The Bean Puzzle Tombstone, Wellesley, ON

On the long stretch of Hutchinson Road, Wellesley, lies the The Rushes Cemetery. Although small and unassuming, this Cemetery holds a mystery that has puzzled many for over 100 years.

The Bean Puzzle Tombstone was designed by Dr. Samuel Bean in memorial of his two late wives, Hentietta (aged 23) and Susanna (aged 26). He buried them side by side and erected the curious tombstone without ever telling anyone what it meant.

As you will of seen from the ages, the marriages were unfortunately short lived. He was married to Henrietta in early 1865 and just seven months later she sadly passed.

He soon after remarried his second wife, Susanna and the pair had a daughter who they also named Susanna. Unfortunately this marriage was also brief when she passed in 1867.

Heartbroken but undeterred, Samuel moved to New York years later and remarried for a third time. Unfortunately it seems Samuel’s marriages were always doomed, as he met his watery grave after going over board on a ship to Cuba. His body was sadly never recovered, so the man who designed such an interesting tombstone never got to have one of his own.

I had a good go at it and got quite far but 45 minutes later my impatience got the better of me and I had to get a clue. I got there in the end though!

I won’t put the answer here as its fun to have a go for yourself but if you do find yourself pulling your hair out, you are welcome to email me for a clue. You can find my email here. Of course with most things you can find the answer with a quick Google search but wheres the fun in that?

Hope you had a happy Halloween and thank you for reading!