JOHN CLINTON BEATTY

JOHN CLINTON BEATTY
L39

Submitted by: Lois (Griffes) Kortering

From the "Oceana County History, 1880-1990, Volume II" pages 117-118

John Clinton "Clint" Beatty, my great-grandfather, was born 15 April 1854 in Bloomington, McClean County, Illinois to Anna A. (Wilcox) of Walkerton, Indiana and James Lewis Beatty, IV, who was the oldest of the seven sons, each of whom served in the Civil War, of James Lewis Beatty, III from Kentucky.

The father of James Lewis Beatty, III was James Lewis Beatty, II who was living in western Pennsylvania in 1775. The father of James Lewis Beatty, II was bon about 1750 while in quarantine, probably a "pest" house on Province Island at the mouth of the Schuykill River near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Clint's sister, Elizabeth Ann Beatty had come to Oceana County before Clint did and was married to Edward Martin Clements, the first white child (non-Native American) born in Oceana County to Olive and Chauncy Clements.

Clint and Sara Jane "Jennie" Haggerty, my great-grandmother, were married 20 July 1880. Jennie was the youngest daughter of Ellen (Googins) and Asa C. Haggerty. Ellen had died during Jennie's birth, so Jennie was raised by Olive Clements, first white woman in Oceana County, and her second husband Thomas Byrnes. The 1870 census report lists Jennie as a niece in the Byrnes household.

Picture shown of a log cabin with the caption "Clint and Jennie Beatty and their 12 children in front of their log home"

The log house was built by Clint, and most of their 12 children were born and raised there. It still stands there today (1992) on Meinert Road. The road runs from US 31 west and ends at Lake Michigan. The lot used to be in southwest Claybanks Township of Oceana County, but it is now in northwest White River Township of Muskegon County. Jennie used to tell how kind the Indians were, sheltering them until their log cabin was built.

The 12 children are: Clarence Earl Beatty, born 4 December 1880; John Clinton Beatty Jr., born 25 September 1882; Arthur Beatty, born 25 May 1885; Alice Beatty, born 24 June 1887; Edith Beatty (my maternal grandmother) born August 1889'; Ernest Beatty, born 30 March 1891; Willard Beatty, born 11 March 1892; Naomi Beatty, born 3 February 1895; Olive Beatty, born 18 May 1897; Frances "Ina May" Beatty, born 27 October 1899; Hazel Beatty, born 19 March 1901; and Asa Merle "Dick" Beatty, born 6 July 1904 and still living in August 1992.

In the early 1930's, the Beatty's moved to Battle Creek, Calhoun County, Michigan. Jennie and Clint were married for 55 years. Jennie died on 1 April 1935 at age 73, and John died 7 July 1937 at age 83. Both were buried in Reese Cemetery, Battle Creek, Michigan.

Clarence E. Beatty / HAZEL (COWLES) BEATTY

My great-uncle Clarence, born 4 December 1880, was the oldest of twelve children of Sarah Jane "Jennie" (Haggerty) and John Clinton "Clint" Beatty, who was born in the log house, built by his father in what was then Claybanks, Oceana County, and is now Meinert Park, Muskegon County.

Clarence and his first wife Cecile (Adams) had two children, Irene (Mrs. LeRoy Smith and Mrs. Proctor) and Edward Leonard King Beatty. Clarence and his second wfie, Hazel (Cowles) were married for 40 years and had two children, Richard Earl Beatty, and Marianne (Mrs. Robert M. Montgomery).

Clarence was an automobile mechanic, during which time he worked on the first Ford in Manistee, Michigan. He was also a musician and played violin, organ, and band instruments. His son Richard played the bugle in the Army and in the Baltimore Colts football band.

Clarence's granddaughter Kathryn Smith married James Clements, who was a great-great-grandson of Olive and Chauncy B. Clements, pioneers of Oceana County. Edward Martin Clements , son of Olive and Chauncy, was married to Elizabeth Ann "Lydia" (Beatty), sister of of Clarence's father Clint Beatty. Olive and her second husband Thomas Byrnes raised Clarence's mother Jennie, because her mother died when she was born, and her father was away in the Civil War.

Hazel (Cowles) Beatty taught school for 20 years in one-room schools in rural Michigan and 25 years in Grand Rapids Public Schools' special education programs. In 1950 Hazel wrote a thesis on three clinical techniques of teaching reading to mentally handicapped children. She was given an award by the Grand Rapids Public Schools and the Michigan State Parent Teachers Association for her work with mentally handicapped children. She was a Fellow in the American Association of Mentally Deficient and had writings published in that journal.

After retiring, Hazel moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where she returned to teaching. She was cited by President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford for her work in Lexington. Hazel died on 3 June 1992 and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky.

Most of the entries I have submitted in this book, were transcribed from Great-Aunt Hazel's handwritten book about the Haggerty families. My mother Olive (McDonald) Griffes Wade had helped with the research, and Hazel wanted to write about the connections between the following families: Beatty, Haggerty, Clements, Cater, Hilliard, and Beatty, many of whom were pioneers of Oceana County.