Dover Quarterly Meeting: Some Rhymed Reminiscences of Joel Bean

DOVER QUARTERLY MEETING: SOME RHYMED REMINISCENCES OF JOEL BEAN With an Introductory Note by Anna Brtnton* Joel Bean (1825-1924) born on a New Hampshire farm, was descended from several generations of New England Friends. Throughout his long life he was student, farmer, teacher, writer, and, above all, minister of the gospel. Religious visits took him to many parts of this continent, over unbroken prairies to visit new meetings, through Arkansas, Tennessee, the Carolinas, up and down the West Coast and again and again to New England and Pennsylvania. With his wife, Hannah E. Bean of Philadelphia, also a teacher and a gifted minister, he visited, in the 1860's, the Hawaiian Islands, "that loveliest fleet that lies anchored in any ocean," to which they were to return again and again in later life. Ten years later Joel and Hannah Bean paid a religious visit to Friends in Great Britain and Ireland. This memorable experience brought deepened realization of the spiritual truth and of the power of the distinctive principles of the Society of Friends. Lifelong friendships developed which were kept alive through stimulating correspondence. Their home and school in West Branch, Iowa, were a center of intellectual and religious life. In the 1880's Joel Bean and his family removed to California where at College Park, not far from San Francisco, the first independent meeting was established. This meeting welcomed in membership persons who retained connection with all the branches of the Society of Friends. It also included persons of other religious affiliations. Here, as elsewhere, Joel and Hannah Bean were the center of a congenial and active group of Friends. The following verses form part of a rhymed chronicle entitled "Recollections of Childhood," written by Joel Bean for his daughters. When the harvest was housed in the fall of the year, And October's rich tintings began to appear, We were happy a fifty mile journey to take By the skirts of the mountains and shores of the lake, To Sandwich, where the Quarterly meeting was held Amid beauties of scenery never excelled. * Anna Brinton, formerly Executive Director of Pendle Hill, is a granddaughter of Joel Bean. These verses were communicated to the Editor by Herbert C. Jones of San José, California. Readers of the Bulletin will be reminded of Charles F. Jenkins' "Quarterly Meeting at Gwynedd" in our Spring Number. 100 Notes and Documents101 On the way we joined others at Wolfboro Bridge, From Dover and Berwick and New Durham Ridge, From Farmington, Chestnut Hills, Rochester Plains, Till we formed a procession of long carriage trains. As near to the end of the day's drive we drew, A landscape most charming attracted our view: On neighboring hills twin villages were seen, The meeting house stood in the valley between, The woodlands with brilliance of color were crowned, And mountains in majesty circled around. The Friends of the town for their guests were prepared, Choicest comforts and company freely were shared, In families reared where "the strength of the hills" Were blest with the dew that from Heaven distills. The Hoags and Meaders and Budes and Frys, Varneys, Peaslees, and others to memory rise Whose virtuous habits and vigorous toil Drew out of that rocky ungenerous soil The means to build homes of the purest and best; Such as studded New England and dowered the West; And characters strong, whose descendants have shed An influence far o'er our continent spread. When the Meeting assembled, the large house was filled, To reverent worship the concourse was stilled. The house of the Lord was a temple of prayer, And the Master Himself was the minister there With the gifts of His Spirit His servants were stirred, And lips were anointed to utter the Word. To the Quarter in winter the long files of sleighs To Rochester wended through drifted highways. At Dover, the meeting convened in the Spring But that which the largest assemblies would bring Was the one at North Berwick, in summer-days held. When the mowing and reaping were done in the field, And the holiday rest was a holy day feast, And thanks-giving for blessings and bounties increased. 102Bulletin of Friends Historical Association...