Claim: In 1700, Gerardus Beekman served under the Earl of Bellomont, a member of the English Parliament and a colonial governor, and became one of the advisers of Viscount Cornbury when the latter succeeded Belmont in 1702.
Evidence: In 1700, Beekman was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, and then Colonel, under the Earl of Bellomont. After Bellomont died in 1701, Viscount Cornbury was appointed as his successor and began his administration on the May 3, 1702. His advising Council consisted of: Beekman, William Atwood, William Smith, Peter Schuyler, Abraham de Peyster, Samuel Staats, Robert Walters, Sampson Shelton Broughton, Wolfgang William Romer, William Lawrence, and Rip Van Dam. Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont (sometimes spelled Bellamont, 1636 – 5 March 1700/01), known as The Lord Coote between 1683–89, was a member of the English Parliament and a colonial governor.