Beckley article by Karen Cuccinello

Rebecca H. (Maynard) Beckley
By Karen Cuccinello

This beautiful photo is housed at the Stamford Village Library history room. I only found one little news clip mentioning Rebecca and a very short obituary.
Rebecca was born 1828, probably in Stamford, to Samuel Brooks and Mary (Judson) Maynard. She married William Redfield Beckley September 1846. William was born June 24,1820 in Connecticut to Moses W. and Mary (Cornwell) Beckley and settled in Stamford in 1844. Rebecca and William had three children: Freemont 1848-1852, Mary Frances “Fannie” (Mrs. William Riseley) 1854- 1922 and William “Willie” Maynard 1867- 1901. In 1856 they had a home at about 121 Main Street.
Her husband, who played a major role in the growth of Stamford, was very industrious. William was a harness-maker, blacksmith, speculator, ran a tannery, erected and sold buildings, was one of the first to erect business blocks, was a merchant of clothing, grocery, dry goods, and also started a stage route. I highly suspect that Rebecca would have been involved with some of Williams enterprises.
June 17, 1884 Stamford Mirror- Wm. Riseley and wife, of Shandaken, paid Mr. and Mrs. Beckley a visit.
Rebecca Beckley died March 10, 1900 in Manhattan, age 72. Her son William of NYC accompanied the remains of his mother back to Stamford. Her obituary mentioned that the largely attended funeral was held at her brother J.W. Maynard’s house and that she was a woman of endearing qualities and had been a great sufferer. William predeceased her in 1897. Both are buried in the Stamford Cemetery.
The other photo is of Frances Preston Beckley (1898- 1980) and Elizabeth “Betty” M. Kling (1914-1976). Frances was the granddaughter of Rebecca, the only child of William M. and Cornelia Laraway (Preston) Beckley and married Lewis Wisner Sutherland. After William’s death in 1901 Cornelia married Harold George Kling in 1912 and had one child, Elizabeth, who married Richard Albert Brand.