Meeting Clive Killick, a distant cousin (maybe 10th)
By Jim Beck
My wife, Barb, and I flew to England the evening of July 9, 2005. The primary purpose was to attend a conference and present a research paper at Cambridge University. Two other objectives were to meet some distant cousins, one at the beginning of the stay and the other at the end. In the meantime, a wonderful week was spent with our son, Doug, and his family near Oxford and in London.
It was fitting that we met John Marfleet first. He is my 4th cousin, and is related to my great-great- grandmother Elizabeth Sarah Marfleet (1789 to 1867). His ancestor, Benjamin Marfleet, was a brother of Elizabeth. John and Marie Marfleet visited PEI several times and he is the one who found the link to the mother of Vere (1.)my great-great-grandfather. Vere’s mother was Martha Lucy Killick, born in 1756.
At the end of our stay in London, Barb and I met a member of the Killick family for the first time, 
namely, Clive Killick, the Honorary Secretary of the Killick Society. We spent several hours discussing the Killick and Beck families. He thought that we were either 9th, 10th or 11th cousins. We also exchanged CD’s, each containing a great deal of information. (If anyone is interested in getting a copy of the Killick CD, a copy can be provided at a nominal cost for reproduction and shipping.)
There has been a story in the family that Vere Beck was a coachman for the Lord Mayor of London, who was Elizabeth Sarah Marfleet’s father. That is doubtful but there was the hint of some money in the family. A will that Clive Killick showed us indicates that there was money in the Killick branch of the family. Martha Lucy’s father, Samuel Killick, had nine children: Charles, Martha Lucy, Samuel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Samuel, John, and Samuel Philip. (Several of these may have died young.) Samuel Killick must have had a prosperous bricklaying business because his will, dated 9th Feb. 1800, stated the following:
To Charles Killick £20 (20 English pounds), scaffolding and building materials in my yard at Mitcham;
To Samuel Philip Killick £725 in Annuities;
To Samuel Philip Killick, Martha Lucy Beck and Elizabeth Rose £625 Old South Sea Annuities, £60 in New South Sea Annuities, £1000 in the 3% Consols, £125 in the 3% reduced, £200 on Bonds together with all Notes of Hand, Bills and money due to me; also all money due to me from the bricklaying business, to be equally divided between them.
To my daughter Martha Lucy Berk (Sic) No. 3 and No. 4, being two more of the said six houses purchased of Mr. Bennett and Alderman Brown – to be divided between her heirs – but as my granddaughter Lydia is married, I do devise that her husband Isaac Bull shall have no part in this bequest.
To my daughter Elizabeth Rose No. 5 and No.6.
To Samuel Philip Killick and Martha Lucy Berk (Sic), jointly the lease of my dwelling house, but the field to Samuel Philip.
To Samuel Philip and Martha Lucy all my household goods, plate, linen, china etc. in my dwelling, to be equally divided.
A couple of comments about the will. First, British pounds were worth a great deal more then than the present value (about £1 to $2US). Indeed there was a considerable amount of money in the family at one time! However, Vere might not have gotten much of it since he and his family left for Canada in 1813. Second, the name of Beck is actually mentioned and spelled correctly once but is incorrectly given as Berk three times, perhaps because of poor hand writing. Third, it appears possible that we have now learned about a sibling of Vere’s, Lydia who was married to Isaac Bull.
ROBERTS FAMILY PHOTO
In our April issue we carried a story about Vere Beck Roberts being buried in a small Mullin family burial plot in Queens County, New Brunswick. We wondered what his connection was to the Mullin family and who his widow, Ada, was. We didn't get answers to those questions, but the story did lead to some additional information on the Roberts family.
Ian Black and his family came from Britain a few months ago and bought a former Roberts family home in Moose River. Seeking to learn more about the family he ran a search on the Internet that led him to the Vere Beck Roberts item in The Beck Bulletin.
Ian contacted me with a picture of the Benjamin Roberts family (1.2,8.) he found in the house and wondered if there might be any connection between Benjamin and Vere. The two were brothers, both grandsons of Vere Beck.
The picture was taken about 1899 and includes 11 of Benjamin's children. The twelfth child, Mary Edna, was not born until 1903, according to a written list Mrs. Black found in the house. The picture includes Peter Roberts, husband of Martha Lucy Beck (1.2,), who died more than 30 years earlier. Here is the picture with the names of the individuals.
RAILWAY HISTORY BEING RESTORED
Murray Harbour is digging up its railway history with the idea of possibly turning it into a tourist attraction. The rail line was completed to Murray Harbour 100 years ago and the trains started running on September 26, 1905. The Murray Harbour Waterfront Development Committee is planning a major celebration this fall to mark the anniversary.
The project co-ordinator, Jill Harris, is enthusiastic about the possibilities. Murray Harbour was the end of the line, and along with a railway station there was a round-about to turn the engines and a shed large enough to house three locomotives. Jill says the Development Committee has already erected a replica of the shed and is building a gazebo as an observation deck to overlook the water. They are also conducting an archaeological dig seeking artifacts from the days of rail.
"Some of the original lines are quite visible on the landscape and we've just peeled back a layer of soil to find some interesting things," Scott Buchanan, the on-site director for the dig, told Steve Sharratt of The Guardian. Buchanan's crew of student volunteers equipped with small trowels and whisks have uncovered glass, old nails, and bits and pieces of train lore still to be identified.
Jill says the Development Committee is interested in defining the original location and extent of archaeological remains from the roundhouse and turntable for developing interpretive content and routing an interpretive trail through the railyard.
It was a 48 mile trip to Charlottetown with 21 stops along the way, including seven flag stops in which the train only stopped if a flag was hung at a station.
PREPARING FOR AN EMERGENCY
North American airwaves were humming with activity in late June as amateur radio operators staged a continent-wide Field Day. The exercise was held the weekend of June 25, 26th, running from 3 PM Saturday to 3 PM Sunday. Both the Charlottetown and Summerside Amateur Radio Clubs took part. The Charlottetown group set up their equipment in Uigg and Alan Beck of Alliston (1.11.8.3.4.1.) was one of the participants.
Alan has been involved in the hobby since he was 13 years old and living in Roxboro, Quebec. He started learning Morse Code in 1974-75 and by 1976 he had a rig of his own and was on the air. Thirty years later he still enjoys it and describes himself as, "an avid Morse operator."
Alan says he enjoys pushing the limits of Ham Radio. "Low power is a specialty I enjoy, typically in the field at a park with 1.5 to 4 watts output power in Morse. I also enjoy all the digital modes, basically forms of Radio Teletype. Rarely is there a microphone hooked to my Shortwave set."
The June Field Day gave Alan plenty of opportunity to practice his morse code. He said that about 20 hams took part in the Uigg group and some of them camped right there for the entire period. For personal reasons he wasn't able to do that. The hams practice their skills so that they can jump in case regular communications are knocked out during natural or man-made disasters.
"We had fun, chatted a lot and operated the modes we enjoy," Alan said, "and I think next year we will include some teletype modes."
For Alan, ham radio is a family affair. His wife, Bev, is involved too and her call sign is VY2BB and Alan's is VY2WU.
PLAYING ON HOME ICE
Danny Stewart is going to be playing hockey at home next season. The P.E.I. Rocket of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League selected Danny (1.4.6.5,1.2A,2.1.) in a deal with the Rimouski Oceanic in June. The Oceanic had a great season last year, finishing second to London, Ont. in the Memorial Cup, emblematic of Junior Hockey supremacy in Canada. Danny had 23 goals and 29 assists for 52 points in the 70 game regular season and added another 14 points in the playoffs.
The Murray Harbour native said he was glad to be back on the Island and is looking forward to playing in Charlottetown. He said he expects a lot of his friends and relatives from the Murray Harbour area will be attending the games.
As a 20-year-old this will be his last year in Junior Hockey. Since this is his fifth year in the League, Danny says he'll lead by example and try to help the younger players whenever he can. He was a draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2003 and he's looking forward to a good season in 2005-2006 and hoping for a contract with the Canadiens organization next year.
NEW CHURCH OPENED
It was a dream come true for the United Baptist 
congregation in Kingsboro, P.E.I. on Sunday, June 26th, when they held the official opening of their new church. The 8,000 square-foot building replaces their old church that was built in 1903. It has twice the seating capacity of the old building and more than 350 people attended the opening service conducted by their minister, Alan Beck.(1.4.3A.3.1.3.) The church was built in 7 months at a cost of $550,000 and a lot of volunteer labour.
"It certainly would never have come together this quickly without the hard work
of a lot of volunteers," Alan told Mary-Ellen Godfrey of The Eastern Graphic.
"We've been very blessed."
The old church was no longer able to accommodate the congregation and at first it was decided to build an addition. Then they started thinking about a new church and work got underway last fall.
A head carpenter was hired along with two helpers and all the electrical and plumbing was handled by professionals. But volunteers supplied the basic labour. They handled painting, shingling, and things of that nature and some days there would be more than 20 of them on the job.
"This is a project that easily could have cost us well over a million dollars," Alan said. "But the support of the community and the congregation has been overwhelming."
In addition to the main sanctuary, the new building has five Sunday school rooms, a large youth room, a complete kitchen, and it's equipped with a modern sound system, and a computerized power-point system for illustrated lectures.
Alan is also the minister at the Christian Church in nearby South Lake.
PLAYING IN THE BIG LEAGUES
When Jill Harris of Murray Harbour (1.4.6.5,3.1.) bought tickets 
to see The Chieftains perform in Charlottetown, the last thing she expected was to become part of the show. The outdoor concert was held in downtown Charlottetown Sunday evening, July 17, and was The Chieftains only performance in Canada this summer.
With a career that spans 42 years, the Irish band is credited with establishing the international appeal of Celtic music. Jill has been a fan for many years and credits them with sparking her interest in taking up the harp.
Problems developed when the band arrived in Charlottetown without some of their equipment including their harp. Concert organizers mentioned that Jill had a harp and the harpist, Triona Marshall, called to see if they could borrow or rent it for the performance.
"There was not a moments hesitation," said Jill, who quickly packed up her harp and headed to Charlottetown. Triona played Jill's harp through most of the concert. But for the closing number, Jill was called to the stage to play. "I was shaking with excitement," she said.
The tune selected was "Shebeg Sheemore" by Turlough O'Carolan, a blind 18th century Irish harpist and composer. Jill happened to be very familiar with both the artist and the music.
Remarking on her opportunity to play with The Chieftains, Jill mused, "Who would ever believe the impossible would happen?"
THESIS SHEDS LIGHT ON REASONS FOR FRENCH IMMERSION DROPOUTS
Norman Beck of Charlottetown (1.4.3B,7.3.6.) recently successfully defended his Masters Thesis in Education. Norman took a year's sabbatical leave from his teaching position at Birchwood School for the 2002-03 school year. He completed the required courses and collected data for the research, which he finished in June, 2003.
Norman then began a new job as Vice-Principal at Stonepark Intermediate and started work on his Thesis.
His topic was "attrition" or the reasons why students drop out of Late French Immersion (LFI).
"French Immersion, and (LFI) in particular is a very popular program on P.E.I," Norman said. "The research was very timely for local interests including the Dept. of Education, The Eastern School District, and Canadian Parents for French."
There has been very little research done on attrition at the intermediate level anywhere in Canada or the United States and it was the first of its kind in P.E.I. Most of the research has been done at the primary and secondary levels.
Norman said the main reasons he found for dropping out of French Immersion were:
- Difficulty with French language comprehension;
- A desire to be with their friends in the regular English program;
- A belief that they would achieve better results academically in the regular English program.
"One difference that I found in my study that wasn't found in other studies was a very definitive perception that these students felt that they were "different" from most of the other students in the program, and because of that, felt they didn't belong and thus sought to leave the program," Norman said.
DEATHS
BUCHANAN: Angus Preston Buchanan of Mount Buchanan died in the Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague on Saturday, July 30, 2005.
He is survived by his wife, Sally (Penny) (1.4.1,1,5A.1,) two daughters, Bev of Mount Buchanan, and Yolanda (Walter) Morrison, Pinnette, and a grandson, Cassidy.
The funeral service will be held in Ferguson's Funeral Home Chapel on August 2, 2005 with interment in the Polly Cemetery in Mount Buchanan.
HERRING: Grace Lillian Herring (1.5,4.2B.10,) died at the Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague on Monday, July 4, 2005 at the age of 90. A native of Murray Harbour, she was the daughter of Reuben and Elizabeth Penny. She was predeceased by her husband, Marvin Gordon Herring.
She is survived by sons Carl (Pauline) of Charlottetown, and Blair (Velma) of Moncton, N.B. She has four grandchildren, William, Edward, Valerie and Kathy, and two great grandchildren, Brodie and Taylor MacBeath. The funeral service was held at the Church of Christ in Murray Harbour on July 7th, with interment in the Murray Harbour Cemetery.
MACLEOD: Ernest M. MacLeod of Dartmouth, N.S. died Monday, June 27, 2005, in hospital in Halifax at the age of 74. Born December 22, 1930, at Murray River, P.E.I., he was the youngest son of the late Ernest and Jenny Belle (MacLean) MacLeod.
He is survived by his wife, Olga (Beck) (1.6B.5.2.7,) a son, Loyn (Cathy) daughters Donna (Peter) Studley, Marsha (Allan) Dares, and Sheila (Ron) Bourque, a brother John (Helen), and a sister Lavinia. Other survivors include grandchildren Johnathan, Cheryl, Michael, Kimberley, Andrew, Jeffrey, Alyssa, Robert and Ashley, and two great-grandchildren Meagan and Jocelyn.
After retiring from the Royal Canadian Armed Forces, he drove a taxi for several years. His hobbies included gardening, playing cards and caring for the neighbourhood playground. He was cremated and his ashes taken home to Murray River for burial with a graveside service on Saturday, July 2nd.
MACPHERSON: Martin MacPherson, 84, died in Chilliwack, B.C., on June 25, 2005.
He is survived by his wife, Muriel, a son Kimble, a daughter, Geraldine, 10 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.
A native of Kinross, P.E.I., he was predeceased by his first wife, Jenny (Beck) (1.4.2.3.11,) and a daughter, Shirley Saunders (1.4.2.3.11,3,).
GUERNSEY GATHERING
There's a different type of reunion planned for Prince Edward Island in 2006. It's called the Guernsey Reunion and it's aimed at all the families who came from the Island of Guernsey in 1806. The three-day gathering takes place July 14, 15, and 16. It includes families who arrived in Prince Edward Island aboard the ship, Neptune. Family names include Machon, Taudvin, Marquand, Phillips, Roberts, DeJersey, LeLacheur, Richards, Falle, Nicolle, Brehaut and possibly others. They are the people for whom Guernsey Cove was named.
Activities on July 14 will be held on the Charlottetown waterfront where the Neptune first docked. This will be followed by various tours of the city and a visit to the theatre in the evening for those so inclined.
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On Saturday, July 15th, the action moves to the Northumberland Arena in Murray River.
There will be guided bus tours throughout the day to Cape Bear, Guernsey Cove and White Sands with stops at certain cemeteries and old farmsteads. The various families will set up table displays and Kathie Sencabaugh will be available to help people trace their roots with her extensive database of the area. There will be a barbecue in the evening followed by entertainment hosted by Gordon Belsher of Guernsey Cove.
The reunion will continue on Sunday with service at the Murray Harbour United Church at 11 am. The Murray Harbour Community Center will be open all afternoon for groups to get together and pursue various subjects of interest to them.
You can keep an eye on developments by checking their website at http://www.lelacheur.com/reunion
STREAMLINING THE LEAGUE
The Maritime Junior A Hockey League is starting to shape up under the direction of its new chairman of the board of governors. Rory Beck, governor of the Charlottetown Abbies, recently took over as League chairman, and was very pleased with the outcome of the annual general meeting held in Moncton in June.
Rory (1.4.3B.7.3.5.) said they went into the meeting knowing that changes were needed. "To the delight of everyone, we emerged with our structure in order and we all walked away knowing that we had conducted the best, most productive set of meetings the MJAHL has seen in years."
The League clearly defined the roles and expectations of all of its governing bodies beginning with the president, Vernon Doyle.
"I believe our president now has a much clearer idea of what his mandate encompasses and what we expect of him," Rory said.
Other changes include the formation of a general managers committee to handle "on-ice" issues while the Board of Governors will deal with the business of the League.
Rory admits that it will be a major challenge to achieve the changes he has in mind, but he feels it can be done.
"The goal is to have the organization operate in a more consistently professional manner while continuing to work on developing its image and marketing," he said.
A DAY IN BEAUTIFUL BRUGES
By Peter Murdoch and Janice MacPherson Murdoch (1.6A.4,6.1,1.1)
Located in Belgium, near the North Sea coast, Bruges is a lovely city that has been nicknamed "The Venice of the North".
When you see the charming cobbled streets, medieval buildings and many canals, it's obvious why Bruges has become a popular tourist destination.
Founded over 2000 years ago on the river Reie, Bruges began as a Gallic-Roman settlement. It is believed that the Romans had a military fortification here in the 3rd century. The Vikings established a landing stage or "brygghia" in the 9th century; over the years, the sea played an important role in the growth of the city.
The Grote Markt, or Market Square, was the commercial centre of Bruges and today is the perfect spot to relax at a café and people-watch. At 83 metres, the Belfry rises dramatically above the city; it was built in 1240 for the storage of important documents and to serve as a watchtower. A carillon of 47 bells rings out at regular intervals. The Market is home to the Provincial Court, Government Palace, and many reconstructed guild houses.
A visit to Bruges wouldn't be complete without a boat tour. Cruising along the rei (canal) is a great way to enjoy the sights -- old churches topped by soaring spires, beautifully restored houses with interesting stepped façades, and of course the elegant shops selling Belgian lace, tapestry and chocolates. The charm and character of Bruges will certainly entice us back!
VANDALISM PROBLEMS IN MONTAGUE
Businesses in Montague are complaining of problems with vandals. The Montague Credit Union estimates it will cost more than $10,000 to repair two signs that were spray painted recently. The manager, Bryan Haley, said the signs are made of unbreakable material and when rocks didn't do the trick the vandals resorted to spray paint.
Jock Beck, (1.4.3B.7.2.2.) general manager of the Montague Waterfront Development Corporation, said it's a frustrating and expensive problem. Recent vandalism on the waterfront will cost the Corporation more than $2,000.
Jock said, "In early spring, the Old Train Station on the Montague waterfront was vandalized." About a dozen panes of glass were broken and damage to two coach lamps will cost a $1,000 each to repair. Some of the electrical service in the gazebo was destroyed as well. Last fall, crude language was carved in the benches along the waterfront. Jock said he feels that a few young people are responsible for the problem. He said they have no respect for public property and so the damage is an on-going expense for the Waterfront Corporation.
Sergeant Richard Thibeault of the RCMP said officers are aware of on-going vandalism in the Montague area. But it's hard to get the necessary evidence to lay charges.
There will be an increased police presence in Montague this summer. About a dozen auxiliary constables have completed their training and will be working weekends with the Montague RCMP Detachment officers.
The Vere Beck Family Home Page
The Marfleet Home Page
We're always looking for news of Beck family members. If you know of any interesting events drop me a line with the information. imunn@accesswave.ca
That's it for this edition .. please share it with relatives who aren't on line. The next edition will be out on October 1, 2005.