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.