THE BEAN SENTINEL A Newsletter For the Descendants of William Bean Sr. William Bean Jr. William Bean III, James Madison Bean Sr. James Madison Bean Jr. and William Henry Bean. Summer 2000 Fourth Edition FIRST ANNUAL WEST COAST BEAN/BEENE FAMILY REUNION IS A SUCCESS. The reunion held in San Diego, CA on July 31, 1999 and was considered by all to be a success. The reunion got started a little late, but when the bagpiper (Scott Johnson) began to play the pipes the crowd became silenced as he opened the First Annual West Coast Bean Family Reunion. Scott is also a descendant of James Madison Bean Sr. The 1999 Reunion Chairman William Arthur Bean, officiated over the ceremonies and was joined by Ed Sweeny (West Coast Clan Historian)in the presentation of a fine Crystal "Kelly Bowl" to the guest of honor Ola Marie Darlin. Bob Gilbert Jr. did an excellent job of emcee during the open microphone session. A new tradition was started by Ed Sweeny passing "The Porridge Bowl" to William Arthur Bean. The bowl will be passed down annually to each of the grandchildren of William Henry and Rosa Viola Bean. I wish to extend a special thank you to all those who were in attendance and look forward to seeing you all at the next reunion in 2001, along with some new faces as well. BEAN BOYS ARRESTED IN TEXAS This story comes from Sybil (Bishop) Hinman of Huntsville, AL. She and her husband are both retired and sibyl is a cousin and fellow genealogist, who is also working on the Bean Family. Sibyl is the great granddaughter of John and Eliza Jane (Bean) Bishop. Eliza Jane (b1844 d1885) was the daughter of James Madison and Hollie Virginia Bean Sr. Sibyl found the following stories about Marlin and William Henry Bean in the "Scottsboro Citizen" newspaper in Scottsboro, AL. Both Marlin and William Henry Bean were the sons of James Madison and 2nd wife, Lucy Jane Elliott Bean Jr. (First Story) ARRESTED IN TEXAS Thursday June 29, 1899. Sheriff Thompson left for Waxahachie, Texas Tuesday night to bring back Marvin (Should be Marlin) and Henry Bean who have been arrested at that place on a charge of killing John Ashley and wounding his brother on Big Coon last Christmas eve. The Beans made their escape and their whereabouts were not ascertained until a few days ago (Keep in mind that the shooting took place on Christmas Eve of 1898.). (2nd Story) ARRIVES WITH BEAN BOYS Thursday July 6, 1899. Sheriff Thompson and Deputy Walter Thomas arrived from Waxahachie, Texas last week with Henry and Marvin Bean (should be Marlin) who are charged with killing one of the Ashley boy's at a dance last Christmas eve. They came readily without the sheriff having to produce requisition that he had and were orderly and well behaved persons. Sheriff Thopson is loud in his praise of the Sheriff of Ellis County for the courtesies shown him. (Third Story) Thursday July 13, 1899. Marvin Bean (Should be Marlin) one of the brothers that was arrested in Texas on the charge of killing one of the Ashley boy's made bond of $1,000.00 for his appearance in next term court. When you put these stories together with the rest of the stories we have found, it gives you a pretty good idea what life was about 100 years ago. Thank you so much Sybil for sharing this great information with us. Sibyl has worked very hard and dedicated herself over the years to family genealogy and has amassed a great collection of information on the Beans, Bishops, and Sanders families. Thank's Sibyl for all of your help in my quest. Ed Sweeny JAMES MADISON BEAN SR. CEMETERY PROJECT FUND. Kenhyle! Kenhyle!! Family Emergency! The time has come, and we need everyone to come together and help. There are over 1000 small cemeteries in Jackson County, AL and we have family buried in many of them. The State of Alabama has a law that states "Any cemetery left un-maintained, or in disrepair for a period of ninety 90 years will be handed back to the rightful land owner, to be disposed of in what ever manner he chooses fit." This means that any cemetery that has been improperly maintained, is subject to be plowed under or dismantled. We currently have 3-cemeteries which are soon to fall to these conditions and will be subject to being turned over to the current land owners. Those cemeteries are the " Old Haddon," the "Old Grider," and the " Old Knight" Cemeteries. We have family buried in all three. These cemeteries are all grown over with trees, brush and weeds and need to be cleaned up. They are also missing some headstones as well as some of them being broken. We have to act now! No more thinking about it! "I have a dream that one day all of you will take the time to come to Jackson County, AL and visit these old cemeteries and spend some time at the graves of James Madison and Hollie Virginia Bean Sr. and their descendents, and be able to walk through these cemeteries listening to the sounds of the water as it flows down the Big Coon Creek alongside the cemetery. After you have visited here, you can better understand why they wanted to be laid to rest at what is now known as the Old Haddon Cemetery. You can't help, but to enjoy the serenity and the beautiful scenery that surrounds this place." We need to do our part in preserving these areas. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to come visit and be able to sit down on benches while you take it all in." I want to share the following letter from Jane Talley Nichols, who is not only a fellow genealogist working on the Beans and Sanders families, but she is also a cousin who is related directly to both the Beans and Sanders. JANE'S LETTER Our ancestor', James Madison Bean Sr. and his wife, Hollie Virginia Jane Swearingen, moved from Jackson County, TN in 1848 to Jackson County, AL where they settled and homesteaded 160 acres of land on Little Coon Creek. The Haddon Cemetery where James and Hollie are buried is located in the area of their farm where they raised their family, and lived until their death's. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful country setting I have ever seen My husband Randy and I spent my last birthday sitting by the cemetery having a picnic and just admiring the beautiful, peaceful scenery. I could just feel the peacefulness and imagine what it was like living there. The cemetery is in very bad shape right now. It can be returned to a beautiful cemetery if we try. There is so much of our history and heritage in this cemetery and unfortunately if something is not done soon it may be gone forever. I don't know the laws for anywhere else, but in Jackson County, Alabama if a cemetery is abandoned, not maintained, and no one has been buried there in 90 years, it can be destroyed however the landowners seem fit. Since this land is now leased by a hunting club, I am afraid it won't be around much longer. There are two cemeteries on this property, the Knight and the Haddon, they are not far from each other. The Knight is also in very bad shape. From what I understand, at one time, the Knights, and the Haddons were all neighbors and these places were chosen for the cemeteries because of the high ground and the convenience for all of them. I believe a Haddon child was the first one buried in this cemetery. James Allen Bean, Allen Young Bean's son, married Maude Haddon, some of the Sanders married Knights, so I am sure many of our relatives are buried in the Haddon and Knight cemeteries. Ed and I have a mutual dream to see these cemeteries preserved and maintained. We would love to see headstones for all of our ancestors (instead of the sandstone markers, which are fading away), especially for James Madison and Hollie Virginia Bean Sr. Right now they only have rocks. Ed has a beautiful vision of an iron fence around the cemetery with a name on it. He envisions walking up the steps made from railroad ties or stone, with a gate to the stoned covered walkway, with concrete benches to sit on . I too, closed my eyes and could see this vision. What a beautiful place!! You would have to see this place to even imagine the beauty that surrounds it. I hope someday, all of you can come and visit the final resting place of James Madison and Hollie Virginia Bean Sr. and be proud of where we all came from. I, probably more than anyone else, really came from these people!! You know, where most people have four sets of great great great grandparents, I only have two sets. Sampson and Rhoda Redwine Saunders and James Madison and Hollie Virginia Bean Sr. (This is because of all of the inner marriages in the two families). There is another cemetery called the McCrary/Grider Cemetery not too far from where the others are. Many of the Bean's and Sanders married into the McCrary and Grider families. This cemetery is where Crawford Carlton and Martha Alice Sanders Bean are buried, along with his son Allen Anderson Bean and many more Beans. It is in a pasture along side of the road with a barbed wire fence around it. It is frequented by cows. The cows keep breaking down the fence and wandering around in the cemetery. Allen Young Beans headstone continually gets knocked over. This is another cemetery feel will be gone forever if something isn't done now! Let me tell you about my great, great, great, grandparents on my Thompson side. By the time I got interested in finding them and found out where they were buried, it was too late. The owners of the property had built a house close by and and had a bulldozer turn the headstones into the earth. They made a park sitting area for their family over the top of the graves. The owner was very nice and showed me where the graves were, but I really don't know how he sleeps at night. I still cry when I think about it. That's part of my history, gone forever. Let's not let that happen to our ancestors James Madison and Hollie Virginia Bean Sr. Someday our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, etc. may want to see where they came from and feel a part of their history like I did. After being at the cemetery and sitting there imagining what it was like for them and how they lived, I felt a bond to them that I never felt before. Let's really try to do something about the cemeteries. Your friend and relative, Jane Talley Nichols. As is apparent, when it comes to the cemeteries, Jane and I share the same dreams. When you get the chance take about ten minutes and think back to how things were 100 to 150 years ago, and just let yourself think about them coming from Tennessee to Jackson County, Alabama to this serene peaceful valley and listen for the sound of water running down the creek and all the children running and playing, while the others were in the fields plowing and planting. Let yourself slip back in time, and when you awake remember. What else do we really have, but our heritage. This is truly the only thing that we have, just like all those ancestors before us. Other than our heritage everything else is materialistic. So won't you join us in preserving the heritage left by our family many years ago. Become a part of the James Madison Bean Sr. Cemetery Project and help save the cemeteries, our heritage, our only true gift to our descendants. Yes! Jane is right. We do share the same dream and until we all join forces and contribute what we can to help return these cemeteries back to the once beautiful places that they were, it will only be a dream. If wait long enough without doing anything, this dream will never come true. There will be no Old Haddon, Old Grider or Old Knight cemeteries. Their will be nothing left of the heritage they left to us and our descendents. Please give this some careful consideration , and remember. We are the ones that have to do something if this is going to become reality. This is not a one time donation that we are looking for, we are looking for you to join with us in a continued effort to maintain these sacred burial grounds. Reach into your heart and donate what you feel you can. We are a growing family so the burden should get smaller and smaller as time goes on. need all of the help. Fill out one of the enclosed contribution forms and return it with your donation today or make out your check to "The James Madison Bean Sr. Cemetery Project Fund" and mail it to Ed Sweeny 8112 Walnut Fair Circle Fair Oaks, Ca 95628. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thank You so much for your Support and understanding. For all of you that didn't know, Jane Ellen (Talley) Nichols has taken it upon herself to transcribe all of the cemeteries in Jackson County, AL. Jane and her husband Randy spend much of their spare time traveling all of the county looking for those little out of the way cemeteries. We all owe a lot to Jane and her husband Randy for all of the fine work they have done. Jane, more than anyone else in the family knows how bad the situation is with all of the old cemeteries of Jackson County, AL. You can find Janes work on the internet in some of the cemetery projects . Look in usgenweb, genforum and rootsweb. Along with her transcribing work, Jane is also one of the Bean and Sanders genealogist. Take a little time out and send Jane a note of appreciation for her work. You can email her at ren@hiwaay.net - Thank's Jane and Randy for all of your hard work and for taking so much time out of your lives for this great family. Signed Ed Sweeny. ANOTHER SHOOTING ON THE BIG COON! WHEN WILL IT EVER END? Most of you will recall the story I told you, about the two ladies who fought over the geese in the yard. When the ladies husbands John Bender Bean and Charley Sanders came home from the fields, they continued the fight where the ladies left off. This resulted in John Bender Bean shooting and killing Charley Sanders. Well Cousin Sybil Bishop Hinman found the following stories in the "Progressive Age" an old newspaper of Scottsboro Jackson County, AL, and she would like to share them with us. Now! To save confusion, I want to outline the players in these stories. 1. The person that they refer to as Matt, Nat, Nathan Bean, is James Madison "Uncle Matt" Bean Jr. (b1834-d1891). 2. The person they refer to as John Bean is John Bender Bean (b1841-d1906 or 1907) the younger brother of James Madison "Uncle Matt" Bean Jr. 3. The person they refer to as the victim "Jesse Sanders" is actually Charley Edward Sanders (b 1867-d 1890), the son of Jesse Elbert (b1831-d1906) and Mary Elizabeth "Aunt Popp" (Bean) Sanders (b1832-d1893). Jesse and Mary were 1st cousins. 4. Mary Elizabeth "Aunt Popp" (Bean) Sanders was the sister of James "Uncle Matt" and John Bender Bean. That's right, John Bender Bean shot and killed his own nephew. 5. Mary Elizabeth (Bean) Sanders (b ? -d ? ). She was the daughter of Eli Brantsford (b1835-d1912) and Mary Jane (Arnold) Bean (1842-d1912). She was the niece of Jesse Elbert and Mary Elizabeth "Aunt Popp" (Bean) Sanders, as well as the niece of both James Madison "Uncle Matt" Bean Jr. and John Bender Bean. She married Charley Edward Sanders, her 1st cousin on February 10, 1890. 6. Eli Brantsford Bean was a brother to James "Uncle Matt", John Bender, and Mary Elizabeth "Aunt Popp" Bean. (Unfortunately the newspapers of the day were not very reliable for names or getting the stories straight. Most of their information usually came from witnesses or the law after they returned to town from a crime). Now to the stories. THIS TIME SHOOTER GOT "HIS MAN" Thursday January 1, 1891. Sometime last week John Bean and Mat Bean shot and killed a young man named Sanders, a nephew of the slayer. The tragedy occurred on Big Coon in this county. Mat Bean is only charged as an accessory to the killing, as it is conceded that John Bean did the shooting. We have not fully learned the details of this affair, though Sanders was shot in the back and died in a day or two after the shooting. Both the Beans are in custody and have not yet had a preliminary hearing.. John Bean. PRELIMINARY TRIAL OF JOHN AND NAT BEAN (Should have been Matt Bean) Thursday January 8, 1891. Preliminary trial of Nat for killing of Jesse Sanders (this is wrong as it was Charlie Sanders who was killed) on the Big Coon 2 weeks ago commenced before Justice McClendon, Hall, Russell and Grimmett yesterday. There are 30 witnesses and only 3 were examined. Squire Hall believes trial will be finished this week. Thursday January 15, 1891. John and Nathan Bean for killing Jesse Sanders. John Bean bound over to Grand Jury without bail. Nathan bein in bond of $1,500.00. Charles Sanders is a nephew of Bean's by marriage-married daughter of E.B. Bean last August. Note from Sybil. This is all we found, but know that James Madison "Uncle Matt" didn't go to prison, but I think John Bender Bean went to prison for about five years. This situation needs more research. I heard that all of them had been drinking, the sad part of it was Charley Edward and Mary Elizabeth (Bean) Sanders were expecting a baby Sometime after Charley's death Mary married Stephen Proctor and they had 3-children-James,Elbert, and Rener Proctor. After the 1900 census I never found anymore information on Mary Elizabeth and Stephen Proctor. They must have left Jackson County. I have searched Jackson and Madison Counties to no avail. "Where did they go?" - Sibyl. Editors Note. Charley was killed on December 26, 1890. Mary Elizabeth gave birth to their baby on January 21, 1891, less than a month after her husbands death. She named the little girl "Charley" after her father. Little Charley died on July 23, 1896 and was buried in the Sanders Cemetery along with her father. John Bender Bean was known to be a vicious person, having been accused of burning down houses and barns of people that he didn't care for. James Madison "Uncle Matt" must have been pretty ornery himself, even though he only had the one arm. (Remember he lost an arm during the Civil War). When you think about it. Charley Sanders was killed on December 26, 1890, and William Henry, Marlin, and "K" had their shootout with the Ashley Boy's on December 24, 1898, and by the way, in both cases the victims were shot in the back. It sounds like the Beans may have had a problem with the "Christmas Season." What a sad time it must have been for everyone in all of the family's during Christmas time. DID YA KNOW? At the recent West Coast Bean/Beene Family Reunion I shared some information about the number of descendaents that have followed James Madison (b1802-d1866) and Hollie Virginia "Jane" (Swearingin) (b1806-d1867) Bean. The numbers might surprise you. The first column of numbers is confirmed as of July 1998. The second column is a conceptual estimate of what the numbers could be, once we locate everyone. They had: Children (That lived to adulthood) 12 12 Grandchildren 74 81 Great Grand Children 230 460 Great, Great Grandchildren 236 1,150 Great, Great, Great Grandchildren 211 1,266 Great, Great, Great, Great Grandchildren 116 696 Totals 879 3,665 How many grandparents do you know today that has 74 grandchildren or 230 great grandchildren. Families today are generally much smaller. What's My Line ? The Bean family line of Ed Sweeny family line runs like this. Great great grandparents - James Madison and Hollie Virginia "Jane" (Swearingen) Bean Sr. Great grandparents - James Madison and Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Grandparents - William Henry and Rosa Viola (Johnson) Bean. Parents - Duane Edward and Lucy Mae Fern (Bean) Sweeny Jr. Do you know how your Bean line runs? If not, contact me and maybe I can help you find out. Ed Sweeny 916-863-5628 Fax 916-944-1788 or Email familyresearcher98@yahoo.com WATCH US GROW I have been trading Email with some of you and our family keeps growing and growing. There are many new names added to this list. Let's work together in finding the rest of our family. Tell the rest of your relatives about our newsletter. Send me their names addresses phone numbers and email addresses, so we can get them into our database. Charley Howard Beene- Son of Charles Brantsford Bean. Grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Charley lives in Thomasville, Georgia. Email address is charmil@webtv.net Brant Beene-son of Charley Howard Beene. Grandson of Charles Brantsford Bean. Great Grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Brant lives in Birmingham, AL Email address brantbeene50@aol.com Jo Beth (Beene) William Phillips (Bill)-The son of Selma Beene Phillips. Grandson of Charles Brantsford Beene. Great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Bill lives in Portland, Oregon. Selma was Charley Howard Beene's sister. Email address wydbdy@aol.com. William Arthur Bean (Art) - Son of William Kelly Bean. Grandson of William Henry Bean. Great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Art Lives in of San Diego, CA Email address artbean_2000@yahoo.com (artbean_2000) Michael Bean-The son of Art Bean. Grandson of William Kelly Bean. Great randson of William Henry Bean. Great great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Michael lives in San Diego, CA Email address mkbclean@aol.com Victoria (Bean) Belmont - The daughter of Art Bean. Granddaughter of William Kelly Bean. Great granddaughter of William Henry Bean. Great great granddaughter of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Vickie lives in San Diego, CA Email address vbelmont@rohan.sdsu.edu Kathy (King) Recker - The daughter of Vonda Kay (Bean) (King) Seal. Granddaughter of William Kelly Bean. Great granddaughter of William Henry Bean. Greatgreat granddaughter of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Kathy lives in Denver CO Email address Krecker@denverrent.com Steve Gilbert - The son of Rosa Kellene (Bean) (Gilbert) (Adler) Cohen. Grandson of William Kelly Bean. Great grandson of William Henry Bean. Great great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Steve lives in Downey, CA Email address sgilbford@aol.com William (Bill) Gilbert -The son ofRosa Kellene (Bean) (Adler) Cohen . Grandson of William Kelly Bean. Great grandson of William Henry Bean. Great great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Bill lives in La Selva Beach, CA Email address William.Gilbert@Columbia.net Robert (Bob) Gilbert-The son of Kellene (Bean)(Adler) Cohen. Grandson of William Kelly Bean. Great grandson of William Henry Bean. Great great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Bob lives in Downey, CA Email address bobtree@msn.com Rosa Kellene (Bean)(Gilbert)(Adler) Cohen. Daughter of William Kelly Bean. Granddaughter of William Henry Bean. Great granddaughter of James Madison Bean Jr. Kellene lives in Fullerton, CA. Email address sgtkelly@earthlink.com Bob Dewitt -gg grandson of William Laston "Latt" and Margaret Angeline (Bean) Reid Email address dewey@nlenx.com Mark Albrecht - Related through Francis Fannie Bean b. 1797. Email address Albrecht@iximd.com Donnie F. Bean - Gandson of John Bean. Great grandson of Immer Bean. Great great grandson of William Bean. Email address dbean98643@aol.com Durward Clayton Bean - Son of Durward Clayton Bean Sr. Grandson of Charles Henry Bean. Great grandson of Joseph Eli Bean. Great great grandson of Crawford Carlton Bean. Email address newshawk62@aol.com Ron Bean - Email address ron.bean@eds.com Annetta Brown - granddaughter of Jackson Elliott (Jackson was the brother of Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean, 2nd wife of James Madison Bean Jr.). Great great granddaughter of "Boss" Elliott. Email address wnabrown@aol.com Carol Allen - Daughter of John Matthew Allen. Granddaughter of John W. and Eliza Jane (Bean) Allen. Great granddaughter of James Madison and Rebecca Ann "Annie" (Arnold) Bean Jr. Email address alallen@brightok.net Jeannetta Boyden - Granddaughter of James Allen Grider. Great granddaughter of John Wilson and Mary Elizabeth "Mollie (Bean) Grider. Great great granddaughter of Allen Young Bean. Jeannetta lives in Hobbs New Mexico. Email address redjkgb@juno.com Nelva Kramp - Email address muffin6263@aol.com Brent Lambert - Son of Jana (Smith) Lambert. Grandson of Lola Lane (Knight) Smith. Great grandson of Alabama Tildon "Bam" (Bean) Knight. Great great grandson of Eli Brantsford Bean. Email address junkjan5@aol.com Debbie Quinn - Email address jmeeker1@bellsouth.net Pamela Merritt - Mother of the children of Billy Gordon Sanders. Billy , son of Sam Brown Sanders. Grandson of Gordon Lee Sanders. Great grandson of Milton Nathaniel Sanders. Great grandson of Jesse Elbert and Mary Jane "Aunt Popp" (Bean) Sanders. Email address plmerritt@pell.net Pamela Moats - Pamela is researching the Kingree Families of Shennandoah County, VA. One of her Kingree's married a James Bean on Oct 31, 1786 in Shennandoah County, VA. Email address nicki@n-center.com Larry Reid - Email address reidhome@hiwaay.net Jim Robertson - Grandson of John and Sarah (Reid) Robertson. Great grandson of William Laston "Latt" and Margaret Angeline "Aunt Ange" (Bean) Reid. Email address rjimbo@brightok.net Tamara Dee Sweeny - daughter of Duane Edward Sweeny III, granddaughter of Lucy Mae Fern (Bean) Sweeny. Great granddaughter of William Henry Bean. Great great granddaughter of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Tamara Lives in San Diego, CA Email address t_sweeny@yahoo.com (t_sweeny) Bryan Dean Sweeny - Son of Duane Edward Sweeny III. Grandson of Lucy Mae Fern (Bean) Sweeny. Great grandson of William Henry Bean. Great great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Email address bryan95678@yahoo.com Elsie Eloise Wilson - Daughter of Ora Clarence Henshaw. granddaughter of Carrie Maxie Collins. Great granddaughter of Martha Elizabeth (Bean) Collins. Great great granddaughter of James Madison and 1st wife Rebecca Ann "Annie" (Arnold) Bean Jr. Email address gpeh.Wilson@juno.com Randy Allen - Son of John Matthew Allen Jr. Grandson of John Matthew Allen Sr. Great grandson of John W. and Eliza Jane (Bean) Allen. Great great grandson of James Madison and 1st wife Rebecca Anne "Annie" (Arnold) Bean Jr. Email address rallen@earthlink.net Judy (Sweeny) Cardona - Daughter of Brantley Gene Sweeny Sr. Granddaughter of Lucy Mae Fern (Bean) Sweeny. Great granddaughter of William Henry Bean. Great great granddaughter of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Email address orion37@pacbell.net Brantley Gene Sweeny Jr. - Son of Brantley Gene Sweeny Sr. Grandson of Lucy Mae Fern (Bean) Sweeny. Great grandson of William Henry Bean. Great great grandson of James Madison and 2nd wife Lucy Jane (Elliott) Bean Jr. Email address sweeny57@yahoo.com Sibyl Hinman - Email address sebleehinman@prodigy.com Jane Ellen (Talley) Nichols - daughter of Burl Talley Sr. granddaughter of Nellie May Sanders. Great granddaughter of Pearly Red Wine and Minerva Adeline "Addie" (Bean) Sanders. Great great granddaughter of Allen Young and Elizabeth "Betty" (Conner) Bean. Email address ren@hiwaay.net Virginia Jane (Burrow) Retan - Daughter of Lewis Walker "Jack" and Pleasie Beatrice (Bean) Burrow. Granddaughter of Pearly Redwine and Minerva Adeline "Addie" (Bean) Sanders. Great granddaughter of Allen Young and Elizabeth "Betty" (Connor) Bean. Email address retan@lni.net Deborah Brewer - Granddaughter of William Richardson Bean. Great granddaughter of Henry Harrison Bean. Great great granddaughter of Henry Harrison Bean. Email address debbakay52@aol.com Steve Arnold - Email address sarnold@reliable-net.net If you know of other relatives with email addresses, please send them to me. This will not only help our database grow, it will give us more people to send our Newsletter to. I appreciate your help. Please feel free to make copies of the Newsletter and send a copy to all those that don't have an email account setup. The more we can get out, the more we can grow, and the more information we can gather about this great family. UNLOCKING ANOTHER DOOR I recently received an email from a fellow who had seen my one of my many queries out there on the internet. He had been trying to find his Bean relatives down in Jackson County, AL. After he read one of my queries, he figured he was on to something. After reading his email and reviewing the names of the people he mentioned, I immediately emailed him and welcomed him home. This man's name was Brent Lambert of Chattanooga, TN. It turns out that he is a descendent of Eli Brantley Bean. I sent him some information to review and he in turn sent me the following email. I wish to share it with all of you. Email: Ed, Thanks for all the great information! I really appreciate it. I thought the information about "Aunt Sack" was especially interesting. My mother remembers some stories that her Great Aunt Lola told her (Lola was one of Eli's daughters) about Aunt Sack. During the war, apparently the whole community had gotten word that there were some Yankees in the area, helping themselves to anything they could find. When Aunt Sack heard about this, she stated "they wouldn't get her mule." So she led it across the creek, across a couple of pastures, and out deep into the woods and tied it up. When she got back home, she gave orders to get the slabs of bacon out of the smokehouse and into the house. In the "little room," she instructed one of the "younger folks" to get in their night clothes, put the slabs of bacon under their mattress, pile on lots of quilts, and cough a whole lot if the Yankees came into the house! On another occasion, a couple of Yankee stragglers came through. A kid from a neighboring area had seen them and warned everyone of their coming. Aunt Sack was waiting on them, sitting in her rocker with a gun across her lap. As they were approaching the front porch, one of the people there with Aunt Sack (this person was not identified by Lola) said "Well, 'Brag', I guess these Yankees are gonna take our last potato." When the Yankees heard him refer to Aunt Sack as 'Brag', one of them asked her "Are you related to General Bragg?" Being a quick thinker (evidently), Aunt Sack replied "Sure am, I'm his niece." With that, the two Yankees looked at each other, and the one that had asked the question, simply said "Well, give the General my regards," and they both went quickly on their way. My grandmother remembered being at the graveside for Aunt Sack's funeral. Of course, there was no embalming at that time, so insects could be a problem at funerals. My grandmother was always afraid of Aunt Sack, she said she never knew why, other than the fact that she was such a little, "dried-up" looking woman (my grandmother's terminology). Sack would always pinch her on the cheek and call her "my little pigeon." Anyway, back at the graveside, my great grandmother made my grandmother go up to the casket, which my grandmother really did not want to do. My grandmother said she could remember that the casket was simply a wooden box with black fabric draped over it and mosquito netting over the open lid. Aunt Sack had turned dark. As you can imagine, the smell was pretty bad, with candles burning to keep flies away from the strong odor. These are the only Aunt Sack stories that we are familiar with. I do have a question for you. Have you ever heard of her referred to as "Brag" before? We don't have any idea why anyone called her this, but we know that Eli did for sure. As for the birth and death dates of Eli's children, I have all of that. According to what my grandmother has written in her Bible. The dates are as follows: Amma Bean -- Born January 22, 1868, Died July 25, 1959 Arra M. Bean -- Born May 22, 1871, Died February 19, 1962 Mary E. Bean -- Born September 11, 1873, Died August 5, 1962 Alabama T. Bean -- Born August 22, 1876, Died August 3, 1943 Martha S. Bean -- Born January 15, 1879, Died February 17, 1952 Lola M. Bean -- Born September 9, 1881, Died December 30, 1975 John B. Bean -- Born May 22, 1884, Died October 6, 1886 Of these, John is probably buried at the Liberty Cemetary with Eli and Mary Jane. Arra, Martha, and Lola are buried at Cedar Hill Cemetary in Scottsboro, AL. Alabama is buried at Lomenick Cemetary in East Ridge, TN. Amma was buried somewhere in the Big Coon area. Her's is a grim story, as she burned to death in her home. One of the funeral directors told my grandmother that all they could find to bury was a four inch piece of the tin roof and a round piece of Amma's cheek bone. These remains were buried somewhere close to her home. Unfortunately, we don't much about Mary or where she was buried. We assume that what was written in my grandmother's family Bible was correct, and that Eli's second child was Arra M. Bean. Just to be sure, we are going down to the Scottsboro area in the coming weeks to visit the cemetaries. We should find out for sure at that time. As for "Bam" Knight, that was my great grandmother Alabama T. Bean, who died in 1943. She was married to Marion Neal Knight, who also was from the Coon area. Alabama was known as "Bam", "Bama", and "Aunt Allie". My grandmother also called her "Big Mama," in spite of the fact that she was about the size of a toothpick. I will send you more information tomorrow. Thanks again for your help. Signed, Brent Thanks for the stories Brent, they are greatly appreciated. Before you go to Jackson County, AL you should contact Jane Talley Nichols in Scottsboro. She can be of great help with the cemeteries. She is at ren@hiwaay.com Brent will be in San Jose, CA from July 30, 2000 through August 7, 2000, I hope to travel from my home in Sacramento, to meet him and share more of the families history. SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER PIECE OF THE PUZZLE My fellow genealogist's and myself, have been trying very hard to prove the parentage of James Madison Bean Sr. In the process I received several emails. Pamela Kingree Moats - Who had seen one of my queries at one of the many genealogy sites on the internet. It seems that on October 31, 1786 one of Pamela's ancestor's, Anna Kingree married a James Bean in Mt. Jackson Shenandoah County, VA. They were married by Rev. Moffett. Shenandoah is very near Augusta County, VA where our James Madison Bean was born in 1802. At this time, Pamela is working on determining the names of any of James and Anna's children and what happened to them after they married. Anyone who is interested in working with Pamela on this particular issue can email her at: nicki@n-center.com Ron Bean - of Plano, TX is also working on the Bean family genealogy, he sent me an email recently, he explained that he had found some information about James Madison Bean Sr. on the internet at familysearch.org He says it shows James Madison Bean was christened in Augusta City, VA in 1802. Ron is also working on the parentage of James Madison Bean Sr. He can be reached at: ron.bean@eds.com Steve Arnold - sent an email to Randy Allen, who forwarded a copy to me. In his email to Randy, Steve says that he has always been led to believe that William C. Bean was the father of James Madison Bean Sr. William was a soldier during the War of 1812 and fought in the "Battle of Tippecanoe". He was seriously wounded during the battle near Lafayette, Indiana. His name is spelled incorrectly on the marker, however. I believe it says "Baen". Steve goes on to say he has information that James Madison Beans mother was named Margaret McCracken. He says both William and Margaret hail from Washington County, VA When James Madison Bean was a young man he went to live with an uncle (Randy Allen questions. I wonder if the uncle could have been Aaron Bean) in TN. Steve goes on to add . "I have some records on the Beans sent to me from a lady, now deceased, named Pauline who lived in Kennewick, WA. She was related to the Arnolds as well and was born in Hog Jaw Valley. In checking with the Tennessee Health Department Steve got a copy of Eli Brantsford Bean's death certificate. They were unable to locate one for John Bender Bean, however. Steve also has two photo's of Ellen Lucinda Pippen and of John William. Somewhere according to Steve's relatives, there is a picture of the Bean sisters. He is trying to locate it, he is not sure if it still exists or ever did exist. Mark Albrecht - Marks tie to the James Madison Bean Family is a little bit different in that his Francis Fannie Bean born in 1797 in TN, married Isaac C. Collins born 1796 in TN and died after 1880 in Franklin County, AR. They were married in 1817 in Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Arkansas. Isaac fought in the War of 1812 in Captain Jesse Beans Company of Tennessee Millitia from Sept. 8, 1814 til Apr. 27, 1815. An application for pension benefits were filed in1873 at Ozark, Franklin County, AR. Pension Application S.O.##28979, S.C. #20998, B.L.W. #24008-80-50 & # 29373-80-55. As all of the family genealogists are aware that the Collins and Bean families have ties going way back. Isaac and Fannie had 3 children: Alfred C. Collins b. 1819 d. ?; Pleasant B. Collins b. 1820 d. ? ; Elizabeth Jane Collins b. 1823 d. ? ; Issac Jackson Collins b. 1825 d. 1888. Fannie died in Franklin County, AR. Alfred C. Collins married Mary A. ? their children: Anny C Collins b. 1844, John P. Collins b. 1846, Mary J. Collins b. 1849, Isaac J. b. 1860. Pleasant B. Collins married Caroline b. 1823 d. ? their children: William G. Collins b. 1845, Sarah F. Collins b. 1847, James A Collins b. 1850, Pleasant E. Collins b. Unknown Elizabeth Jane "Betty" Collins married William L. Clark b. circa 1819. Their children: Eliza F. Clark b. 1844, George J. Clark 1846, Sarah (Sallie) Ann Clark 1848 , Benjamin F. Clark b. 1851 d. bef 1878, Andrew Jackson Clark b. 1853, Pleasant Bean Clark b. Feb 1855, Mary Jane "Mollie" Clark b. Nov. 2, 1857, Isaac Jackson Collins married 1. Hester Williams bef. 1860. Their children: Argyle Collins b. 1853, Sarah Sallie Collins b. 1855 married William Carroll Wisdom b. May 13, 1849, then Isaac married 2. Susan B. Chambers. Their children: John Henry Collins b. Jan 13, 1869 d. Sep, 18, 1939 married Anna Addie b. Feb. 1, 1872 d. June 21, 1956, Pleasant B. Collins b. June 1865 d. 1931 married Malissa Maxson, James Franklin Collins b. 1872 d. 1935 Anna Rose Mosely b. Nov. 28, 1880, Isaac Jackson Collins Jr. b. 1874 d. Feb. 10, 1933 married Ollie Reniff b. 1878 d. 1956, Orpha Jane Collins Mar. 30, 1877 d. Mar. 24, 1942 married Franklin L. Lowery, Medora Anna "Dora" Collins b. 1879 d. Nov. 8, 1928 married Alridge Walker, Cena Collins b. 1882 d. ? The 1850 Federal Census shows Isaac and Fannie living at Horsehead Township Johnson County, AR He is 54 and she is 53. Id # ARS5a352117. The 1860 Federal Census shows Isaac and Fannie living at Horsehead Township Johnson County, AR. He is 64 WM Farmer born in TN. She is 63 WF born in TN. They also have the following people living with them. Jackson Collins age 35 WM Farmer born in AL Angelle Collins age 7 WF born in AR. Sarah Collins age 5 WF born in AR From this the family grows and grows. Many descendents of these people moved to both Johnson County and Franklin County, Arkansas , as well as Jackson County, AL. Please contact myself or Mark Albrecht if you wish to have a full report of his family tree. Editor's note. My mother Lucy Mae Fern Bean Sweeny was born in Ozark, Franklin County, AR on July 4, 1916. At the time her parents William Henry and Rosa Viola (Johnson) Bean were living in White Oak Franklin County, AR (approx 2-miles west of Ozark). They were living with Violas parents (James William and Harriet Ellen (Olinger) Johnson. What brought them from Jackson County, Al (around Larkins Landing) to Ozark was another family related to the Johnsons. That family was Zollie Cofer and Mary Margaret (Olinger) Savell. Margaret and Harriet were sisters. The Savell's were a very wealthy family around Franklin County, AR with much of their investment in Land. The Savell's had 18 children of which 11 survived to adulthood. All of the children attended the White Oak Elementary School in Franklin County, AR Some of the Savell children married into other families from the area. Gaby Savell married Henry Courrier and moved to OK. Ollie Savell married Garland Gage and remained around Ozark until their death. Some of the other surnames connected to these families were Glenn, and Combs. Now, is this a coincidence or have we stumbled onto something? The son of James Madison Bean Sr., Henry Harrison Bean born Jan. 8, 1841 in Jackson County, TN married Nancy Elizabeth Collins born Jul 23, 1851 in Jackson County, AL. They were married at the home of the brides parents Arch W. and Francis (Martin) Collins in Royce City, Texas. Henry died in 1910 and Nancy died in 1938. Their children were: 1. Francis Jane "Fannie" Bean b. 3/22/1873 d. 1962. She was married to Russell Miller. (There is a good chance that this Francis Jane "Fannie" Bean was named after Francis Fannie Bean, who was born in 1797. I believe Fannie was an older sister or a very close cousin to our James Madison Bean Sr. who was born in 1802. Now all we have to do is prove it). 2. Eliza Angeline Bean b. 3/23/1875 married Isaac Matthew Grider. 3. James Arch Bean b. 2/8/1877 married Beulah Cook, he died on 11/8/1943. 4. Sarah Elizabeth "Sallie" Bean b. 3/22/1878 married Riley Burkes. 6. Martha Ellen Bean b. 2/28/1881 married Joe Picket. 7. Mary Tanner Bean b. 9/14/1883 married John Cross. 8. William Richardson Bean b. 10/15/85 married Mamie Hestend, he died in 1948. 9. Nancy Emma Bean b. 7/07/88 married Dixon Massey. UNUSUAL TIDBITS STAYING IN TOUCH DID YOU KNOW You may refer all questions or comments to: Ed Sweeny-8112 Walnut Fair Circle Fair Oaks, CA 95628 Phone (916) 863-5628 Fax (916) 944-1788 Email Address: familyresearcher98.com 1 1