Surname Saturday - Letter B

Below are my direct line surnames, beginning with the first definitely known person of each line.

Beam

• My first definite Beam was Josiah, my 4th great-grandfather.  Josiah's parents were probably John Beam and Deborah Bell.  Josiah was born in 1811 in either the US or Canada.  He married Susannah Horton and they had at least ten children.  Their daughter Di(a)dame was my ancestor.  Diadame was born in 1852 in East Zorra, Oxford, Ontario, Canada.  She married Charles S. Wood there and the family eventually settled in Rolland Twp., Isabella, Michigan.  I descend from Diadame and Charles' daughter, Marion.

Berger (also Barger)

• Carl Jakob Berger was born in 1761 in Rinnthal, Germany.  He married Catharina Kupper/Katharina Kupher in 1784.  Their son, Michael Heinrich Berger, was born in 1788 and married Elisabetha Fredricka Matz.  Carl died in 1821.  Michael and his family came to Stark Co., Ohio around 1832 and finally Marshall Co., Indiana a few years later.  The family's surname was also spelled 'Barger' at this time.  Michael and Fredricka's son, John William, was my ancestor.  John and his family settled in Oakland, Alameda, California in 1890.

Branson*

• Thomas Branson was my 7th great-grandfather.  He first appears in Springfield Twp., Burlington, New Jersey in 1703.  He married Elizabeth Day and their daughter, Sarah, was my ancestor.  Sarah married  1st Joshua Owens, and then 2nd George Shinn in 1749.  My line descends from Sarah's son, John Shinn.

Bullen*

• My 8th great-grandfather, Ephraim Bullen, was married to Grace Fairbanks.  My ancestor, their son, John Bullen, married Sarah Underwood.  John and Sarah's daughter, Grace, married Ebenezer Healy and relocated with him from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia, Canada.  I descend from Grace and Ebenezer's son, Comfort Healy.

*I spend very little time researching my pre-Revolutionary War lines.  While I welcome contact regarding these lines, I will likely have little information to offer.  Fortunately, most of these lines hail from New England and are thus well documented elsewhere, in print and online.