Washington Atlee Burpee (1858 - 1915)

Born 5 Apr 1858 in Sheffield, Sunbury, New Brunswick

Ancestors

Husband of Blanche T. (Simons) Burpee — married 30 Apr 1892 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 26 Nov 1915 at age 57 in Doylestown, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Aaron Gullison [send private message]

Biography

Atlee Burpee is Notable.

W. Atlee Burpee, was a pioneer in the American agriculture industry and the founder of one of America's leading seed companies.

Early Life

Washington Atlee Burpee was born April 5, 1858 in Sheffield, New Brunswick, Canada. He was a son of David Burpee and Ann Catherine "Kate" (Atlee) Burpee. The Burpee family was well known in New Brunswick. His ancestor Jonathan Burpee was one of the first English settlers in New Brunswick and a founding father of Sunbury County. His mother Kate was the daughter of a prominent family physician.

Soon after his birth, Washington's family removed from Sheffield to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his mother's birthplace and home where his father had also studied medicine. He became interested at a young age in chicken breeding. Perhaps owing to his father's background in medicine, he specifically became interested in genetics. He completed two years at University of Pennsylvania Medical School but did not complete his studies, much to his father's chagrin.

Early Business Years

His father was anxious for young Atlee to follow in his footsteps, however Atlee was more interested in the infant field of genetics and agriculture. Atlee exchanged correspondence with breeders in England on breeding techniques as a teenager and many were astounded to later discover Atlee's young age.

The Centennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia in 1876, the first official world's fair to be held in the United States. This was a time of great optimism in America, although a great deal of rebuilding still had to be done from the Civil War which had occurred only a decade earlier. America was expanding westward. The railroad was building as the industrial revolution changed America and American agriculture. It was a fertile time for the beginning of a new enterprise.

Atlee started a mail-order chicken business at the age of 16 with a loan of $1000 from his mother. His name became well known throughout the state agricultural community and his business was very well received. His catalogs were widely distributed among the connections he had made, both in his youth and at the 1876 exposition. He eventually diversified into dogs, hogs, sheeps, goats and even calves.

Expansion into Seeds

There are a couple of stories regarding why Burpee expanded into the seed business, both having to do with customer demand. Seeds were smaller and easier to deliver. There was also demand among European immigrants, who longed to grow familiar varieties from home. Seeds became a larger and larger part of his business, and he made a regular habit of travelling extensively through Europe looking for new seeds. He was capable of taking seed types from Europe, which is considerably further north that most of the United States, and adapting them to warmer climates, leading to great success and widespread adoption in the expanding U.S. agriculture sector.

He bought a farm at Doylestown, Pennsylvania in 1888 and called it Fordhook. Fordhook Farm became a place where he experimented with new agricultural techniques and seed types. He was obsessed with improvement and innovation. The W. Atlee Burpee seed company always guaranteed quality, and replaced seeds if expected results were not delivered within one year of purchase. By the 1890s, W. Atlee Burpee Seed company was the largest seed company in the world.

Atlee Burpee eventually owned three farms: Fordhook at Doylestown, Pennsylvania; Swedesboro in Gloucester County, New Jersey and Floradale in Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California. He was the author of several books on agriculture during his lifetime . Upon his death, his son David took over the family business. The legacy lives on in the W. Atlee Burpee Seed Company which still exists today.

Personal Life and Family

In 1892, he would marry Blanche T. Simons in Philadelphia.^[1]

Atlee and Blanche had the following known children:

• David Burpee 1893-1980
• Washington Atlee Burpee Jr. Oct 1894-1966
• Stuart Alexander Burpee 1901-1934

Death and Legacy

W Atlee Burpee passed away Nov 29, 1915 at Doylestown and is interred at the Doylestown Cemetery.^[2]

His will was filed in Santa Barbara, California.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Indexes, 1885-1951", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JJFQ-15D : 19 December 2020), Washington Atlee Burpee and Simons, 1892.
2. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #8442, Washington Atlee Burpee
3. ↑ W. Atlee Burpee Filed Will Wednesday The Lompoc Record (Lompoc, California) 14 Sep 1917, Fri • Page 1

• Legacy of W. Atlee Burpee, W. Atlee Burpee Seed Company
• "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24F-8MRC : 4 October 2016), W Atlee Burpee, 1891; citing Passport Application, Pennsylvania, United States, source certificate #, Passport Applications, 1795-1905., 365, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,497,787.
• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M37D-B6G : accessed 1 September 2017), W Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia city Ward 9, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 164, sheet 6A, family 88, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,455.
• Florida, Knights Keys Passenger Lists, 1908-1912, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29Z-1QXG : 8 February 2016), Washington Burpee, 1909; citing Immigration, Knights Key, Monroe, Florida, United States, Ship A W Perry, NARA microfilm publication A3371. Washington, D.C.: (National Archives and Records Administration, 2001.); FHL microfilm 100,601,647.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGDZ-HRX : accessed 1 September 2017), Atlee W Burpee, Doylestown, Bucks, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 18, sheet 6B, family 117, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1319; FHL microfilm 1,375,332.
• Whistles Hushed For Burpee part 2 Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas) 10 Dec 1915, Fri • Page 9

See also:

• Wikipedia: Washington Atlee Burpee
• Wikidata: Item Q7971666
• Geni profile