My father's name was MARCELLUS BEAN. He was born 6 November 1867 at Provo, Utah County, Utah. My mother's name was JOHANNA CAROLINE EDMAN. She was born 6 September 1867 at Provo, Utah. They were married in the Manti Temple the 12 March 1890 at Manti, Sanpete County, Utah.

MY PARENTS
My mother was of medium build and a little on the heavy side. She had brown hair until her family was born when it became a gray color and stayed so most of the rest of her life. She had very little formal education, going only to about the third grade. She had lots of useful experiences throughout her life. She learned from her mother how to cook, sew and quilt. Her baking powder biscuits were my favorite and they rose so high. I have never known anyone to make those biscuits like my mother. She would make gravy from the meat drippings and have those biscuits and that dish was my favorite as a child.
{JOHANNA & MARCELLUS BEAN Picture}

Mother was always kind and considerate of others and helping with sick neighbors whenever she could. I can't ever remember receiving a spanking from her but I did know when she meant business. I recall going swimming with a bunch of boys one day and I didn't tell her. We were gone most of the day. For our dinner we stole some corn from a patch near by and roasted it over a fire. When I finally came home she scolded me very sharply. That was much worse to me than a spanking. It hurt so much more. I would have preferred a good threshing. Anyway, I learned my lesson and never did anything like that again.

She always wore long dresses, even in her later years when the fashions had shortened somewhat. I don't remember her ever wearing a pair of slacks. She was a lady and we as children respected her.

{JOHANNA EDMAN BEAN Picture}

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She did most of the washing by hand in a tub with a scrubbing board as the family grew up until the hand turning wash machine came along. I remember turning this handle to wash the clothes and I did hate that job.

Mother always made people welcome at our home. My cousins would almost rather be at our home than their own. Mother was so kind to them and made them feel comfortable.

She churned all her own butter, first in a butter churn where a plunger went up and down; then they got one that had a handle that turned. She would raise her own cream by letting milk set in large flat pans. The cream would rise to the top, then be skimmed off and churned. She used to get angry with me for skimming some of the cream to put on bread with sugar. Once the cream was churned, she would then wash it thoroughly, then she would work it and work it, adding a little salt. It would then be pressed into a pound press. The finished butter would be taken to the grocery store to exchange for needed groceries. The secret to good butter like mother made was the thorough washing and working she gave it.

She was always a faithful Relief Society attender. She loved to quilt and associate with the ladies. She made many quilts over the years for her children and grandchildren.

She and father had a good marriage relationship. They were not demonstrative with their affection but as children we knew they loved one another.

She was brought up in rather poor circumstances and learned to work hard. She went to work for a lady once who had a new baby. She cooked, washed, scrubbed floors, and did whatever else needed done for 50 cents a week. I believe mother worked for Grandmother Bean for a period of time in her home and that is where she met father.

Father had a pleasing personality. He liked lots of humor and had a dry wit. He appreciateed good clean jokes. He stood in stature about 5 feet 11 inches tall. He was of a slender build He enjoyed eating until his later life when he couldn't enjoy food. His hair thinned out over the years but he never did lose all of it and become bald.

He enjoyed his children and played games with them often. One of my fond memories as a child was listening to him sing songs to us. He would go on sometimes for verse after verse in the evenings. The songs told stories which fascinated us.

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During his early married life he was out shocking grain and ran a beard of an oat head into his left eye. The eye became infected and had to be removed. A glass eye was put in its place which was hardly noticeable and which he wore for the rest of his life.

He loved horses and liked to have good ones and to drive them in good harnesses. He always fed his animals well. His policy was that if he could not afford to feed his animals he didn't want them around. He spent much of his early life with cattle and sheep helping his father, James Addison Bean.

With his team of horses he got a job hauling gravel for the city of Provo until all the streets were covered. Then he combined his team with that of a neighbor and they hauled freight up to the Strawberry Dam as it was being built. (This would have been about 1913-14 as the Dam was completed in 1915.) Supplies of all sorts went on their wagon. Dad would go one week and the neighbor the next, using all four horses and taking three days or so for the round trip. He never took any of us kids with him as he said the trip was too dangerous. Then he and the neighbor split the profits, whatever there was.

Dad was never much of a church goer. He was a humble man and did not like to be in front of people. I always felt that he did have a strong testimony, however.

My parents were always supportive of the General Authorities and tried to follow their council.

He went through most of the grades of school. He was good in figures and a good reader. He spent much of his time in later years reading. He also liked to listen to the radio during these years.

In his political affiliation he was a Republican and would get quite exercised over some of the issues of the day.

I never remember my parents going out together on a date as we grew up. I'm sorry to say that I didn't do it enough with my wife either.

{PICTURE: PROVO FIFTH WARD, Fourth East on Third North}
As a family we attended the Fifth Ward of Provo. It was not far from our home. Some of the family would be there every Sunday.

The Fifth Ward was organized in 1902. It was in the Utah Stake. It encompassed all of north east section of Provo at that time; all that part of the city north of 7th and east of University: Ave. The chapel was on 3rd North between 3rd and 4th East streets.