Beach, Abraham
(Sept. 9, 1740-Sept. 14, 1828). Missionary and Loyalist. Born in Cheshire, Connecticut, Beach graduated from Yale in 1747, became an Episcopalian, and studied for the ministry under Samuel Johnson. He went to England and was ordained deacon on May 17, 1767, and priest on June 14, 1767. He served as a missionary for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) at New Brunswick and Piscataway, New Jersey, 1767-1784. He was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. He did not officiate and his church was closed. From 1784 to 1811, he was assistant minister at Trinity Church, New York City, and from 1811 to 1813, he was assistant rector there. Beach was elected president of the House of Deputies at the 1801, 1804, and 1808 General Conventions. He retired to New Brunswick in 1813 and died there.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.