| 8. | Henderson Lewelling was born on 23 Apr 1809 in Randolph, North Carolina, USA (son of Meshach Lewelling and Jane Brookshire); died on 28 Dec 1878 in Oakland, Alameda, California, USA. Notes:
The Bing Cherry
A colorful story in American (and family) history: Henderson and Elizabeth (Presnell) Lewelling.
By Michael C. Presnell, Colonel (Retired) U.S. Army 2017
The Bing Cherry is the most popular variety of Cherry in the United States, and perhaps the world. Its fruit is sweet, juicy, heart-shaped and dark red, making it the standard by which other cherries are judged. Bing Cherries cannot be grown from seed, but instead must be grafted to create the perfect fruit. There were several trees involved in the creation of the original Bing.
Now, as Paul Harvey would say, “And now for the rest of the story…”
Henderson Lewelling, born 23 April 1809, was the son of Meschach Lewelling (1787-1840) and Jane Brookshire (1789-1835).
Elizabeth Presnell, born 18 April 1815, was the daughter of John Presnell (1778-1856) and Hannah Littler (1784-1862).
Henderson and Elizabeth were married on 30 December 1830, at Duck Creek, Henry County, Indiana, their marriage recorded in the Quaker Meeting Records.
Henderson’s older brother, Henry, was married to Elizabeth’ older sister, Rachel Presnell. Henry and Rachel were married on 08 March 1827.
In 1837, these two couples of the Lewelling brothers and Presnell sisters moved to Salem, Iowa another Quaker community in the American frontier. I can imagine it was an interesting trip to Iowa, since the first American settlers had only moved to Iowa in June of 1833 just four years earlier! It was truly a frontier at this time, and Henry and Rachel had 5 of their 10 children at that time, and Henderson and Elizabeth already had 4 of their 10 children already. Iowa was not even established as a Territory until the following year on 4 July 1838.
Having arrived Salem Iowa, Henry and Henderson opened a general merchandise store and established a small commercial nursery. Like many Quaker communities across America, there was considerable debate over the action the community should take in opposing slavery. The Quakers (Society of Friends) opposed slavery, however many members felt that they should not actively participate helping fugitive slaves to freedom. Henderson and Elizabeth attitude on this issue was certain, as they helped to establish the Abolition Friends Monthly Meeting in 1843, and split from the Salem Monthly Meeting. The Salem Monthly Meeting had disowned 50 of its members as a result.
Henderson and Elizabeth’s house in Salem Iowa is known as a most likely location for the early meetings of the Abolition Friends Meetings and very active and important location along the “Underground Railroad.” Today, their home in Salem Iowa is a museum.
Not only were the Lewelling family’s important figures in early Iowa history because of their anti-slavery activities, they are also responsible for being the first to plant fruit trees in the state. In 1837, upon their arrival, they planted 35 varieties of apples, pears, cherries, peaches, plums and other small fruits. Ten years later they would pack up their belongings (and many of their fruit trees) and hit the Oregon Trail!
Henderson and his wife Elizabeth, along with their eight children traveled in 1847 from Salem, Iowa, to Oregon with a wag of about 700 fruit trees. According to their son Alfred, the trees were in two boxes filled 12 inches deep filled with compost. The trees ranged in height from 20 inches to 4 feet. Their Iowa neighbors told him them they were crazy. Other members of the wagon train told him he was killing the oxen with such a heavy load. Even his wife Elizabeth and their daughters feared that they thought Henderson cared more for the trees than the rest of his family. All of the family members made it to Oregon, and half of the trees survived the trip.
The group that made this trip were the original settlers at Milwaukee Oregon, just south of Portland and within a few years, the Lewellings had a thriving nursery in Milwaukie on the banks of the Willamette River. He had 100,000 trees for sale at $1 to $1.50 each.
In 1850, Henderson’s younger brothers John and Seth joined him in Oregon.
On 07 March 1851, Elizabeth Presnell Lewelling died in childbirth. Five of the ten children of Henderson and Elizabeth were under the age of ten at that time, and as was customary and necessary, Henderson immediately remarried, on 27 June 1851 to Phebe Grimes.
Despite his successful business that supplied apple, cherry, and other fruit and nut trees to the orchardists of Oregon, Lewelling decided to sell off his orchards and nursery and move to California with enough trees to start another nursery.
In 1854, with son Albert and son-in-law William Meek, he bought 50 acres in the southern end of Alameda County, only to find out that the title to the property was invalid. So they uprooted the orchard and moved to 400 acres on Sausal Creek, which at the time was 5 miles from the Oakland boundary. They named their orchard Fruit Vale and graded a road, still called Fruitvale Avenue, into their property.
Again the business was a rousing success. But Lewelling was a restless soul. He had married two more times and became a widower both times. He remarried for a fourth time.
In 1857, he sold his prosperous orchard and business interest to his younger brother Seth who became the sole owner of the Lewelling Orchards. In 1875, Seth Lewelling’s orchards produced the famous Bing Cherry that is known around the world today. The Bing Cherry is named after Seth’s Chinese foreman, Ah Bing who worked at the Lewelling orchards for more than 35 years.
A Dark Turn
When Henderson sold his orchards to his brother Seth, he and a couple of partners bought a ship bound for Honduras. His purpose was to establish a utopian colony called the Harmonial Brotherhood.
Two sons and their families joined the group. He left his fourth wife behind without any means of support.
Newspapers had a field day reporting that it was to be a free-love colony. It was a disastrous adventure. He lost everything.
By 1860, he was back in California trying to start over. He did not succeed. His wife had divorced him. He was living with his in-laws. One day in December 1878, while burning the grass off a plot to plant more trees, he collapsed and died. His brother-in-law found his burning body.
Lewelling is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. His tombstone reads: "Father Pacific Horticulture."
Henderson married Elizabeth Pressnall on 13 Dec 1830 in Duck Creek. Elizabeth (daughter of John Presnell and Hannah Littler) was born on 18 Apr 1815 in Randolph, North Carolina, USA; died on 7 Mar 1851 in Milwaukie, Clackamas, Oregon, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1904 - 1977 (72 years)