 - to Western Australia - Another Savernake Pedigree family - Alfred Eli Beckingham from North Savernake, Wiltshire. He arrived on 14th April 1911 on "The Orontes", and his wife and family followed in 1914. There are many descendants in Western Australia today.

1911 - to Ellis Island - a Blewbury/Sutton family - William Beckenham with his wife and two children arrived on 17th May on "The Carmania" out of Liverpool. William had been through Ellis Island previously in 1906 and on the same vessel. I note that his wife and their surviving daughter passed through Ellis Island again on 4th February 1915, William was not with them so perhaps he had not returned to England when they did.

1913 - to Montreal, Canada - another Blewbury/Sutton family - Harry Beckingham and his wife Sarah left Folkestone in Kent and sailed from Liverpool on "The SS Canada" to Portland, Maine, arriving in April 1913, before travelling on to Montreal. Harry/Henry had previously entered Canada as a 22 year old unmarried carpenter in 1911.

1913 - to Canada - Another Savernake Pedigree family - Frederick Thomas Beckingham of Wiltshire. Frederick enlisted in the Canadian Army on 20th September 1914 and fought in France and Belgium where he was gassed. He was back in Wiltshire to marry in 1916 and in 1923, he and his family went to Western Australia on "The Sophia Cles".

1921 to 1923 - to Canada and New York - Frederick Thomas, (see above note), was one of seven children and his brother, Edward Ernest went to Canada around 1921 but returned. Edward Ernest's son, Albert Vincent did stay out there and I am in contact with his descendants.
Another brother, George Ernest travelled from Glasgow to New York on "The Columbia" arriving at Ellis Island on 13th June 1921, his wife joined him in Virginia in 1923. George Ernest's own son, George Eli, initially arrived at Ellis Island from Liverpool on "The Cameronia" on 21st May 1921; he too entered Ellis Island on several occasions, lastly when his wife joined him in 1923.

1940's to 1960's - Many Beckingham families went to parts of Australia, some to Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, and I am in contact with several of their descendants today. There were other families who still chose Canada and the USA.

Finally, there were also soldiers who were posted abroad who settled there permanently, an example is John Beckingham of Hampshire who remained in Canada, having been posted to Halifax in 1839. He is part of the Great Hidden pedigree.

Please contact me if you think that you may connect to some of the names shown here, or if you feel that I have incorrect or incomplete information.

The Beckingham One-Name Study