Bean Brothers was a company based in Adelaide, South Australia involved in tanning, leathergoods and shipping ventures in the latter half of the 19th century.
Bean Brothers Ltd was set up by the principals to consolidate their assets and develop as wool and produce brokers.
A creditor, ex-employee Carl Schoening, charged that Mr Bean withheld cash transactions from the accounts books.
They commenced making shoe and boot uppers, and by the end of 1865 had 14 workers so engaged in King William Street, in part of the building owned by J. Clarkson & Co.[9] They moved offices to King William Street early 1867 with Arthur handling the retail trade at No.
At first they were sending consignments as regular cargo but by 1869 they were chartering ships to export the bark from Yankalilla via Normanville, South Australia for London.
[16] In 1871 they purchased and refitted the 560 ton Joshua Bates and appointed Captain Thomas Bicknell to ship bark to London with a back-cargo of timber.
[18] Other ships owned or managed by Bean Brothers were the steamer Kura, the Brigantines Nightingale and Mary Bannatyne, the brig African Maid, and schooners St. Kilda (three-masted), Prosperity, Stephen, Lady Darling, and Io.
[27] G. T. Bean was criticised for spending Adelaide and Port Darwin Sugar Company money on worthless land without due diligence, over-extending his stay in London and overspending his allowance there.
[29] Founding directors were W. B. Rounsevell, M.P., Robert Darling, J.P., of Mundoora, W. K. Simms, J.P., John Hill, Seth Ferry, F. E. Bucknall, M.P., and William Whinham of Mount Gambier with W. H. Bean as manager.
George Bean (c.1805 – 25 April 1869), tanner, founder of a tannery and grindery[33] on banks of River Torrens at Torrensville, and a "colonist of 32 years"[34] was married to Ann, who was accidentally killed on 17 September 1862[35] Among their family were: Another brother, Arthur Bate Bean, was often a partner in George's business enterprises.
[39] They had at least eight children and she died 10 June 1917[40] From some time before 1867 they lived at "Bleak House", a substantial[41] property on South Road, St Mary's.
In 1882 he was found to have acted deceptively in attempting in 1880 to persuade Miss Selina Rogers of Tusmore to sell her nearby property "Sarnia" to one Ernest Alfred Leonard of Western Australia at a price around half its market value.
[46] In 1907 he was boarding and keeping shop at 235 Forbes Street Sydney under the alias "Henry Louis Burton".
[48] Arthur's son, Walter W. Bean took over the Hindmarsh tannery and leatherware shop at 158 Rundle Street in 1898.