The following recipe appeared in the "Huntsville (Alabama) Heritage Cookbook" published in 1967:
"Virginia Simms' Bean Soup - Suggested by Mrs. Paul C. Kelly, Jr.
4 large onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 quarts water
1 carrot, chopped
1 very meaty ham hock
1.5 lbs. dried beans
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper to taste
0.5 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon salt
0.25 teaspoon basil
Several slices salami, cut in bite-size pieces
Lightly saute onions and celery in butter. Add water, carrot and ham hock, also beans which have been soaked about an hour. Add seasonings and cook slowly 4-5 hours. (Can be cooked for 30 minutes in pressure cooker, then simmered to thicken.) Remove ham hock, cut ham into bite-size pieces and return to soup. Add salami. Always serve with pumpernickel bread. This is a meal-in-a-bowl."
It sounds good to me except for the salami and pumpernickel. My alternate take would be to use smoked ham, omit the salami, and substitute cornbread baked (with just a pinch of sugar) in a cast iron skillet. Now THAT'S a meal!