[Note: Because of the complexity of this article, it will be divided into several sections as noted below.]

John Beall Last Will and Testament, 1742.

Birth:	1688 Upper Marlboro Prince George’s County Maryland, USA
Death:	1742 Prince George’s County Maryland, USA
John Beall and Verlinda Magruder Beall, his wife are buried on the old Beall Farm which now resides in Frederick County, MD. (Prince George’s county lines were moved to accommodate the newly formed Frederick County in 1748.) No tombstone for either John or Verlinda Magruder Beall exists today.John Beall, son of Alexander Beall, Jr and Elizabeth Coombes, was born in 1688 in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County, Maryland. He married in 1712, Verlinda Magruder in the same county. He died in Prince George’s, Maryland in 1742.Will Box DD No 1 page 475; also Will , Liber 1 pages 235 & 340: John’s will (Book 1,Page 340, Pr.George Co,Md.) states: To wife Verlinda, The Grist Mill on the Eastern Branch of the Potomac River called “New Dumfries” and a tract called “Lone Head .” .. To oldest son Samuel the “Charles & William”, where he now dwells and the “Benjamin” 13 9 acres… To son Josias 5 shilings having already provided for him… To son Basil 163 acre s of “Industry” to be conveyed by Andrew Hamilton, deceades adn 100 acres of “Popular Thicket ” near the Monacacy… To daughter Sarah Offutt, wife of James, 200 acres of “New Dumfries. ” … To sons John and Clement, The Mill after mothers death and tract “Black Esk” and “Chittams Addition”….Testators share of “Dispute” near Cabbin John, 223 acres to be made over to me by my brother William or his heirs and the heirs of brother Charles Beall, late of Prince George’s County to be sold to pay debts, also 370 acres of “Poplar Thickett” and 100 acres o f “Three Friends Delight.”…Legacy left to me by my father Alexander Beall to be devided among my daughter Rebecca Magruder, wife of Nathan, Basil, Lucy, John, Hanna, Verlinder and Clement Beall. Witnesses; James Pearce, John Brown, John Johnson. As this will documents, John Beall, was the son of Alexander Beall and who was wed to Elizabeth Coombes of Maryland. Children John and Verlinda Beall compiled from their wills: Samuel Beall b. 1713 Josiah Beall b. 4 May 1715 Sarah Beall b. 1717 wife of James Offutt Rebecca Beall b.1719 md. Nathan Magruder Basil Beall b. 1721 Lucy Beall, b. 1723 spinster See Lucy’s will. John Beall, b. 1726 Hannah Beall b. 1729 Verlinder Beall b. 1731 Clement Beall b. 1734 Family links: Parents: Alexander Beall (1649 – 1744) Elizabeth Coombes Beall (1650 – 1743) Spouse: Verlinder Magruder Beall (1690 – 1745) Children: Samuel Beall (1713 – 1778)* Josiah Beall (1715 – 1768)* *Calculated relationship
Burial: Zion Church Cemetery Urbana Frederick County Maryland, USA
Created by: Candee Record added: Oct 09, 2014 Find A Grave Memorial# 137011995  (1)

***

For many years, some Beall researchers believed their connection with Col. Ninian Beall was lodged through one of this sons.  Howard’s aunt, Isabel “Belle” Clark Beall (1902-1990) (2), discovered John Beall (1688-1742) as Howard’s ancestor years ago by traveling to libraries, court houses, state archives, etc. And although his book contains many errors, Fielder Magruder Beall (1913-1981) is given credit for first discovering and accurately identifying John Beall (1688-1742) through his own research.(3) However, some Beall descendants were so determined to directly connect with Col. Ninian Beall (1625-1717), they devised a number of paths to get there per the following:

(1) Some decided that Col. Ninian’s son, John Beall (1647-1720), had to be this John;

(2) Some focused on Col. Ninian’s son, Ninian Beall, Jr. (1674-1710), completely overlooking the Alexander-John connections–and they still do! Just the other day, I noticed a comment someone made on my family tree, informing me that “many people consider Ninian Beall, Jr.” the proper connection–and not John;

(3) Some people accepted Alexander Beall (1649- as John’s father and Alexander Bell, Sr. as John’s grandfather, but they decided Alexander Bell, Sr. (1625-1655) was Col. Ninian’s brother.

All of these paths lead to nowhere. Based on Scottish parish records and existing Maryland records, the Alexander Bells (1625-1655) were cousins of Col. Ninian Beall, with the direct connection to Col. Ninian routed through the Magruders.

The complex nature of this article could result in a book, something I don’t plan to tackle at this stage of the game. Therefore, I will break this article up into sections.  This piece represents Part Five–the Introduction. A list of the remaining sections follows:

Part Six–John Beall (1688-1742)–The Magruder Family

Part Seven–John Beall (1688-1742)–Colonel Ninian Beall (1625-1717)

Part Eight–John Beall (1688-1742)–The Sarah Beall Controversy

Part Nine–John Beall (1688-1742)–The Rachel Beall Controversy

Part Ten–The Family of John Beall (1688-1742) and Verlinda Magruder (1690-1745)

After Part Ten, this series will return to its regular generational pattern.

This series continues with Part Six–John Beall (1688-1742): The Magruder Family

References

(1) John Beall Find-a-Grave Memorial No. 137011995, Record added by Candee, 09 Oct 2014. Find-a-Grave.com Website. Date accessed: 20 Jan 2016. Available online at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=137011995

(2) The Research of Isabel “Belle” Clark Beall (1902-1990), North Carolina (ca 1930s-late 1950s)

(3) Beall, Fielder M. M. Colonial Families of the United States Descended from the Immigrants: Bell, Beal, Bale, Beale, Beall Family. ISBN 0788421476 (0-7884-2147-6).Softcover, Heritage Books, 2007