Bean, Eugene

BEAN, CROSS, WILSON, IRVIN, DENNISTON

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/27/2009 at 08:49:55

Bean, Eugene

To lead a clean life at home and before his fellow men, to be a good husband, father and citizen and to do his plain duty at all times as he sees it, is to merit the title, a good man. However, it seems that few men really merit it, so it is a pleasure to the biographer when a man is found to whom the term may be applies. Eugene Bean, of Jasper County, comes well within the range of requirements of this title. He had a good father and mother whose influence was doubtless largely due to the fact that he has been a good son.

Eugene Bean was born in Richland County, Ohio, March 12, 1860, the son of Joseph and Diantha (Cross) Bean, both of whom were natives of Belfast, Maine. They came to Ohio in 1848 and followed farming, and in 1868 emigrated to Jasper County, Iowa, purchasing a farm of two hundred acres in Palo Alto Township, and there they developed a good farm and spent the rest of their lives, the father dying in April 1896, at the age of eighty years, and the mother in 1898, when sixty-six years old. The father was a man of fine public spirit, holding a number of minor offices in his Township, but while he was an active political worker, he never aspired to County or state offices, although a loyal Republican. While not a member of any Church, he was a man of deep religious convictions, and of that rugged honesty which brooks of no swerving from the right, and he died having the love and respect of his fellow men. His family consisted of seven children, all boys, of whom five are living, namely: Julius E. died in Buena Vista County, Iowa, at the age of forty-six years. He was engaged in the nursery business; Charles resides in New Plymouth, Idaho, being engaged in farming and fruit-growing; Alonzo S. and Harvey C. reside at the same place and are engaged in the same business; Harry Lincoln, who was a farmer in this County, died in 1898; Frank E. lives in Reasnor, being employed as lineman for the telephone company.

Eugene Bean, after receiving an excellent education, began life for himself when twenty-one years of age, by teaching school, teaching very acceptably one year in Buena Vista County and three years in Jasper County. Then turning his attention to the business world, he accepted a position as cashier of the Marathon Bank of Marathon, Iowa, which position he filled with much credit and satisfaction for two years, he having an interest in the bank. At the end of this period, his partner, Richard Olney, having had a son frozen to death in a blizzard, became dissatisfied with the rigors of the Iowa climate and sold out, moving his banking interests to Arkansas. This necessitating some change of plans upon the part of Mr. Bean, he came to Reasnor, Iowa, where he farmed for two years, after which time he entered the depot of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, as station agent, conducting, in connection with this, a general live stock and grain business. Accumulating rapidly, in 1900, he moved to Newton, for the purpose, principally, of giving his children better educational advantages, and there he entered the auditor's office as deputy for Joe Horn, County auditor at that time. After serving as Mr. Horn's deputy for two years, he was elected auditor on the Republican ticket for two terms, making a clean, creditable and eminently satisfactory record. After his tenure in office he returned to Reasnor and resumed the grain, livestock, coal and poultry business, which he has continued ever since, building up an extensive and lucrative business.

On September 5, 1886, Mr. Bean was united in marriage with Martha A. Wilson, daughter of W. S. and Mary (lrvin) Wilson, both of whom were born close to the border line dividing Scotland and Ireland, being of hardy Scotch-Irish stock. Mrs. Bean is one of eight brothers and sisters, three of whom died in childhood; the living are: Mary J., who has remained single, resides in Reasnor; W. 0. lives in Green City, Missouri, where he is engaged in merchandising; Mrs. W. E. Denniston lives in Newton, where Mr. Denniston is engaged in the lumber business; James I. is engaged in the lumber business in Baxter, Iowa. Mrs. Martha A. Bean was born in Scott County, Iowa, February 26, 1867, and she received a good education in the home schools. Her father died in 1879, when forty-eight years old, and the mother passed away in 1906, when seventy-six years old.

To Mr. and Mrs. Bean five children have been born, all of whom are living, namely: Lorena Fern, unmarried, was born in Marathon, Iowa, in 1888, and she is postmistress at Reasnor; Lavina Pearl, born in Reasnor in 1890, is teaching school in the country; Edith Aubine, born in Reasnor in 1892, is attending the high school at Newton, this County; Mary and William E., who were both born in Newton, the former in 1903 and the latter in 1907, are both living at home.

Mr. Bean is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Reasnor, and his wife is a devout member of the Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto Township. Mr. Bean is affiliated with Jasper Lodge No. 78, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Monroe and of the encampment and canton of Central Lodge No. 16, at Newton. In politics he is a stanch Republican and is well known throughout the County. Past and Present of Jasper County Iowa B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, IN, 1912 Page 990.