Capt Richard Beers was born 1 May 1607 in Gravesend, Kent, England to John Beers (1566-1638) and Mary Selby (1560-1635) and died 4 September 1675 King Philip's War of Ambush by Indians. He married Elizabeth Furman (1615-1706) 1638 in Massachusetts.
Biography
Captain Richard Beers, or Beeres, was the son of John Bere and Mary Selby and the husband of Elizabeth _____.
1635 Migration
He was a passenger on the English ship William and John, which sailed Sept 1635 from England to Massachusetts.
Watertown Founders Monument
Watertown Founders Monument
He is listed on Watertown Founders Monument, commemorating the first settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. The town was first known as Saltonstall Plantation, one of the earliest of the Massachusetts Bay Colony settlements. Founded in early 1630 by a group of settlers led by Richard Saltonstall and George Phillips, it was officially incorporated that same year. The alternate spelling "Waterton" is seen in some early documents.
He emigrated on the 'William and John' to America in 1635, and became a freeman on 16 Mar 1637 in Watertown, Massachusetts. He was an important man in Watertown, serving as selectman nearly every year from 1644 to 1675, and as representative for thirteen years.
Pequot War Veteran
He served in the Pequot War. He was also an innkeeper.
King Philip's War
He was a captain in King Philip's War, and participated in the 'Swamp Fight.' On Sept. 4, 1675, he was leading 36 mounted soldiers near Northfield when he was ambushed by 150 Indians, led by Nashaway sachem, Monoco. In the fight Capt Beers and nineteen of his soldiers were killed. Sixteen soldiers managed to escape and return to Hadley.
Also killed in the ambush were: John Genery, Ephraim Child, Benjamin Crackbone, Joseph Dickinson, William Markham, George Lycuss, John Gatchell, James Miller, John Wilson, Thomas Cornish, Jeremiah Morrell, Elisha Woodward, and James Mullard. The names of the other dead are not known.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Beers (1639-1724) | 5 December 1639 Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | 24 January 1724 Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | Isaac Stearns (1633-1676) Thomas Wheeler (1621-1704) |
| Mary Beers (1642-1677) | 10 March 1642 Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts | 13 May 1677 Marlborough, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States | Joseph Rice (1638-1711) |
| Elizabeth Beers (1642-1729) | |||
| Judith Beers (1646-1722) | |||
| Jabez Beers (1651-1717) | |||
| Elizabeth Beers (1655-1729) | |||
| Elnathan Beers (1657-1696) | |||
| Richard Beers (1659-1730) | |||
| Abigail Beers (1662-1662) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| James Beers (1594-) | 1594 England | England | Mary Selby (1580-1670) |
| Samuel Beers (1599-) | |||
| Mary Beers (1601-) | |||
| John Beers (1506-) | |||
| Richard Beers (1616-1675) | 1 May 1607 Gravesend, Kent, England | 4 September 1675 Beers Mountain, Northfield, Middlesex County, Massachusetts | Elizabeth Furman (1615-1706) |
| James Beers (1609-) | |||
Vital Records
Northfield Gravestone
Capt. Beers was buried on what is now called Beers Mountain in Northfield, MA, overlooking the Connecticut River valley, where the ambush occurred.
References
- Capt Richard Beers - FindAGrave Memorial #39677250
- Richard Beers - disambiguation