The Bean family papers consists of approximately 121 items, dating from 1833 to 1962, which are arranged chronologically within alphabetical divisions. The major correspondents are Dr. Asa A. Bean (1811-1863), his wife Mary Powell Bean (1821-1898), and their children John Victor (1843-1919), James P. (b. 1847 or 1848), and Mary E. (1850?-1921). The Beans were residents of Ohio, where Dr. Bean practiced medicine and owned a small farm. The greatest part of this collection is made up of correspondence, but there are also medical notes, sick leave notes for Civil War soldiers, tickets, a leather pouch, and other related items.   The correspondence can be divided into three basic periods: pre-Civil War, war, and post-war letters. The pre-Civil War materials are primarily composed of letters from A.A. Bean to his wife during a period of separation while he was studying medicine in New York City. Here Dr. Bean details his medical training and describes New York City and the environs. The next grouping is made up of letters written by Dr. Bean and the rest of the family during his period of military service. Joining the 114th Ohio Volunteers in 1862, Bean was a hospital physician in Frederick, Maryland, and later a camp doctor in Tennessee and Mississippi. He died near Memphis in 1863. Included here is a great deal of descriptive material regarding medical treatment and life at home. The final section includes letters exchanged between the children and their mother. Much of this correspondence describes James' college life at Ann Arbor, Michigan.