James John Howard Gregory: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Line 1: {{Short description|Seed salesman and philanthropist}}
{{Infobox person
| name = James JH Gregory | image = Jame JH Gregory.png | birth_date = November 7, 1827 | birth_place = Marblehead, Massachusetts | death_date = February 20, 1910 (age 83) | death_place = Marblehead, Massachusetts | burial_place = Waterside Cemetery | alma_mater = Amherst College (1850) | known_for = Philanthropy, "Seed King", Poet, Historian | spouse = Eliza Candler Bubier (m. 1863, d. 1876) Harried Roundey (m. 1878, d. 1894) Sarah Lydia Caswell (m.1895) | children = 4 adopted children: James, Edgar, Annie, and Laura | parents = James Adams Gregory (father), Ruth Roundey Gregory (mother) | family = }} '''James John Howard Gregory''' (1827-1910) was a businessman and philanthropist from [[Marblehead, Massachusetts]]. Gregory built his wealth selling seeds via catalogues and was known as the "Seed King of [[Marblehead, Massachusetts|Marblehead]]".<ref name="wick">{{Cite web|url=https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/marblehead-reporter/2014/09/18/j-j-h-gregory-marblehead/36141003007/|title=J.J.H. Gregory, Marblehead's 'Seed King'|first=Pam|last=Peterson|website=Wicked Local}}</ref> and served in local political offices.<ref name=leg/> ==Early life==
Gregory was born in Marblehead on November 7, 1827, to James Adams Gregory and Ruth Roundey Gregory.<ref name="saveseeds"/><ref name=leg>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legendinc.com/Pages/MarbleheadNet/MM/Articles/JamesGregory.html|title=Marblehead Magazine James Gregory Article|website=www.legendinc.com}}</ref> His father worked as a Justice of the Peace and a Customs Officer in Marblehead. Gregory worked as a teacher at Marblehead Academy and the Farm School before graduating from [[Amherst College]] in 1850.<ref name="saveseeds">{{cite web |last1=Kelley Worrell |first1=Shari |last2=Lovett Gregory Kelley Flude |first2=Norma |title=James J. H. Gregory -- A Timeline of his life |url=http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/gregory/ |website=www.saveseeds.org |publisher=Victory Horticultural Library |access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref> Following graduation, Gregory worked as the principal of [[Derby Academy (Hingham)|Derby Academy]] in [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]] before going starting his own business.<ref name="saveseeds"/> ==Business career==
[[File:JHL catalog.jpg|thumb|1899 catalogue for seeds]] Gergory began his seeds business in 1854, originally working out of his home.<ref name="leg"/><ref name="saveseeds"/> According to legend, Gregory responded to an advertisement in the New England Farmer magazine looking for a good squash seed.<ref name="wick"/> Gregory sent the magazine some seeds his father had received from their neighbor Elizabeth "Marm" Hubbard. Dubbing it the Hubbard Squash, the seeds became extremely popular.<ref name="wick"/> Gregory was innovative for his time, becoming an early adopter of seed catalogues for his business, using paper envelopes to house and transport his seeds, with illustrations on the envelopes to denote what types of seeds in the envelope.<ref name="wick"/> According to the Victory Horticultural Library, Gregory developed the first [[Cherry tomato]] and was a key distributor of the Danvers onion.<ref name="saveseeds"/> He grew various vegetables and was one of the leading seed sellers in the United States.<ref name="orph">{{Cite web|url=https://www.salemnews.com/opinion/essex-county-chronicles-marbleheads-seed-king-liked-to-spread-his-wealth-around/article_988d5bd7-dbd5-57a2-82ec-443d3d56d9e0.html|title=Essex County Chronicles: Marblehead's 'Seed King' liked to spread his wealth around|first=Essex County ChroniclesJim|last=McAllister|date=June 4, 2012|website=Salem News}}</ref> As his business expanded, Gregory took a [[Food drying|fish-drying]] house from [[Gerry Island]] to 59 Elm Street in Marblehead for use as a seed drying warehouse.<ref name="saveseeds"/><ref name="wick"/> Dubbed the "Squash House", it still exists in Marblehead to this day.<ref name="wick"/> ==Political career==
Gregory was active in both local and state politics. He was elected to the [[Select board|Board of Selectmen]] in Marblehead in 1861 and 1868 and served as a [[Senate of Massachusetts|Massachusetts State Senator]] from 1876-1877.<ref name="leg"/><ref name="saveseeds"/>
==Philanthropy== Gregory was an active philanthropist, both in Marblehead and for communities across the country. He donated art to local schools and churches,<ref name="leg"/> donated land to the town which later became Fountain Park, and donated the bell and clock for [[Abbot Hall (Marblehead, Massachusetts)|Abbot Hall]] when the building became the town hall for Marblehead.<ref name="wick"/><ref name="saveseeds"/> === Marblehead Libraries === James Gregory was particularly passionate about education for [[African Americans]]. He created a traveling library service that operated in over fifty African-American schools and colleges across the South.<ref name="leg" /> This service, called the [[Marblehead Libraries]], was established in 1910.<ref name="wick" /><ref name="saveseeds" /> That same year, Gregory funded a librarian apprentice program operating out of [[Louisville Free Public Library]] in [[Louisville, Kentucky]].<ref name="saveseeds" /> That program operated until 1929.
Due to his contribution, the school was renamed the Gregory Normal School. ▲He funded [[Gregory Normal School]] for whom it was renamed,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/gregory-normal-institute|title=Gregory Normal Institute | NCpedia|website=www.ncpedia.org}}</ref> In his [[will and testament|will]], Gregory established a fund in Marblehead that would provide payment to new mothers of twins born within the year.<ref name="bequest">{{Cite news |date=1910-03-08 |title=$1,000 TO MOTHERS OF TWINS; James J.H. Gregory Makes Unique Bequest for Women of Marblehead. |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1910/03/08/104924002.html?pageNumber=1 |access-date=2023-10-15}}</ref> ==Personal life== James Gregory was married three times but never had children of his own.<ref name="leg" /><ref name="saveseeds" /> He married his first wife, Eliza Candler Bubier on December 30, 1863. With Eliza, he adopted his first three children; James, Edgar, and Annie form a South Boston orphanage.<ref name="saveseeds"/> Following Eliza's death, he adopted his second daughter, Laura.<ref name="saveseeds" /> In 1878, Gregory married Harried Roundey, who passed away in 1894. In 1895, Gregory married his third wife, Sarah Lydia Caswell. He wrote poems and collected Native American artifacts.<ref name=orph/> On February 20, 1910, Gregory passed away.<ref name="saveseeds"/> ==References== {{Reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory, James John Howard}} [[Category:People from Marblehead, Massachusetts]] [[Category:Amherst College alumni]] [[Category:Philanthropists from Massachusetts]] [[Category:1910 deaths]] [[Category:1827 births]] [[Category:Seed companies]] | |||