The Beans of Rockingham County NH

GRAVE OF JOHN BEAN AND BOTH WIVES
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH BURIAL GROUND
EXETER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

My 9th great grandfather was John MacBean (1634-1718) of the Scottish Highlands, who was a prisoner of war during the Battle of Worcester of the English Civil War.  He and more than 200 other prisoners in 1651 were put on the ship "The Sarah and John", which docked in Boston 24 Feb. 1652 - (other sources report it was the "Mary and John").  John's last name was changed on the ship from "MacBean" to "Bean", and he was sold as an indentured servant in Boston to a Nicholas Lissen of Exeter, New Hampshire, who may have also been of Scottish descent.

When John married his master's daughter, Hannah Lissen (1635-1659), he gained freedom from servitude.  They had one child, Mary Bean (1655-1743), who married Joel Judkins. They were my 8th great grandparents.  Their granddaughter Mary married her second cousin, David Bean (mentioned below).

Hannah died young, and John then married another of Nicolas's indentured servants, Margaret (an orphan of unknown Scottish or Irish origin).  Below is a brief history of Margaret:

Margaret was an orphan when, at age 12, she was sent to America as an indentured servant, last name is uncertain. Apparently, she became indentured to Nicholas Lissen (as did John Bean, her husband), and after the death of his first wife, the daughter of Nicholas Lissen, she married him [thus her last name is often reported as Lissen.] >Enfield-Bryant Genealogy, Internet.

Margaret Bean joined the Hampton church in 1671. Among those dismissed September 11, 1698" in order to be incorporated into a church state in Exeter," was "Goodwife Bean" and Margaret Bean was one of those who organized the church of Exeter, September 21, 1698. The wife of John Bean could have been the only Margaret Bean in 1671, who was Margaret Bean and "Goodwife Bean" in 1698. She was living and a member of the church in 1705. The date of her death has yet to be found but it preceded her husband's. It was probably 1714, for John then began to make disposition of his property among his heirs. >New England Family History, v3, p486.

In 1661, the Town of Exeter granted him land.  Additional grants occurred in 1664, 1671, and 1698.  On November 30, 1677 he took the oath of allegiance to become a freeman; he was assessed in the "Province Rate" for Exeter made April 20, 1680, eight shillings and a penny; and was pound keeper the same year. John signed the New Hampshire Petition of 1689/90.

John & Margaret had eight children:

1.  John Bean (1661-1666) died at age 4.

2.  Daniel Bean (1663-1718), my eighth great grandfather.  He married Mary Fifield of Exeter, and had one son, John Bean (1688-1746), my seventh great grandfather.  John was one of 5 men who were on a scouting trip during the Indian war and were ambushed and massacred near the Turkey River garrison (currently St. Paul's School) at Rumford, N.H (now Concord) on 11 Aug 1746.  In 1837, a monument was erected in their honor at the site of the ambush (later moved a mile east of the site to in front of the Concord Hospital parking facility on Route 9).  It is called the "Bradley Monument".  More information about that year in Rumford and the Massacre (along with many other battle stories) can be found here.

"THIS MONUMENT IS IN MEMORY OF SAMUEL BRADLEY, JONATHAN BRADLEY, OBADIAH PETERS, JOHN BEAN & JOHN LUFKIN, WHO WERE MASSACRED AUGUST 11, 1746 BY THE INDIANS NEAR THIS SPOT.  ERECTED 1837, BY RICHARD BRADLEY, SON OF THE HON. JOHN BRADLEY & GRANDSON OF SAMUEL BRADLEY."

The actual massacre site was somewhere on the north side of Hopkinton Road, about a mile west of the above photo, and just north of Turkey River.  Google Earth shows a grassy mound in the right location, so this may be the site...

John's son David (1717-1770) migrated 75 miles north to Sandwich, NH, with his second cousin Mary Judkins (both David and Mary were my 6th great grandparents), and their twelve children.  David was known as the father of the Beans of all Carroll County.  All seven of David's sons of this family served in the Revolutionary War, including my 5th great grandfather David Bean of Sandwich (whose daughter was Sally Bean-Fuller, mother to my 3rd great grandfather Samuel Bean Fuller). Their home was built of logs cut while clearing the land.

3. Samuel Bean (1666-??)  No further information.

4. John Bean, Jr. (1668-1719)  No further information.

5.  Margaret Bean (1670-1766) married William Taylor and moved to Kingston, New Hampshire and had seven chidren.

6.  James Bean (1672-1753) married three times (Sarah Coleman, Sarah Bradley, and Mary Crosby), and had a total of seven children in Exeter.

7. Jeremiah Bean (1675-1727) was nicknamed "Jeremy".  He married Ruth Johnson, and had one daughter, Tabitha Bean-Elkins.

8.  Elizabeth Bean (1678-1730)  No further information.

I'm not certain, but I think that the many dozens of Bean families of Rockingham, Brentwood, Exeter, and Sandwich New Hampshire all descend from John MacBean, the prisoner of war.