The Story Begins - Sheffield, England - 1836

Enoch Arthur Beal Sr. was born to John and Anna Beal on November 8, 1836, in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. John was a shearmaker by trade, as were a number of other Beal families of the timeperiod in Sheffield. The relationship to these other families living nearby has not been established yet, but it is believed that the trade had aleady spanned numerous generations of Beals previous to Enoch's time.

Possibly apprenticing in his youth, Enoch followed in family tradition, taking up his paternal trade as a shearmaker. On December 1, 1857, at the age of 21, Enoch took a bride - marrying 22 year old Mary Ann Wild, also of Sheffield.

At the age of 34, Enoch apparently decided that life might be more prosperous in the United States. So, in 1871 he left the United Kingdom, in search of a new place to call home -- America.

On August 28, 1871 he arrived in New York harbor on the passenger ship "Spain", with his wife Mary and his 5 children (Enoch Arthur Jr., Henrietta, Louisa, Ellan M., and John James Beal) to begin a new life.

Enoch soon found a quiet neighborhood in Meriden, CT, located near the heart of central Connecticut. In 1874, he signed a partnership agreement with two other trademen to open a shearmaking business named "Beal, Sutton and Company", making steel hardware in the area of Frary Avenue in Meriden.

On September 26, 1879 Enoch recieved his US citizenship, after a long wait of 3 years after submitting the paperwork. While the actual prosperity of his business is unknown, it appears he kept his business going and even involved his two sons up until his premature death. On March 15, 1888, in the final hours of the Great Blizzard of 1888, Enoch died of tuberculosis at the young age of 51.

Why Enoch?

Understandably, you may ask: Why, out of your entire lineage, are you focusing largely on Enoch?

Answer: Simply put -- He was the first American citizen in my family. He began the line of Beals that spawned four generations of my family who have lived in the United States.

But please remember -- This site is for ALL things Beal, not just Enoch. He is the pivotal individual in MY family, but possibly not yours and CERTAINLY NOT EVERY Beal. Beals have been in the United States for almost four centuries (as far back as the early 1600s to my knowledge) before my ancestors ever came here. This site is for information on them as well.

So, are we related? In the list below are the surname of my ancestors that I am currently researching which have connections to the Beal family in some way:

Beal (Primary Research - Enoch A. Beal - of Sheffield, England b.11/8/1836 - d. 3/15/1888 in Meriden, CT, USA)
Schewe
Punshon
Shemald
Wild

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