Ephraim BEERS

  General Notes:

What is known of Ephraim Beers is more inferential than it is factual. He did move around a lot among the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. His father moved the family from Watertown to Roxbury, Mass. about 1658 and from there to Fairfield, Ct. by 1661. Ephraim had returned to Mass. by 1675 to serve as a soldier in King Phillip's War. He may, indeed, have been a survivor of the battle at Northfield that cost the life of Capt. Richard Beers of Watertown, Mass. on 4 Sep. 1675 (See Vol. I, pg. 60) for his name was on a list of soldiers under Richard's
command dated 5 Oct. 1675, along with those of many of the men who did
perish that day in the Indian ambush. He was listed 6 Apr. 1676 as serving under the command of Capt. William Turner in the area of Hatfield, Mass. where he was later to make his home. Some of Turner's soldiers were particularly assigned to Hatfield, but Ephraim was listed under the "Hampton" soldiers, referring apparently to those serving the adjacent town of Northhampton. They were assigned to gard the towns and
protect the people living there from further Indian attacks. It seems probable that it was during his military service that he met Mary Gardner, returning there to marry her a few years later.

He was not listed among the male adult residents of Hatfield in Feb. 1678. They did make their home there from 1680 through 1686, but he is not located again until 1692 when birth records locate Ephraim and Mary in Bristol, R.I., where they continued to reside until at least 1697. Nothing is known of him after that date except that son Anthony was born about three years later at an uhknown place.

Ephraim married Mary GARDNER, daughter of Thomas GARDNER and Lucy SMITH, on 9 Sep 1680 in Hatfield, Hampshire Co, MA. (Mary GARDNER was born on 9 Apr 1648 in Roxbury, MA and died on 8 Jul 1722 in Hatfield, Hampshire Co, MA.)