AV 136 Livingston Seed Company Collection

              AV 136
Livingston Seed Company Collection
Page 1
OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Manuscripts/ Audiovisual Collections
AV 136
Livingston Seed Company Collection
1891- 1940s
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Number:
AV 136
Title:
Livingston Seed Company Collection
Creator:
Livingston Seed Company
Dates:
1891- 1940s
Media:
Photographic prints, catalogs, safety film negatives and nitrate negatives
Quantity:
3.16 Cubic feet
Location:
Ohio Historical Center
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE COLLECTION
Alexander W. Livingston was born in1822, near Reynoldsburg, Ohio. He grew up on a farm and developed an interest in seeds and plants as a child. Livingston married Matilda Dickey Graham and they had ten children. In 1852, Livingston purchased seventy acres of land near Reynoldsburg where he developed A. W. Livingston Buckeye Seed Gardens. The seed business quickly prospered. Livingston spent decades breeding his " Paragon" tomato. Tomato varieties existed before Livingston, but they were small fruits with a sour taste. Livingston's " Paragon" was much larger and had a sweeter taste. Livingston eventually developed more than thirty varieties of tomatoes. His work helped to make tomatoes one of the most popular garden vegetables. He passed away in 1898. The Livingston Seed Company still operates as a wholesale seed business in Columbus, Ohio. His hometown of Reynoldsburg claims to be " The Birthplace of the Tomato" and holds an annual Tomato Festival.
Sources:
" Alexander W. Livingston." Ohio History Central Online Encyclopedia. 2005. Online. Internet. 12 June, 2007. [ URL: http:// www. ohiohistorycentral. org/ entry. php? rec= 2654]