CHAPTER I
THE EARLY YEARS

ere Beck was born on Tuesday, August 19, 1783, in Cray-
\ | ford, England, a small town in Kent County, about 15
miles south of London.

The summer of 1783 was an interesting time in British history as
there was a lull in the ongoing conflicts that the country had been
involved in for many years. The American War of Independence was
winding down; the fighting was over and the treaty was about to be
signed. So on the eve of Vere'’s birth there was peace in the land, and
there was fire in the sky.

On the evening of August 18 a shooting star was seen in Brit-
ain, France and Italy just after dark. It was so large and bright that
it was recorded in history as “the Great Meteor of 1783.” There were
many witnesses to the event that happened at 9:15 on a clear, dry
evening. The meteor streaked in from the North Sea, passed over the
east coast of Scotland and England on a line that took it directly over
Crayford before heading across the English Channel where it disap-
peared somewhere over southern France or Italy.