Montgomery County PA Archives Biographies.....Bean, Joseph V. October 20, 1843 - 
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Joe Patterson jpatter@epix.net February 7, 2026, 3:31 pm

Source: Biographical Annals of Montgomery County Pennsylvania, T. S. Benham & Company and the Lewis Publishing Company, 1904
Author: Ellwood Roberts, Editor

JOSEPH V. BEAN, Principal Of The Chain Street And John F. 
Hartranft Public Schools Of Norristown, Was Born In 
Worcester Township, Montgomery County, October 20, 1843. He 
Is The Son Of Isaac B. And Sarah (Van Fossen) Bean, Lifelong 
Residents Of That Vicinity. They Had Four Children, Three 
Sons And One Daughter: Augustus, Deceased; Joseph V.; Jacob 
V.; And Kate V., Deceased, Wife Of Lewis Danley.

Isaac B. Bean Was A Stonemason In Early Manhood, But Having 
Lost His Hand By An Accident In 1843, He Then Learned Watch 
And Clock Making, And Later Became A General Merchant, And 
Still Later A Wheelwright And A Commercial Salesman. He Died 
In Fairview Village, In 1889, Aged Seventy-One Years. His 
Wife Survived Him Some Years, Dying In 1893, Aged 
Seventy-Five Years. Mr. Bean Was Not Identified With Any 
Religious Denomination, But His Wife Was A Mennonite. He Was 
A Stanch Republican.

The Beans Came From Wurtemberg, Germany. Jacob Bean 
(Grandfather) Married, Catherine Boyer, And Had A Large 
Family. He Was A Farmer And Was Noted In Later Life As A 
Rake Manufacturer. He Was A Mennonite. His Wife Was Also Of 
German Descent. The Great-Grandfather Was Garrett Bean, A 
Farmer By Occupation.

Joseph Van Fossen (Maternal Grandfather) Was Also Of Dutch 
Descent, A Mennonite, And Farmer By Occupation. His Wife Was 
Sarah Rittenhouse. They Had Three Sons And One Daughter.

Joseph V. Bean Was Reared On The Farm Owned By His Parents. 
His First Lessons Were Received In The District Schools. 
When He Was Ten Years Of Age He Left Home To Make His Own 
Way In The World. He Later Attended Freeland Seminary At 
Collegeville, Now Ursinus College, Until He Was Eighteen 
Years Of Age. He Then Began Clerking And Followed That 
Occupation For Some Years. When He Had Attained His 
Majority, He Commenced To Prepare Himself For The Occupation 
Of Teaching, And Took Charge Of A School In 1865, And Has 
Been So Engaged Ever Since, Excepting Two Years Which He 
Spent In Mercantile Business.

In November, 1871, He Married Miss Emma L. Rittenhouse, 
Daughter Of William R. And Elizabeth (Linderman) 
Rittenhouse. They Had One Son, Worthington R. Bean, Who Is 
Assistant Engineer In The Bureau Of Engraving And Printing 
At Washington, D. C. He Married Miss Mary Pugh. They Had Two 
Children, Mary J. And Carey, Deceased. Mrs. Emma L. Bean, 
Wife Of Joseph V. Bean, Died In 1898, Aged Forty-Nine Years.

Politically Mr. Bean Is A Republican. He Was Borough 
Councilman From The Tenth Ward One Year, Elected As A 
Republican, But Has Not Otherwise Sought Political 
Preferment, Being Devoted To The Duties Of His Calling. He 
Has Been Actively Engaged In School Work For Thirty-Five 
Years, And Is A Member Of A Number Of Teachers' 
Associations. He Has Also Taken An Active Part In Lecture 
Work, And Otherwise Been Identified With The Teachers' 
Institutes Of Montgomery County; Held Annually, Usually At 
Norristown.

Professor Bean Is The Manufacturer Of Bean's Herb Cure For 
Diarrhea, Dysentery And Indigestion, Which Is Highly 
Recommended By Those Who Have Used It, And Large Quantities 
Of It Are Sold.

He Was Prominent In Musical And Church Work For A Number Of 
Years, And Had Charge Of The Music, Which Consisted Of One 
Hundred Voices And An Orchestral Accompaniment Of 
Twenty-Five Pieces, At The Centennial Celebration Of 
Montgomery County.

Professor Bean Has Been For Twenty-Five Years Identified 
With The Schools Of Norristown, Making The Task Of 
Instructing The Young His Life Work. His Labors Have Been 
Appreciated By The Pupils With Whom He Has Come In Contact 
As Well As By Their Parents And Friends. He Came To The 
Chain Street School As Principal In 1874. His Political 
Allegiance Is Given The Republican Party And He Held The 
Office Of Councilman One Term. He Is A Member Of The Ancient 
Order Of United Workmen, Of Which He Is A Past Master, And 
He Belongs Also To The Eagleville Beneficial Society.

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