from: Craig Bird
yesterday at 9:59 PM Sat. Feb 12, 2022
Hi Mike, this is Craig Bird from W. Norriton PA,
Regarding William Bean (Finda grave memorial ID: 165233959).
I am a retired Army officer. I live near and volunteer much time in restoring Montgomery Cemetery and honoring military veterans in the community. If you can document William’s service, I am able to install an appropriate flag holder and see to it that his grave receives a flag for every Memorial Day.
You state that he served in the 17th PA Cavalry with his two brothers, Edwin and Theodore W. Bean. I am able to confirm Edwin and Theodore’s information and also that William was their brother. However, I am unable to confirm that William ever served in the U.S. military. Can you please cite the source for your information?
I have found documents for three (3) William Beans in Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties. Two are ruled out due to the wives’ names not matching. The 3rd, filed for himself and served as a Private in Co. E., 95th PA Inf., From Jan 28th, 1865 - July 17, 1865. I am unable to find William Bean anywhere in the 17th PA Cavalry rolls. As to the photo, the officer is wearing the rank of either a Major or Lieutenant Colonel.
I hope I may be of service in this and other research.
Very Respectfully,
Craig H. Bird
LTC, U.S. Army (retired)
Michael M.van Beuren
Sun. Feb. 13, 2022 at 7:10 AM
Hi Craig:
Your message is very helpful to me. I think you are correct to conclude that William did not serve in the 17th Pa. Cavalry
I am a direct descendant of his brother, Col. Theodore Weber Bean who figures so centrally in the founding of the Historical Soc. of Montgomery County and, of course, the 17th PA.
The photo you mention must be of Theodore. It came from the papers of his son, State Sen. T.L. Bean, passed to me through his daughter, Mary Rogers. It was included in a grouping of a collection of unidentified photos, I see now that I mistaken into thinking the it was William.
There were three Bean brothers who backed the Union and one Rebel. Of the first three, Theodore, Edwin, and William, only one reached the rank of Major. This would be Theodore, who passed through that rank on the way to becoming a Colonel.
I see know that I became confused by the photo as it does not seem to resemble Theodore in images of him at other times in his life.
I know that I don't need to explain to you what war often does to a person in the thick of it.
Theodore has a particularly hard time during his service, mostly on the psychological side, it seems.
Hidden in Bean family lore is the fact that he took his own life. My feeling is that he battled depression that was exacerbated by his war experiences. Even now, after many years of research, I continue to try to determine his attitude concerning the war, not the proud public front he had but rather his heart-felt private one.
I have a book in hand at this moment that comes to bear on this.
The Nature of Sacrifice
A Biography of Charles Russell Lowell, Jr. 1835-1864
Carol Bundy
Farar, Straus & Giroux (2005)
(Lowell, as you doubtless know already, led the 2nd Mass. Cav. and fell at Cedar Creek)
In this book is a short section that mentions something that Col. T.W. Bean never chronicled in his historical work and other writing. I see that I've mentioned this on his Geni.com profile. I wrote:
"One of his duties as an officer had been to serve a Provost Marshal during a late stage conflict. It was (then) Capt. Bean who was ordered to hang two captured soldiers in contravention of military protocol and agreed conduct of Army protocol.
The passage is on page 437-438.
By this late stage of the War, there were countless infractions of code and honor on both sides. It seems understandable to me what an effect it must have had on my 2nd great grandfather.
I recommend the book. Lowell was known well and was highly regarded by Sheridan and was even more closely associated with George Armstrong Custer. Custer was with Bean and Lowell in this stage of the Shenandoah campaign and is detailed in the passage as well
I will edit the FINDAGRAVE memorial ID: 165233959 for my 3rd great uncle William Bean.
Thank you for your work in honoring the men of the Civil War and thank you for your own service.
