US Senator James Burnie Beck

[L23]

Trying to trace birth and parentage of US Senator James Burnie Beck

He was born in Dumfriesshire on 13 February 1822. 

He immigrated to the United States in 1838 and lived in Wyoming, later moving to Lexington in Kentucky.  He graduated in 1843 at Transylvania University in Lexington and was a lawyer.  He was later a Democrat politician and served from 1867 to 1875. He was a US Senator in Kentucky from 1877 to 1890.

He had a brother William Burnie Beck and a sister Helen Beck.

He married Jane Augusta Washington Thornton who was a grandniece of President George Washington

He died on 3 May 1890 in Washington DC.

Any help or information appreciated.  Thanks!!!

[Jopeg]

Hello

A belated but hopefully helpful reply.

James Burnie Beck was son of Ebenezer Paterson Beck and Sophia Burnie. Ebenezer was brother to my direct ancestor Mary Beck and their parents were John Beck and Janet McCunn/McKune, they also had a sister Agnes.

One day I googled Mary Beck and William Swan (her husband) and up popped this article about their son James Swan and how he was cousin to Senator James Burnie Beck, from that I found the connection to Ebenezer and my Mary.

http://otools1.wkfinetools.com/edgeT/SwanJames/history/swanJ-history1.asp

Hope this is helpful to someone if not the original poster.