First Fruits

First Fruits offers a fascinating look at the lives of Pacific Coast horticulturists Henderson, Jonathan, and Seth Lewelling. Traveling across the Overland Trail—Henderson to Oregon in 1847, with a wagonload of fruit trees, and Seth and John to California three years later—the brothers would establish themselves as pioneers in the West’s growing fruit industry. By recounting how Henderson planted the first orchard of grafted fruit trees in Oregon, how Seth originated the Black Republican and Bing cherries, and how John led the development of the Napa Valley wine industry, First Fruits preserves the Lewellings’ place in history.

However, the Lewellings were not simply planters, grafters, and breeders. They were also adventurers, colonists, gold seekers, reformists, and explorers—experiencing firsthand the westward expansion of the nation. Their stories provide a unique glimpse into the social, economic, and political history of the day. From their Quaker upbringing in North Carolina and Indiana to Henderson’s attempt to start a utopian colony in Honduras, John’s efforts to grow the Grange in California, and Seth’s contribution to democratic reforms in Oregon, the Lewellings’ legacy extends beyond their agricultural endeavors.

In the first biography to reclaim the brothers’ histories, Linda Ziedrich splendidly captures their dedicated support of one another and their communities, their contributions to the development of the modern fruit industry, and their lasting influence on the cultivation of fruits synonymous with the Pacific Coast region.

“Ziedrich brings the Lewelling family to life in this enjoyable biography of the family’s migration across the continent. Their story reflects the complex political and religious views of mid-nineteenth-century America. Readers will be surprised by the many important contributions the brothers made to the fruit and wine industries of the West Coast.” —Amanda L. Van Lanen, author of The Washington Apple: Orchards and the Development of Industrial Agriculture

“First Fruits is a painstakingly detailed historical account of three brothers, who, skilled in the propagation and growth of fruit trees, pioneered their businesses and ever-burgeoning families westward in the 1800s. Though the Lewellings initiated their western travels for personal reasons, their Quaker principles certainly influenced the establishment of today’s American ideals of freedom, commerce, leadership, and governance across the country. Henderson’s, Seth’s, and John’s legacies live on within the bountiful fruit crops now produced throughout the western United States.” —Kim E. Hummer, retired USDA ARS Research Leader, National Clonal Germplasm Repository