Mercy Beebe

William Beebe apparently chose not to follow the strict Puritan rules of dating while courting his first wife Mercy Prentice. From the 1687 Minutes of Cases in the New London County Court[1] is listed: Complaint being made to this court by John Prentice against William Beebe for keeping company with his daughter, Mercy and endeavoring to gain her affections in order to effectuate a marriage without acquainting her parents, which is contrary to law. The said William Beebe is ordered to pay a fine to the County Treasurer of 5 Pounds." Five Pounds was a considerable amount of money in those days.

In 1712, William Beebe became a charter member of the Sabbatarian Baptist Church of Hopkinton, Rhode Island. Mercy died about two years later during an epidemic which swept through the town shortly after Samuel Beebe was born. It is fairly well known that Samuel was her child as well as Mary Beebe, who was born in 1688. *Note: They had one other child which was not mentioned in this note. Her name was Lydia Beebe and she was born in 1689, in New London, New London, Connecticut. It must have been some time after her birth when Mercy, contracted the epidemic that spread through town and Mercy did not recover as it is noted that she died on December 17, 1689. Information for William's three wives and his children is vague and information for his daughter's named Mary, possibly three of them is worse.

3children of William Beebe and Mercy Prentice were:

1. Joseph Beebe, b. 1686, d. date unknown.
2. +Samuel Beebe, b. 11 Sep 1687, New London, CT935, d. 07 Oct 1783, New London, CT
3. Mary Beebe, b. 1688 . (1st of the name) .

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https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Beebe-414