William Bean
William Bean (December 9, 1721-May 1782) was a Trans-Appalachian pioneer; longhunter; and Commissioner of North Carolina's Washington District. He was one of the first permanent European settlers of what is now Tennessee.[1]
William Bean | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 9, 1721 St. Stephens Parish, Northumberland County, Virginia |
| Died | May 1782 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Longhunter |
| Known for | being one of the first permanent European settlers of Tennessee |
| Title | Commissioner, Washington District, North Carolina |
| Spouse(s) | Lydia Russell (1726–1788) |
Biography
William Bean was born December 9, 1721 in St. Stephens Parish, Northumberland County, Virginia. In 1741 he married Lydia Russell (b. September 29, 1726). They were to become the future Tennessee area's first permanent European-American settlers;[2] William was of English descent and Lydia was of Scottish descent.[3]
Frontier settler
Bean was an associate of Daniel Boone's and a fellow longhunter. In 1769, he built a cabin close to the junction of Boone's Creek and the Watauga River, near what is today Johnson City, Tennessee. Bean may have visited the site with Boone, or Boone and a friend, Richard Callaway, when exploring as agents for Richard Henderson, a land speculator who later played an important role in the early settlement of Tennessee.[4][5]
Later that year, the first child of permanent European-American settlers born in Tennessee, Russell Bean, was born there.[6]
Later life
Bean's cabin soon attracted other pioneer families, who participated in the formation of the Watauga Association, a semi-autonomous colony.
After its formation in 1776, Bean was named a Commissioner of North Carolina's Washington District.[2]
Death
Bean died in May 1782 in Washington County, North Carolina (now Grainger County, Tennessee).[7]
Namesake
Later descendents of Bean established what became the city of Bean Station, in present-day Grainger County, Tennessee.[8]
References
- Lambert, A.J. "WILLIAM BEAN, REV'L WAR" (PDF). Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- Larry Kraus. "Children of William Bean (c 1700 – 1780) | William Bean I Genealogy". larkcom.us. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
- Grady, J.A. (1973). William Bean, Pioneer of Tennessee, and His Descendants. Grady. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
- Ramsey, The Annals of Tennessee, 66-69.
- Hamer, Tennessee: A History, 64.
- "William Bean's Cabin - 1A5 | Tennessee Historical sign". waymarking.com. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
- name="wbean died may 1782 washington district north carolina
- Bean Station history
Further reading
- Carolyn Sakowski; Touring the East Tennessee Backroads; J.F. Blair, pub.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; 1993; pp. 86–87.