John BEARD and wife Sophia MORE married November 20, 1818, in Campbell County, Kentucky. The bondsman for their marriage was Samuel W. MORRISON (relationship not known, likely a professional bondsman and not family).

By 1820, John and Sophia were living in Adams County, Ohio. By 1830, they were in Harrison Township, Darke County, Ohio.

In 1835, they were living in Adams Township, Darke County, Ohio, when John sold his Ohio farm to a German Baptist Brethren woman named Christina Koutz. He had bought the land in 1820.

John and Sophia moved to Carroll County, Indiana, with seven children. The eldest was 12 years old; the youngest was an infant. (Another two children were born in Carroll County.) Sophia's brothers Samuel and Eli and her sister Sarah (who married Alexander Murphy) also moved to Carroll County.

According to family stories, during the transition months before John moved his family to Indiana, there were times when John would walk from Darke County, Ohio, to Carroll County, Indiana. It was a distance of about 150 miles. At night, he would find a tree to climb to sleep in, to stay safe from nighttime animals.

John and Sophia settled in Pyrmont, Carroll Co., Indiana, along the Wild Cat Creek. In 1835, John rented land, and in 1836 he bought the land that became the pioneer farm. It had to be cleared; it was not so swampy as other land in that area. John built a barn from the wood of black-walnut trees; until at least 1968, the barn was still standing. He erected a log house for the family. Sophia had a loom house where she would spin flax into yarn to then weave into cloth; the loom house had been built over a small stream so she could keep her flax wet as she was spinning. Sophia was skilled with a needle; one of her quilts is on display at the Historical Museum in Delphi, Indiana, in the basement of the court house.

In 1839 a log school house was built on the farm of John Beard. It was located on the east side of what is now U.S. Highway 421, near the road which goes to Pyrmont. The cabin was erected "expressly for the purpose [of being a school] by the settlers whose children attended the school." The site of that cabin school was "very near the site of the district school [which in 1882 was] known as the Beard Schoolhouse." [from History of Carroll County, published in 1882 and found at the Rossville, Indiana, library] Several such small school houses were built on different people's property during that era. They were known as "subscription" schools and were "sustained by a tuition fee paid by the parents whose children attended them."

For church services, "When a Methodist minister came, the adherents of that form of doctrine met at the house of Samuel Moore (Sophia's brother) or John Beard, where worship was conducted."

John supported the family by farming and by operating the still owned by Alexander Murphy (husband to Sophia's sister Sarah). During that time it was cheaper to turn the corn into whiskey and transport the whiskey, than to keep the corn as corn and transport corn for sale.

John died in 1854 and was buried in what is now known as Beard Cemetery in Owasco, Clay Township, Carroll County, Indiana, north of Rossville, east of the road that runs between Rossville and Delphi, south of Wild Cat Creek, near where the railroad tracks once crossed Wild Cat Creek. The cemetery has only about 84 burials and is in the woods, behind a corn field. The graveyard is shaped like a shoe box and is entered from from one of the narrow ends of the "shoebox," at the left side of that end. There are concrete pillars, about five feet high and a foot in diameter. (They were formed by some of John and Sophia's descedents who poored cement into a mold made with corrugated steel.) At the entrance end of the "shoebox," there are three concrete pillars. The two outer ones mark two corners of the cemetery; the third one -- perhaps 12 feet to the right of the left corner -- is at the gate entrance.

John Beard's stone is near the stone of his son John M. Beard. John-the-son's stone has fallen over; his large granite stone reads, "John M. Beard, Lydia his wife, Rachel his wife." John-the-son's stone is on the right, long side of the cemetery, in about the middle of that long side. Facing John-the-son's stone, John-the-father's stone is to the left about three steps. It was lying flat on the ground in autumn 1997. It is a white, flat stone, aged from the elements, but readable still in 1997:

In memory of JOHN BEARD,
Died Sept. 23, 1854.
Aged 59 yrs 10 mo & 2 dys.
These are those which
came out of great tribulations
and have washed their robes
and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7, Ch 14

In 1997, the stone was in one piece, lying on the ground. By October 2008, the stone was broken. Photo of stone is HERE.

Sophia More (Mrs. John Beard), about 1870

AHNENTAFEL CHART FOR SOPHIA
=========================================
1st GENERATION
1.) Sophia MORE: b 1 Dec 1801 Monongalia Co., VA; d 1879 Sherman, Grayson Co., TX.
--------------------------------------------------------------
2nd GENERATION
2.) John MORE II: b 1772 VA; d 13 Jun 1841 Ohio.
3.) Sarah T. GANDY: b 28 Jun 1778 Frederick Co., MD (a Quaker).
--------------------------------------------------------------
3rd GENERATION
4.) John MORE I: b 1714 Germany; d 1744 America.
5.) Sophiah CAKE: b NJ.
6.) Samuel GANDY: b 1745 England; m 9 Jan 1776 Hagerstown, Washington Co., MD; d 1828 Gladesville, Preston, WV; bur Old Gandy Cemetery, Gladesville, Preston, WV (a Quaker).
7.) Rachel COMBS: b 1752 Hagerstown, Washington, MD; d 12 Jul 1830 Gladesville, Preston, WV; bur Old Gandy Cemetery, Gladesville, Preston, WV.

There has been a persistent family rumor that John Beard was of native American (i.e., AmerIndian) descent. Despite years of research by excellent researchers, no proof has been found to substantiate that claim. In the mid-1940s, someone who descended from one of Sophia More's siblings put together a self-published genealogy. Within that small genealogy was the oft-repeated claim that John Beard "was part Indian." There was no proof offered. The person writing the genealogy did not descend from John Beard, and there were many obvious errors in the genealogy.

Ancestral composition analysis of this researcher (AMB) via autosomal testing by three companies showed absolutely no native American ancestry.

The closest that this researcher has found to anything that might argue that John Beard might have had some vague native American connection was that the Iroquois word "Owasco" was used correctly in an area where he and his children were of influence. To read about Owasco and the meaning of that Iroquois word, click here: Owasco, Indiana.

Also, despite years of research, John Beard remains unattached to any relative other than his descendants and his wife's family. The only exception is a Y-DNA connection between John Beard and Martin Beard who married Lynda COX in Maury County, Tennessee, on February 24, 1814. It was match at 12 markers, but the Martin Beard descendant tested only to 12 markers. A 12-marker Y-DNA match says that the two men shared a male-line ancestor at some time in the distant past. However, their relationship is not known, and their common ancestor may have been remote.

The DNA Kit Number for the descendant of Martin Beard of Tennessee is 200188. The sample is from Adrian L. Beard, who died only days before a match was found for his DNA.

DESCENDANTS of
John BEARD and Sophia MORE
Males proven by DNA to carry the same Y-DNA are in red, bold face, and full names in capital letters. Males expected (but not yet proven) to carry the same Y-DNA are in red, but not bold face, and only last name is in capital letters. Y-DNA tests have been done on three of John's descendants -- two descending from his son John M. (one through John M.'s grandson Marvin Earl, the other through John M.'s grandson George Irvin), and one descending from his son Alexander. Autosomal DNA tests have been done by others, thus proving relationships for other descendants.
NOTE 1: Living descendants are not included, with the exception of the notation "living male" for male descendants who are known or expected to be carrying the same Y-DNA. The information is included specifically for someone interested in Y-DNA testing.
NOTE 2: Following standard genealogy practices, descendants of females are not included beyond one change of surname.

1-- JOHN BEARD (1794-1854)
.sp-Sophia MORE (1801-1879)
....2-- JOHN M. BEARD (1823-1904)
........3-- Calvin BEARD (1848-1848)
........3-- Amanda J. BEARD (1849-1850)
........3-- Marvin BEARD (1852-1853)
........3-- Diantha BEARD (1853-1853)
........3-- Hulda BEARD (1854-1859)
........3-- Franklin Kara BEARD (1859-1937)
............4-- Elga M. BEARD (1889-1978)
................5-- Maurice CRIPE (1914-2002)
............4-- Ward James BEARD (1891-1967)
................5-- Lois BEARD (1920-1920)
............4-- Rachel Fern BEARD (1895-1986)
................5-- Kathryn SWARTZ (1918-1993)
........3-- Dora Viola BEARD (1861-1885)
............4-- Guy DeWitt CLAUSER (1885-1970)
................5-- Alvin C. CLAUSER (1908-1991)
................5-- Caroline Anne CLAUSER (1909-1977)
................5-- Mary Lou CLAUSER (1915-1999)
........3-- CHARLEY BEARD (1862-1955)
............4-- LLOYD DeWITT BEARD (1890-1961)
................5-- DWIGHT BEARD (1916-1995)
.....................6-- LIVING MALE
..........................7-- living male
.....................6-- living male
..........................7-- living male
.....................6-- living male
........3-- JESSE BEARD (1867-1939)
............4-- John Moore BEARD (1891-1979)
............4-- MARVIN EARL BEARD (1893-1972)
................5-- Russell Edward BEARD (1915-2006)
................5-- Glen Earl "Dutch" BEARD (1917-1947)
.....................6-- living male
..........................7-- living male
..........................7-- living male
.....................6-- living male
..........................7-- living male
..........................7-- living male
..........................7-- living male
..........................7-- living male
................5-- Roberta Fern BEARD (1920-2003)
................5-- ROBERT JESSE BEARD (1920-2010)
.....................6-- living male
..........................7-- living male
.....................6-- LIVING MALE
..........................7-- living male
............4-- GEORGE IRVIN BEARD (1897-1965)
................5-- MILES GRIFFITH BEARD (1918-2006)
.....................6-- living male
.....................6-- male, last known alive in 1996.
..........................7-- male; did not carry BEARD surname; fate unknown.
.....................6-- living male
..........................7-- living male
................5-- Max Irvin BEARD (1920-1988)
.....................6-- living male
................5-- Bruce Williard BEARD (1921-1990)
.....................6-- living male
.....................6-- living male
..........................7-- living male
............4-- Edith Eve BEARD (1902-1978)
....2-- Sarah BEARD (1825-1912)
........3-- Sylvester NICE (1844-1915)
........3-- Elizabeth Rachel NICE (1846-1893)
........3-- John E. NICE (1848-1929)
........3-- Philander NICE (1850-1924)
........3-- Martha J. NICE (1852-1879)
........3-- Amanda NICE (1857-1949)
........3-- William R. NICE (1861-1943)
........3-- George Franklin NICE (1865-1888)
....2-- Permilla Ann BEARD (1826-bef 1850)
........3-- Alexander Y. WELDEY (1842-1909)
........3-- Moses WELDEY (1843-1921)
....2-- Mary Jane BEARD (1827-1868)
........3-- Henry Clay MOONEY (1850-1905)
........3-- Eli Shelby MOONEY (1856-1863)
........3-- Flora Bell MOONEY (1861-1863)
....2-- Rachel BEARD (1829-1854)
........3-- Josephine ST. JOHN (1854-1869)
....2-- WILLIAM ANDREW BEARD (1832-1909)
........3-- James Arden BEARD (1855-)
........3-- Ardella Jane BEARD (1858-)
............4-- May YARNELL (1878-1941)
............4-- Mark Garfield YARNELL (1880-1956)
............4-- Earl P. YARNELL (1881-1939)
............4-- Elijah W. YARNELL (1883-1906)
............4-- Clark Sheridan YARNELL (1887-1960)
............4-- Adolph S. YARHELL (1888-1915)
........3-- Alva BEARD (1861-)
........3-- Harriet Roena BEARD (1864-1907)
........3-- Edith Augusta BEARD (1868-1947)
........3-- Bertha Louise BEARD (1873-1955)
............4-- Myrle Elsie HENDERSHOT (1906-1988)
........3-- Jessie Gertrude BEARD (1880-)
........3-- Aaron John BEARD (1882-)
........3-- Josephine BEARD (1884-)
........3-- Loyd BEARD (1886-1927)
............4-- Ernest Edward BEARD (1905-1963)
............4-- James Leonard BEARD (1907-1970)
............4-- Edgar William BEARD (1911-1968)
............4-- Clema Bessie BEARD (1913-2001)
............4-- Theo C. BEARD (1916-1980)
............4-- Homer Lee BEARD (1918-1986)
............4-- Norman Eugene BEARD (1922-1929)
............4-- Ina Lorene BEARD (1924-2004)
........3-- William Ray BEARD (1892-1954)
............4-- Verla Mae BEARD (1914-2010)
............4-- William Robert BEARD (1918-2009)
............4-- Nora Edna BEARD (1922-1988)
............4-- Ted Eugene BEARD (1924-1988)
............4-- Imogene Dorothia BEARD 1927-1997)
........3-- Eli Edward BEARD (1894-1979)
....2-- ELI BEARD (1835-1925)
........3-- Sophia Elizabeth BEARD (1859-1937)
........3-- Minerva Jane BEARD (1862-1865)
........3-- John L. BEARD (1864-1945)
............4-- Walter BEARD (1892-1969)
............4-- Clarence BEARD (1893-1973)
........3-- EDWARD THEODORE BEARD (1867-1947)
............4-- MILLARD EDWARD BEARD (1897-1981)
................5-- Edward Lee BEARD (1921-1993)
................5-- RUSSELL A. BEARD (1922-2004)
.....................6-- LIVING MALE
.....................6-- living male
.....................6-- living male
................5-- John Thomas BEARD (1930-2008)
................5-- living male
................5-- living male
............4-- Russell Chester BEARD (1901-1987)
................5-- Bernard BEARD (1924-1999)
................5-- Russell Chester BEARD, Jr. (1925-2006)
................5-- Virginia Ruth BEARD (1927)
............4-- Ruth BEARD (1904-2000)
........3-- David O. BEARD (1874-1951)
........3-- Florence BEARD (1876-1905)
....2-- Jemima BEARD (1838-1903)
........3-- Emily Alice BATES (1859-1868)
........3-- Sanford Eldridge BATES (1861-1861)
........3-- Adam Willard BATES (1862-1927)
....2-- ALEXANDER BEARD (1840-1928)
........3-- WILLIAM FRANCIS BEARD (1865-1943)
............4-- William Olan BEARD (1894-1964)
............4-- FLOYD MORTEN BEARD (1896-1971)
................5-- RAYMOND PEARCE BEARD (1920-2005)
.....................6-- LIVING MALE
............4-- Sidney Johnson BEARD (1896 -1957)
............4-- McCa Foster "Meck" BEARD (1898-1950)
............4-- Maude M. BEARD (1903-1959)
............4-- Roy Taylor BEARD (1910-1983)
............4-- Woodrow BEARD (1914-1962)
............4-- Marie Louise BEARD (1917-1990)
........3-- Laura BEARD (1868-1953)
........3-- Maud BEARD (1873-1955)
........3-- Josephine BEARD (1874-1914)
........3-- Perry A. BEARD (1878-1954)
........3-- Alton (or Allen) Clifton BEARD (1883-1965)
............4-- Virgil Leo BEARD (1915-1998)
............4-- Imogene Ona BEARD (1918-1997)
............4-- Roy Clifton BEARD (1920-1994)
............4-- Eva May BEARD (1922-2009)
............4-- Henry Lowe BEARD (1925-1925)
............4-- Odessa Faye BEARD (1927-2013)
............4-- Artie E. BEARD (1930-)
............4-- Mary Gladys BEARD (1933-2014)
............4-- James Leon BEARD (1937-)
............4-- Dora N. BEARD (1939-)

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