Marshall P. Wilder Collection, 1848-1887

A merchant and amateur horticulturalist from Dorchester, Mass., Marshall P. Wilder was a key figure in American pomology during the mid-nineteenth century and an important supporter of agricultural education in Massachusetts. Born in Rindge, New Hampshire, on September 22, 1798, Wilder was presented at 16 with a choice of attending college, starting a farm, or working in the family store, and elected to farm. Following the death of an uncle two years later, however, he was called upon to join his father in their burgeoning wholesale business, remaining there until he set out for the larger markets of Boston in 1825. As senior partner in the firms of Wilder and Payson and Wilder and Smith, Wilder enjoyed considerable success within the city's mercantile community. In 1837, he joined Isaac Parker and Abraham W. Blanchard in the commission dry goods trade, to create a notably prosperous and long-lived firm, Parker, Blanchard, and Wilder (later Parker, Wilder and Co.).

In 1831, Wilder purchased an estate in then-suburban Dorchester from Gov. Increase Sumner where he turned to his avocation, horticulture, with extraordinary zeal. He rapidly transformed Hawthorne Grove into a model in horticultural experiment. Noted particularly for his work with camellias and azaleas, as well as flowers, Wilder experimented extensively with new cultivars, importing or developing as many as 1,200 varieties of pear, for example, including the wildly popular Bartlett from England and the Beurre d'Anjou from France. The inevitable setbacks did little to dampen his industry. Although a greenhouse fire in 1839 cost him all but two of his eight hundred camellias, Wilder had rebounded sufficiently quickly that a year later he was able to exhibit three hundred varieties to a touring group from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.

Perhaps the most notable feature of Wilder's career in horticulture was his remarkable energy and organizational capacity. A regular at horticultural fairs, he was a founding member of the New England Horticultural Society in 1829 and the Massachusetts Academy of Agriculture (a reform school for boys) in 1845, president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (1840-1848), a founder and president of the American Pomological Society (1848-1886), the Massachusetts Agricultural Club, the Norfolk Agricultural Society, and the United States Agricultural Society, among many other organizations. Outside of horticulture, he was president of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (1868-1886), an officer in the state militia in New Hampshire and later in the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and he was elected to single terms in the Massachusetts General Court (1839), the state Executive Council (1849), and the state senate, of which he predictably chosen president (1850).

Wilder's 1849 address on agricultural education before the Norfolk Agricultural Society was considered instrumental in building support for establishing an agricultural college in the Commonwealth. Although he was not the first to propose the idea of an agricultural college for Massachusetts, he may have been its most persistent advocate. To build political support for agriculture, Wilder helped establish the State Board of Agriculture in 1852 (it was first constituted unofficially the year previously), and although it was more than a decade before the college became a reality, Wilder did not flag in his support. A trustee of MAC from 1863 until 1886, Wilder was singled out for the honor of addressing its first graduating class in 1871. He was similarly important in supporting the founding of MIT, though only after William B. Rogers agreed that the college would provide instruction in pomology and horticulture.

Wilder died in Dorchester on December 16, 1886.

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The Wilder Collection consists primarily of printed works of the pomologist Marshall P. Wilder, reflecting his broad commitments to American horticulture, agricultural education, and the Massachusetts Agricultural College. Theses include strong runs of programs and president's addresses for the early meetings of the American Pomological Society and United States Agricultural Society, both of which he helped found, and most of his presidential addresses to the New-England Historic Genealogical Society. Among the miscellaneous publications are several addresses to regional agricultural societies, including his seminal 1849 address to the Norfolk Agricultural Society, and seven copies of his address to the first graduating class of Massachusetts Agricultural College.

The small number of manuscript items in the collection include a draft copy of the proposal to hold a national meeting of fruit growers -- the first meeting of what would become the American Pomological Society -- and two letters relating to gifts of books to the MAC library. Of special note is a volume of 22 watercolors by the Belgian-American artist Louis E. Berckmans (d. 1883) of pear varieties.

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Manuscripts and Miscellanea 1848-1920

illustrations of pears 1886 January 14 Watercolors, bound

22 original watercolor paintings of pears: Abbott, Howell, Philadelphia, Sheldon, Nouveau Porteau, Beurré Sterckmans, St. Michael Archange, Dunmore, Sterling, Gen. Dutilleul, Columbia, Brandywine, Walker, Beurré Pairgeau, Andrews, Lodge, Frédérica Brémer, Theodore Van Mons, Beurré d'Anjou (not finished), Gédéon Paridant, Gustave Bourgogne.

Great National Convention of Fruit Growers 1848 ADfS, 4pp.

Joint proposal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to hold a national convention of fruit growers in New York. Wilder is a representative for MHS.

to Marshall P. Wilder 1886 Jan. 3 ALS, 1p., 4pp. incl.

Re: Queen of Sillys bulb. Includes samples of 18th century New Hampshire currency printed from original plates and Civil War "shin plaster."

membership certificate for Marshall P. Wilder 1870 Feb. 9 PrDS,4pp.

Massachusetts Agricultural Club 1857 July ADS, 1p., photo [both photostat]

Document commemorating founding of club and photo of original members.

New England Historic Genealogical Society 250th Anniversary of Boston ribbon 1880 Sept. 17 1 item

Newspaper clippings 1852-1929 5 items

Miscellaneous newspaper clippings by and about Wilder

to Henry H. Goodale 1886 January 29 ALS, 3pp., bill of lading

Sending boxes of books for MAC library.

to J.C. Greenough 1886 January 14 ALS, 4pp.

Sending boxes of books for MAC library.

Printed Material 1849-1920

American Pomological Society 1849-1885

Proceedings of the North American Pomological Convention, Held at Syracuse (Syracuse: V.W. Smith, 1849) 1849

Catalogue of Fruits for Cultivation in the United States and Canadas; In Two Divisions (Boston: Sam's Chism, 1868) 1868

Address Delivered at the Fourth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: Franklin Printing House, 1856) 1856

Proceedings of the Seventh Session of the American Pomological Society (S.l.: The Society, 1858) 1858

Includes President's Address by Wilder

Address Delivered at the Eighth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: S. Chism, 1860) 1860

Address Delivered at the Ninth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: McIntire & Moutlon, 1862) 1862

Address Delivered at the Twelfth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: The Society, 1869) 1869

Address Delivered at the Thirteenth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1869) 1871

Address Delivered at the Fourteenth Session and the Quarter-Centennial Celebration of the American Pomological Society (Boston: The Society, 1873) 1873 2 copies

Address Delivered at the Fifteenth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: The Society, 1875) 1875

Address Delivered at the Seventeenth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: The Society, 1879) 1879

Address Delivered at the Nineteenth Session of the American Pomological Society (s.l.: The Society, 1883) 1883 2 copies

Address Delivered at the Twentieth Session of the American Pomological Society (Boston: The Society, 1885) 1885

Biographical Works 1871-1920

Bay State Monthly 1, 1 (1884) 1884

Includes article: John Ward Dean, "Hon. Marshall P. Wilder"

Biographies of Marshall Pinckney Wilder 1878? 2 copies

"The 'Georgics' and the Boston Maecenas" 1887 2 copies

Offprint of tribute to Wilder

Massachusetts Agricultural Club ca.1886

Memorial tribute to Wilder

Looking Back One Hundred Years From the Beginning in 1820 to the Present in the History of Parker, Wilder, & Co. (Boston: Parker, Wilder, & Co., 1920) 1920

Sketch of the Life and Services of Marshall P. Wilder (Boston: Alfred Mudge & Son, 1871) 1871

Some of the Principal Published Writings of Marshall Pinckney Wilder, 1835. 1878 1878 2 copies

Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture 1854-1874

Annual Reports 1854-1874

First Annual Report of the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture (Boston: William White, 1854) 1854

Excerpt only.

Fourth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: William White, 1857) 1857

Excerpt only.

Seventh Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: William White, 1860) 1860

Excerpt only.

Tenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1863) 1863

Excerpt only.

Seventeenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1870) 1869

Excerpt only.

Eighteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1871) 1871

Excerpt only.

Nineteenth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1872) 1872

Excerpt only.

Twenty-First Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1874) 1874

Excerpt only.

Twenty-Third Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1876) 1876

Excerpt only.

Twenty-Fifth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Rand, Avery & Wright, 1878) 1878

Excerpt only.

Thirty-Fourth Annual Report of the Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright & Potter, 1887) 1887

Excerpt only.

Proceedings of the State Board of Agriculture (Boston: White and Potter, 1853) 1853

Excerpt only.

Publications 1874-1878

Structure and Growth of Domesticated Animals: The Last Lecture Delivered Before the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture, at Fitchburg (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1874) 1874

History and Progress of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture for the First Quarter of a Century, With a Report on Fruits... (Boston: and, Avery, & Co., 1878) 1878 2 copies

Importance, Progress and Influence of Rural Pursuit: A Lecture Delivered Before the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1874) 1874 2 copies

New England Historic Geneaological Society 1879-1887

Paper on New-England Architecture (Boston: Crosby, Nichols, & Co., 1858) 1858

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1871) 1871

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1879) 1879

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, and the Other Proceedings at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1880) 1880

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, PhD., and the Other Proceedings at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1882) 1882

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, PhD., and the Other Proceedings at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1884) 1884

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, PhD., and the Other Proceedings at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1885) 1885

Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, PhD., and the Other Proceedings at the Annual Meeting of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1886) 1886

Posthumous Address of the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, PhD., President of the New-England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston: The Society, 1887) 1887

Publications by Wilder 1849-1883

Address Delivered at the Annual Exhibition of the Norfolk Agricultural Society, at Readville (S.l.: The Society, 1870) 1870

Address Delivered at the Semi-Centennial Anniversary of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, September 12, 1879 (Boston: Tolman & White, 1880) 1880

Address Delivered Before the Berkshire Agricultural Society at its Annual Exhibition (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1852) 1852

Address Delivered Before the Bristol Agricultural Society, on the Occasion of its Twenty-Sixth Anniversary (Taunton: Hall's Press, 1849) 1849

Address Delivered Before the Norfolk Agricultural Society, on the Occasion of its First Annual Exhibition, at Dedham (Boston: The Society, 1849) 1849

"American Pomological Society," Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture for the Year 1870 (Washington: GPO, 1871) 1871

Excerpt on the American Pomological Society

Historical Address Delivered Before the Massachusetts Agricultural College, on the Occasion of Graduating its First Class (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1871) 1871 7 copies

Horticulture of Boston and Vicinity (Boston: Toman & White, 1881) 1881

Lecture on the Hybridization of Plants, and the Production of New Varieties from Seed (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1872) 1872

Mr. Wilder's Address Before the Berkshire Agricultural Society, on the Occasion of Their Annual Exhibition, October 2, 1851 (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1851) 1851

United States Agricultural Society 1853-1883

Field Trials 1857-1858

First National Field Trial of Reapers, Mowers, &c., By the United States Agricultural Society, at Syracuse, N.Y. (Washington, D.C.: s.n., 1857) 1857 2 variant copies

Field Trial of Reapers, Mowers, and Harvest Implements, By the United States Agricultural Society, at Syracuse, N.Y. (Boston: Bazin & Chandler, 1857) 1857

Wilder's speech extracted, but present.

Field Trial of Reapers, Mowers, and Harvest Implements by the United States Agricultural Society (Boston: Bazin & Chandler, 1858). 1858

Excerpt of speech by Wilder

Meetings 1853-1883

First Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society, February 2, 1853. President's Address (Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo, & Co., 1853) 1853 2 copies

First National Exhibition of Horses 1853

Excerpt containing Wilder's speech only.

National Cattle Show 1854

Excerpt with Wilder's speech

National Exhibition of Cattle to be Held by the U.S. Agricultural Society at Springfield, Ohio (Springfield: The Republic Office, 1854) 1854

Second Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society, February 22, 1854. President's Address (Washington: s.n., 1854) 1854

Third Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society, February 25, 1855. President's Address (Washington: s.n. 1855) 1855

Third National Exhibition by the United States Agricultural Society to be Held in the City of Boston (Boston: Franklin Printing House, 1855) 1855

Fourth National Exhibition by the United States Agricultural Society to be Held in the City of Philadelphia (Washington: s.n., 1856) 1856

List of the Committees of Judges to Award the Prizes at the Exhibition of the United States Agricultural Society, to be Held at Philadelphia (Philadelphia: Inquirer, 1856) 1856

Opening of the Exhibition 1856

Excerpt with Wilder's address.

Fifth National Exhibition by the United States Agricultural Society to be Held in the City of Louisville (Louisville, Ky.: C. Settle, 1857) 1857

Fifth Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society 1857

Includes address by Wilder

Sixth Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society, Held at Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 1858. President's Address 1858

Premium List and Regulations of the Eighth National Exhibition of the United States Agricultural Society at Cincinnati, Ohio 1860

Proceedings of the Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society, January 14, 1880, with the Charter, Lists of the Members, and an Address to the Members (Washington: R.O. Polkinhorn 1880) 1880

Proceedings of the 31st Annual Meeting of the United States Agricultural Society, Held at Washington, D.C. (Washington, D.C.: R.O. Polkinhorn, 1883) 1883

Periodicals 1855-1862

Journal of Agriculture 7, 4 (1859) 1859

Journal of the United States Agricultural Society 2 (1855) 1855

Excerpt only.

Journal of the United States Agricultural Society 3 (1856) 1856 2 items

One complete issue, one excerpt of Wilder's speech

Monthly Bulletin of the United States Agricultural Society 1, no. 2,3, 5-11 (1858) 1858

Duplicates of nos. 5,7,10

Quarterly Journal of Agriculture 7, 1 (1859) 1859 2 copies

Quarterly Journal of Agriculture 7, 2 (1859) 1859 2 copies

Quarterly Journal of Agriculture 7, 3 (1859) 1859

Quarterly Journal of Agriculture 10, 1 (1862) 1862