Almost Burned at the Stake

In a prior blog entitled The First White Settlers in Tennessee, I noted that my 6^th great-grandparents William Bean’s (1721-1782) and Lydia “Liddy” Russell Bean’s (1726-1788) lives had been thoroughly documented as the first white settlers in Tennessee. The previous blog was about William. This time, I am going to tell you about Lydia.

Lydia was born in Pennsylvania, married William in 1740 in Virginia, and was the mother of 12 children. In 1764 Lydia and William moved from Virginia to South Carolina; and then, in 1769, moved to what is known today as Tennessee, settling in the Watauga settlement.

County where Watauga settlement was located

As is usual with the westward migration of settlers, the native Indians were less than welcoming to those encroaching onto their territory. The Native American tribe in the Watauga settlement area was Cherokee whose chief was called “Old Abraham.” In 1769, the Cherokee attacked the Watauga settlement. However, prior to the attack, most of the local settlers had made it to the safe confines of Ft. Watauga – all thanks to being forewarned by Nancy Ward, a Cherokee, also known as “Beloved Woman of the Cherokees”:  The title designated her high status within the tribe.

Typical settlers' fort

Nancy Ward

Instead of immediately seeking shelter at the fort, Lydia decided to try to save her cattle and taking the risk of driving them to the fort. However, the Cherokee raiders caught up with her and a fellow settler, Samuel Moore (who had not gotten to the fort in time). Outside of the walls of the fort, Moore, was burned to death. The warriors then retreated to their village of Echota with Lydia in tow. Their plan was to burn Lydia Russell at the stake. However, Nancy Ward, who happened to be at the village, As one source states, “Suddenly Nancy Ward pushed through the crowd and scattered the burning brands with her bare hands. She announced that while she served as Beloved Woman, no white captive would be burned in the peace town of Echota.” Nancy took in Lydia and nursed her back to health from the injuries Lydia had received. 

saved her from that fate.

Lydia ended up staying at the Indian village for over a month. While there, Lydia taught the women how to set up a loom, spin yarn, and weave cloth. The woven cloth that Lydia introduced to them was far superior to what they had been using. The tribe, at this point in time, had been wearing traditional hide clothing and rough hemp clothing bought from traders. 

During this period of time, Nancy and Lydia developed a strong friendship. After her release, Lydia would return to the village with her dairy cattle in order to teach Nancy and the other women of the Indian village how to prepare and use dairy products.

Lydia and Nancy helped to change the relationship between the settlers and the Indians. However, they alone could not stop the Indian raids. Lydia’s brother George Russell (1720-1796) was killed by Indians while on a hunting trip in Grainger County, Tennessee, in 1796 (the same year she was captured by the Indians); and her daughter Jane Bean (1766-1799) was killed and scalped in 1798, while working outside on her loom.

Lydia Russell Bean is my 6^th great-grandmother; her brother George Bean is my 7^th great-uncle; and her daughter Jane Bean is my 6^th great-aunt.

Location of Ft. Watauga/Settlement

The First White Settlers in Tennessee

It is not often we have an ancestor who has been thoroughly and historically documented. I am fortunate to have 6^th great-grandparents (and their immediate descendants) – William Bean (1721-1782) and Lydia Russell Bean (1726-1788) – whose frontier life in Tennessee has been thoroughly examined.

William and Lydia are known as the first permanent European-American settlers in what is today Tennessee.  William was of Scottish descent, and Lydia was of English descent. They were both born in Virginia, a crown colony, and married in 1741.

Daniel Boone was no stranger to the Bean Family, having hunted before with members of William Bean’s family. Both were frontiersmen and longhunters.

Longhunter - Google image

William Bean was a known associate of Daniel Boone and a fellow longhunter. A longhunter was an 18th-century explorer and hunter who made expeditions into the American frontier wilderness for as much as six months at a time, collecting animal skins and drying meat to sell in the colonies. Most “long hunts” started near Chilhowie, Virginia (found in the southwest corner of the state). The hunters were, for the most part, land owners. They would be gone for as much as six months at a time, usually over winter. The information gathered by the longhunters were critical in the early settlement of Tennessee and Kentucky.  Many times, the long- hunters would be employed by land surveyors and to guide settlers into the new lands. [1]

Grainger County Tennessee Historic Society

The picture to the right shows two hunters standing together looking over a valley below Clinch Mountain. The men depicted are supposed to be William Bean and Daniel Boone. The hunters were looking for fresh water and a place to camp for the night. Both men liked the valley because of its wildlife, fertile soil, and tall timber. 

In 1769, William built a cabin close to the junction of Boone's Creek and the Watauga River, near what is today Johnson City, Tennessee. Bean had visited the site with Boone when they were exploring as agents for Richard Henderson, a land speculator who later played an important role in the early settlement of Tennessee. [2] Later that year, Russell Bean, the first child of permanent European-American settlers was born in Tennessee, was born there. [3] The location of the Bean cabin became important in the development of the area. Major roads (highways 25E and 11W) came through the location that became known as Bean Station.

Google image

William was considered one of the best gun makers of his time. His sons inherited his talent. Together they founded a dynasty of gunsmiths, horseshoes, wedding rings, well pumps, and many other items that were all done in the Bean’s blacksmith shop in Bean Station.

As we can imagine, frontier life was not easy – it was dangerous. One of William’s daughters, Judy Bean, was killed by Cherokee Indians; and his wife, Lydia, was captured by Indians. She was later released. However, those are stories for another time.

Today's view from the top of Clinch Mountain - Google Image

[The Bean family is my biological family.]

[1] - Hamilton, Emory L. Historical Sketches of Southwest Virginia 5: The Long Hunters. Historical Society of Southwest Virginia, 1970.

[2] Grady, J.A. William Bean, Pioneer of Tennessee, and Hist Descendants. Grady, 1973. 

[3] William Bean's Cabin - 1A5 | Tennessee Historical sign. www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.