Joel Bean (December 16, 1825 – 1914) was a Quaker (

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

) minister whose name has been associated with a branch of Quakerism that some label " Beanite." Bean was born in

Alton, New Hampshire Alton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,894 at the 2020 census, up from 5,250 at the 2010 census. It is home to Alton Bay State Forest and Mount Major State Forest. The primary settlement in town, ...

. His parents are John and Jill Bean. He attended Friends Boarding School in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He moved to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

in 1853, where he taught school in West Branch. Bean met Hannah Elliot Shipley (1830–1909) from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, during a trip she took to Iowa. In 1859 they got married at the Orange Street Meeting House in Philadelphia and settled back in West Branch. They visited the Sandwich Islands (

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

) from 1861 to 1862 as Quaker ministers. Joel was appointed clerk of the Iowa Yearly Meeting (Iowa Yearly Meeting) in 1867, and the couple went on a ministry tour of Europe from 1872 to 1873. When they returned from the trip to Europe the Beans learned of the revival that had been springing up among Friends in Iowa. The revivalists insisted that people need to be " saved" and " entire sanctified", beliefs that were taught by the early Friends in some form, including

George Fox George Fox (July 1624 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 13 January 1691 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English Dissenters, English Dissenter, who was a founder of the Quakers, Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as t ...

. The revivalists brought programmed (planned) worship, more emotional worship, and paid pastors into their meetings; the Beans disagreed with these things and eventually started their own association of Friends, with their beliefs becoming known as Beanite Quakerism. Joel died in Hawaii in 1914, and Hannah died in California in 1909.

Religion

The Beans at first had welcomed the revival movement, believing that it was bringing life into the Society of Friends. But they saw that as it progressed it was departing from such Quaker ideas as the universality of the

Inward light Inward light, Light of God, Light of Christ, Christ within, That of God, Spirit of God within us, Light within, and inner light are related phrases commonly used within the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) as metaphors for Christ's light ...

, the need for spiritual discipline and gradual growth rather than instant perfection, silent meetings for worship to wait on direct and personal guidance from God, and volunteer lay ministers and elders. Even though the Beans opposed the

holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...

, they would not join a group of Conservative Friends who left the Iowa Yearly Meeting in opposition to that movement. They disliked division and did not want to be part of it. After moving to

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, for the sake of Joel's health and meeting with other Friends there who had been a part of the Iowa Yearly Meeting, they helped to establish the College Park Association of Friends. Then in 1893 the Iowa Yearly Meeting deposed them as ministers and in 1898 disowned (expelled) them from membership altogether. Many Quakers in England and New England were shocked and unhappy about the Beans’ disownment, as the Beans, in their eyes, had proven themselves devout Friends and apt ministers. The New England Yearly Meeting accepted them as members and as ministers. Joel and Hannah Bean's granddaughter Anna Cox Brinton was influential in the development of the Pacific Yearly Meeting from the earlier College Park Association.

References

External links

Biographical notes
*Th
Joel and Hannah Bean Papers
held a
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bean, Joel American Quakers People from Alton, New Hampshire People from San Jose, California 1825 births 1914 deaths Quaker ministers 19th-century Quakers 20th-century Quakers People from West Branch, Iowa Olney Friends School alumni