Pictured left to right, Jim Beene; Mary Helms, head of Local History and Genealogy Department; Joe Beene; David Clapp, library director; Jerry Blevins, local author; Patsy Williams, first president of Southern Bean Association.
Descendants of John Bean gathered in Kimball, Tn., for the 37th annual meeting of the Southern Bean Association. Family members voted to donate the books and papers of the Association to the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library. They also voted to give a $7,000 cash donation to the library system.
The Bean-Beene library was formerly housed in Florence, Al. The Association publishes The Bean Stalk.
Brothers John and William Bean were born in Virginia. John traveled with Daniel Boone into the area which became Tennessee, and he built a cabin. William Bean moved his family into this cabin, and his son Russell became the first white child born in Tennessee. John Bean went on to build another cabin and move his family to the state.
Members of the Beene family, including Jim Beene, Joe Beene, local author Jerry Blevins, and Patsy Williams, first president of the Southern Bean Association, transported the books and papers to the Library and presented them with the generous check to David Clapp, Library Director, and Mary Helms, Head of the Local History and Genealogy Department.
Patsy Williams said, "Our group is delighted to have our many years of hard work and research 'go home.' Your library is a wonderful resting place for our records. It is our hope that future generations will enjoy and prosper from this information."
Beene family members gathered in the Local History Department.