Rebecca Jane Brooks 1861-1938

Rebecca was the wife of John Hiram Beckley, the protagonist of my upcoming historical fiction - “Gilded”. She was also the second oldest child of John Grace and Mary Ellen Moreland Brooks; their second daughter. She is pictured here with her daughter, Sarah “Annie” Beckley, on her lap in 1892.  

Rebecca was the splitting image of her mother, who was quite well known in the Union Township, Carroll County, Ohio farming enclave as a “socialite”; she entertained, and her parties were popular community events. John Grace Brooks, on the other hand, carried on with the vast farmlands that had been vested in him by his ancestors who were one of the first inhabitants of “Irish Ridge”. 

Rebecca was born on July 10, 1861, shortly before her father that fall was mustered in to Company G of the 15th Regiment to serve as a Private within the Infantry of the Union Army. And yet, genealogists through the years have created confusion over Rebecca’s actual date of birth. Some list the July date, but for the year 1860, whilst others give 1862 as the year of Rebecca’s birth. Careful review of the census records over the years of her life confirms that her date of birth listed on her gravestone, “1861”, is correct. 

Nearly Rebecca’s entire life was spent in Union Township, first at her childhood home, which still stands today at the intersection of Route 332 (Scio Road) and Autumn Road, and then at residences approximately two miles west on Autumn Road where she raised her own family. 

Rebecca’s siblings were, her older sister; Elizabeth, who died in 1915 of Bright’s Disease and heart failure; her younger sister, Ada Bell, who died along with her infant during childbirth in 1889; her youngest sister, Eva Gertrude, who was cared for by the Brooks family over the duration of her fifty years of life. Gertrude, though, led an active social life accompanying her mother right up to the last five years of her life. Rebecca’s only brother, Thomas William “Possum” Brooks, was twelve years her junior and was the only surviving member of her family at the time of Rebecca’s death. 

As mentioned, Rebecca married John Hiram Beckley on May 8, 1881, and removed from her family home to work and live at one of the Brooks’ extended family members’ farms; William McQueen’s. John Hiram had been working as a farmhand at “Senator” McQueen’s property, which was located on the Orange Township/Union Township boundary, for a couple of years. It was there that the Beckley family’s first three children were born; Olive Blanche (1882); Laura Belle (1885); and Mary Eveline (1887). 

In March of 1888, John Hiram and Rebecca moved on to their own parcel of land, just a tad east along Autumn Road, the former John Minor McQueen farm. It was a queer piece of land seeing how there was no road frontage to their property, but they were given easement for usage of a lane on the eastern boundary to access their log-styled farmhouse. 

Five days before the Brooks and Beckley families were to celebrate Christmas in 1890, Rebecca gave birth to her only son, who was named John Ross Beckley. In January of 1892, Sarah “Annie” was born. Then, ten years later, Rebecca, at the age of forty-one, gave birth to her last child, Ruth. 

The entire Beckley family moved directly across the road in the autumn of 1904 to what was the James McNulty farm. They retained their original farmhouse since the land was now freehold, and Rebecca refused to make the move to the larger home until it was brought up to her level of cleanliness. 

Rebecca was an active worker on their farm in addition to keeping house and raising the children. And, when her children became older, she assisted them with their budding families. A perfect example was when her son Ross and his wife, Bertha Buxton Beckley, bought the farm on the eastern boundary of the Beckley farm in 1920. Rebecca lent a helping hand to Ross and Bertha in looking after their children and guiding Bertha with what she had learned through the years of being a farmer’s wife. 

However, just before Rebecca’s 69th birthday in 1930, she experienced her first bout of heart failure. She would linger with ill health triggered by her weak heart for eight years, dying on Valentines Day in 1938. At the time of her death, Rebecca had 42 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. In her honor, six of the grandsons served as pall bearers at her funeral while six granddaughters were chosen to be flower bearers.  

Rebecca had lived a full life in her 76 years here on earth and was a treasured member of the Palermo community and the Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church on Canyon Road, which she had been a lifelong member.