William Beattie / Beatty

William, also known as Bill, was born William Beatty on or around 18 Jan 1874 in Gowlan, near Stonepark, to George Beatty, a farmer from Clough Kilcommock and his wife Jane (née Wilson) originally from Ballycloughan. He had a number of siblings including Isabella (b.1872) and Clarah/Clara (b. 1882).

His New York Times obituary states that Bill entered the British Army at a young age, likely c.18, and served for a time in India. However, by c1895 he had left the British Army and left for the United States, settling in New York State, settling in Cooperstown by 1898 where he worked for G.M. Grant & Co grocers, eventually purchasing it with William P. Doubleday, before joining US Hoffman Machinery in 1920 as a sales manager. 

Bill married Linda Waite Davidson on the 7 June 1904

Bill was also initially the Director of the Alfred Corning Clark Gymnasium in Cooperstown. He became the first curator of the National Baseball Museum on its opening in 1939, which marked the centenary of the founation of baseball. He was also an active member of a number of local organisations, charities and fraternal societies. 

He became the Curator for the National Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Link to Civil Record of Birth (ensure web address ends in .pdf); Centennial of Cooperstown, with photo of Bill; New York Times obituary 10 Sep 1942; Funeral notice, Press and Sun Bulletin, 11 Sep 1942;