Today we made our trip home. Nolan Jr was coming home for a week so we decided to drive together. We packed up the car, I installed the bike rack and loaded the bikes. Now for the trip home!
We got an early start and beat all of the traffic. On the way down I considered stopping at the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, PA. We had been there before (and I recommend visiting it if you are in the area) so we decided to visit the grave site of my 4G Grandfather Leonard Beck.
My 6G Grandfather, Johan Heinrich (John Henry) Beck, emigrated with his family to Pennsylvania from Germany in 1740. His son, William (my 5G Grandfather), was 18 when they arrived in Pennsylvania. The Beck family started out as farmers and eventually came to own sizable plots of land in and around Lehigh township. Leonard Beck was born to William in the mid-1700's. Official records show him as entering the Revolutionary War as a PFC, and later records show him as being granted land south of Pittsburgh as a Colonel. From this area, his children further moved west into Ohio, and eventually Michigan.
We found his grave near New Stanton, PA. Someone had obviously replaced his headstone fairly recently; however his wife's (Susanna Beck nee Deeter) headstone was in pretty poor shape (but partially legible).
It was pretty cool seeing them and walking around the cemetery. We found a monument that listed "Leanard Beck" under Revolutionary War and also listed a John Beck on it (under what I suppose is Civil War). I haven't figured out who John Beck was yet...
We left to continue our trip home. The rest of the way was easy going, we stayed on back roads most of the way back to stay off of Interstates.
It was good to arrive home and sleep in our regular beds. The trip was fun, and Ileana and I enjoyed riding together. We have begun planning next year's trip. Yes, Ileana has decided she likes touring and we will do another two week trip next year!
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| Leonard Beck (4G Grandfather) site |
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| Susanna Beck (4G Grandmother) site |
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| Civil and Revolutionary War Memorial |
