O my brother, how lovely and pleasant thou hast been to me! Thou hast forsaken all that was near and dear to thee in this world to follow the Lamb both by sea and land. Thou didst obey the heavenly voice, and preferred the Lord’s work before thy own. Thou hast gone to and fro in many parts of the earth to sound forth the trumpet of the Lord, and hast been able to speak a word in due season. It was thy delight to meditate on the law of the Lord. Ah, my brother, what shall I say in remembrance of thee? Surely I may lament the loss of such a friend; although I have no cause to mourn that thou art laid in the silent grave, yet livingly speaketh in the hearts of man. Oh, the many deep baptisms, trials, and exercises thou hast gone through with much meekness and patience! Thou didst improve thy talents (as if thou knewest how short thy time should be) unto the praise of Him that first did raise thy mind from earthly things to heavenly. Thou hast been a valiant soldier in the holy warfare, to promote the honour and glory of God; so, after many hard labours and travails for the promotion of truth, thou hast ended thy days in a distant land, where I believe thou hast gone to everlasting rest and peace, with glory crowned, amongst saints and angels forever blest. Oh that the Lord would be pleased to raise up many more such faithful laborers in his vineyards!   

          Now we are left behind; let it be our daily care to keep down in humility, in patience and self-denial, in reverence and holy fear before the Lord, that, when this short and uncertain time here is at an end, we may be thought worthy of an inheritance amongst the sanctified, where we may sing praises forevermore. So saith one that wisheth well to all mankind.

                                   Margaret Beals

                                   4th of the 2nd Mo., 1773

            The records of Center Monthly Meeting of Friends show that John Beals died 4th Mo. 17, 1796, in his eightieth year, and was buried at New Garden. Margaret Beals died the same year and was buried with her husband.

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   A remarkable account related by John Beals a little before his death to a friend at the close of a religious opportunity in the family to the following: Impor’t having had a fit of sickness but then on the recovery tho’ very weak he desired his family one evening to retire to rest sooner than usual all despisation to sleep being taken away his wife lying beside him on a sudden the door of his room opening a person drew to his bed side clothed in white raiment and bade him to arise and follow him which he did they went out of the room together and ascended up through the air and was brought by his guide to a heaven and placed before the great being who was seated on a bright throne of glory and his guide disappeared the divine being looking upon him enquired how he came there tho which he replied that a person in white raiment came to him and conducted him to this glorious place he bade him to take him and show him the glory of the saints which when he beheld his heart was overcome with joy and he was desirious of remaining there forever but was informed that he must go back again to the world and remain for two days and a half and if he spent his time in faithfulness he should return at the accomplishment thereof and have his inheritance amounge the saints whom he beheld forever. Then he said to the guide take him where he may have a fragrant smell. He was accordingly conducted to a place where a door opened out of which came the most delightful odour he had ever before experienced and he was soon filled there with and afterwards brought bak by his guide to his chamber and the bed where he lay and remarked that his fragrant smell remained in his nostrells for many days and that he recovered very fast afterwards from his sickness and apprehended it might not be long till the season was accomplished when even the two days and a half which was alotted and if preserved to the end he trusted what he had seen would be fulfilled.

      One of Margaret Beals’ writings has also been preserved. It was published in 1858 in Memoirs of William and Nathan Hunt . It is Margaret’s testimony to the memory of her younger brother, William Hunt, a minister who died on a visit to England in 1772. It has the sing-song quality in which the old Quakers customarily preached.