Pioneers of Ellis County Jereboam Downing Beauchamp Contributed by Charles L. Beauchamp Great-Great-Grandson of J. D. Beauchamp See Photo Gallery for pictures   Jeroboam D. Beauchamp was born on the 21st day of November 1842, three miles west of Shelbyville,Texas. His parents were Jeroboam R. Beauchamp and Mary Ann Lindsey. J. D.'s father was born in 1804 in Washington County, Ky., and came to Texas in 1831 with two brothers, John and Thomas D. John was a soldier in the Texas War for Independence at the Battle of San Jacinto. Thomas was a delegate to the Convention of 1832 from the Snow River District, now Tyler County. Jerry's father was an early pioneer settler in the Tenaha District now known as Shelby County. He obtained several Republic of Texas land grants in 1838. The Beauchamp farm was located three miles west of Shelbyville and all of J. D.'s siblings were born there. Jerry's father was a stockraiser and is listed on the 1837 tax roll as owning 70 head of cattle and seven town lots. He served several terms as Justice of the Peace from 1843-1847. Shelby County was embroiled in the famous feud known as the Regulator-Moderator War, the first battle being fought on the Beauchamp farm. The Regulators seized the farm and built a stockage with lumber Beauchamp had purchased for the construction of a new home. In the 1850s Jerry's father began setting his sights westward for land more suitable for keeping livestock and in 1855 purchased land in Ellis County. He was in the process of developing this land to relocate his family when his untimely passing occurred on March 24, 1848. He is buried in the Old Shelbyville Cemetery. In a diary kept by J. D., he mentions that he was in Ellis County in 1856 maintaining the ranch thatr his father had purchased. By 1860 the Beauchamps had moved from Shelby to Ellis County, Mary Ann Lindsey Beauchamp being the head of the family. J. D. joined the first company organized in Ellis County by Captain W. J. Stokes, and on Sept. 11, 1861 joined the Twelfth Texas Cavalry organized by Col. W. H. Parsons. He served with distinction during the four years of the Civil War and received his discharge May 23, 1865. A personal account of his service was published in "Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray" by Miss Mamie Yeary. He stated, "I was in Co. H., 12th Texas Cavalry, Parsons Brigade, Trans-Mississippi Dept. My first Captain was named W. J. Stokes and my first Colonel was W. H. Parsons. Was in the battles of Cotton Plant, Arkansas, Linguila,Arkansas, and all the battles from Mansfield to the mouth of the Red River. The last battle was at Yellow Bayou with Banks army. I was never wounded nor taken prisoner. I was by the side of our Second Lieutenant McDonald when he was killed at Searcy Lane, Arkansas on the 19th day of May 1862. Our brigade was in many small battles in Arkansas and Louisiana. We followed Banks' army from Pleasant Hill to the mouth of the Red River." On May 5, 1868 he married Miss Ada Adelaid A. Tharp, the daughter of Rev. Thomas G. A. Tharp. Their children were: Jerry D. Jr., George Tharp, Annie Adelaid, Joseph Raleigh, Luti Bell, Bonnie, Ron Session, Dixon Lindsey, Alba Laura, Ruthie B., James Verne and Willie Farris Beauchamp. J. D. was involved in the mercantile business in the town of Burnham. He was a founding trustee of the First Methodist church in Burnham. When the H & T. C. Railroad bypassed Burnham, the town of Ennis was founded and J. D. was an Alderman on the first City Council. He and his father-in-law, Rev. Thomas Tharp, were the proprietors of Ennis House Hotel, which at that time was the closest first class accommodation nearest the depot. J. D. and his brothers were cattlemen in Ellis County and drove cattle on the Chisolm Trail when that was profitable. J. D. lived most of his life around Ennis and always looked forward to meeting confederate Veterans at the many reunions he attended in his later years. J. D. Beauchamp died Nov. 9, 1825 at his home on North Kaufman Street and is buried in the Myrtle Cemetery [in Ennis]. J. D. is descended through Edmond Beauchamp, the immigrant ancestor who came to America in 1665 and who is recognized as one of the twelve founders of theEastern Shore of Maryland. Edmond's father, John Beauchamp, merchant of London, was a financier of the Mayflower Company. This branch of the Beauchamps can be traced back to the Earls of Warwick and William The Conqueror, Hugh De Beauchamp being in the train of The Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings A. D. 1066.   Copyright © 2000-2016, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Monday, 10-Sep-2018 10:23:11 MDT