Hidden among the quiet gravestones of Rushes Cemetery in Wellesley, Ontario, lies one of Canada’s most enigmatic memorials—a tombstone that puzzled visitors for over a century. Known as the Bean Puzzle Tombstone, this curious artifact is more than just a tribute to two lost lives; it’s a cryptic love letter carved in stone.
🧩 A Mystery Etched in Marble
In 1867, Dr. Samuel Bean, a physician and preacher, commissioned a headstone for his two young wives—Henrietta and Susanna—who had died just two years apart. But instead of a traditional epitaph, Bean had a grid of letters engraved on the stone, resembling a crossword puzzle. No one knew what it said. And before he could reveal the secret, Bean tragically drowned after falling overboard a sailboat, taking the meaning of the inscription with him.
For decades, curious minds tried to crack the code. Visitors took grave rubbings, traced letters, and attempted every reading pattern imaginable—diagonal, spiral, vertical—but came up blank.
👵 The Breakthrough
It wasn’t until the 1970s that the mystery was finally solved. A 94-year-old woman living in a nearby retirement home deciphered the message by starting at the seventh character of the seventh row and reading in a spiral pattern. What she uncovered was a deeply personal and poetic tribute:
“In memoriam Henrietta, 1st wife of S. Bean, M.D. who died 27th Sep. 1865, aged 23 years, 2 months and 17 days and Susanna his 2nd wife who died 27th April, 1867, aged 26 years, 10 months and 15 days, 2 better wives 1 man never had, they were gifts from God but are now in Heaven. May God help me, S.B., to meet them there.”
🗿 Preserving the Legacy
Time and weather wore down the original marble stone, but in 1982, a granite replica was installed to preserve the puzzle and its story. Today, the Bean Puzzle Tombstone remains a beloved piece of Ontario’s heritage, drawing history buffs, cryptographers, and romantics alike.
✍️ Why It Matters
This tombstone isn’t just a quirky historical footnote—it’s a testament to grief, devotion, and the human desire to leave behind something meaningful. Dr. Bean’s puzzle reminds us that even in death, love can be encoded in mystery, waiting patiently for someone to understand.
