William Bean
| William Bean | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 9, 1721 St. Stephens Parish, Northumberland County, Virginia |
| Died | May 1782 Washington District, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Longhunter |
| Known for | being the first permanent settler in Tennessee |
| Title | Commissioner, Washington District, North Carolina |
| Spouse(s) | Lydia Russell (1726–1788) |
William Bean (December 9, 1721 – May 1782) was a Trans-Appalachian pioneer; longhunter; and Commissioner of North Carolina's Washington District.
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; William was of Scottish descent and Lydia was of English descent.
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.
Later that year, the first child of permanent European-American settlers born in Tennessee, Russell Bean, was born there.
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.
Bean died in May 1782 in Washington County, North Carolina (now Grainger County, Tennessee).
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