BECK, John Seitz (1868 - 1951)
From Gauss and his Children
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Biography
John Seitz Beck was born 19 Jun 1868 in Pottsville, PA. In the 1870 census he is 3 and in the 1880 census he is 11. In 1891 John married Lucinda Lilly Shissler. In 1900 he is still living in Pottsvill but is residing with his great uncle George Hoffman. John and Lucinda have been married for 9 years and they have 3 children. John is working as a printer. By 1910 the family has moved to Norwalk, CT and the 4th child has been born. John is now a foreman in a printing office. By 1920 the family has again moved, this time to Washington, DC and the 5th and final child has been born. John is working in the Government Printing Office. He retired from the Government Printing Office in the 1930s. John had a lifelong interest in family history and spent the years of his retirement researching and writing a family history that is over 800 pages.
Some of the most interesting stories about the family are the ones that stem from their summers of camping. This involved loading up horses and wagons with virtually all of the family possessions and setting up camp usually on some farmer's property for the summer. There are many pictures of this, some on glass negatives. The men in the family would walk to work every morning and the women and children would stay in the camp. There are pictures of birthday parties, theatre around the evening campfires, swimming in the stream, raising the flag, playing musical instruments, playing checkers and other games, the men shaving, the dolls and other toys. It is interesting to note that this tradition was carried on by one of John's daughters - Adelaide Kennedy Beck had 4 children. Adelaide lived in Washington, DC and worked for the Department of Agriculture. She and her second husband, Raymond Abbott Palmer, would set up camp on an island in the Potomac River. Every morning, the maid would arrive at the island by row boat. Adelaide and her husband, would take the boat back to Washington, DC and go to their jobs leaving the children and the maid on the island to while away the summer days. In the evening, Adelaide and Ray would row back to the island so the maid could take the boat and go home.
Isaac Pitman Beck's bible (1869) shows that John died at 1815 Jackson St., Washington, DC from an abscess of the liver. He was cremated and buried MAR 1951 at Lincoln Memorial Park in Washington, DC.
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