Hi Ted
I will answer the question on the board..
If you want to know about the marriages of James then it is best to ask that question on the BECK surname board or on the location board for where the marriage took place (you can be wide ranging and ask on the USA general board if that is where the marriage took place, or the state or even the county board - but not on all 3 locations boards at once as that is SPAM!!)
If you want to know about his past life in England then you can post on the BECK board or again on the England or County boards
If you just want to know when he emigrated and where from then this is the place!
However, in all scenarios you should post the dates and place of birth, the dates and places of the marriages and his date and location of death (if you know them - it could be a rough " Born Lancashire abt 1841, died in Maryland abt 1910" scenario). Also can you give us a rough idea of when and where he emigrated to.
The more information you give, the better able we are to help
Hope this explains how the format works
Fiona