David,

Jesse Buell was a farmer, journalist, state assemblyman, judge, 1836 Whig candidate for governor, and member of the board of regents. He was cofounder, in March 1834, and editor of "The Cultivator," which was adopted by the New York State Agricultural Society as its official organ.

In 1821 he "bought a farm on an elevated, sandy tract near Albany, abandoned land as he found it, but which he made one of the best farms in the State through the use of fertilizers and better tillage."

Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick, "A History of Agriculture in the State of New York" (1933; reprint, New York, Hill and Wang, 1966), p. 321.

He was born in Coventry, Conn., on Jan. 4, 1778, and died in Danbury, Conn. (where I happen to be sitting at the moment), on Oct. 6, 1939.

Birth and death dates from L. H. Bailey, ed., "Cyclopedia of American Agriculture," vol. 4 (New York: Macmillan, 1909), p. 559.

Best,
Scott Monje

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When English traveler John Fowler passed through New York State in 1830,
exploring its suitability for agriculture, he mentions not having time to
visit a model farm built in 1818 on reclaimed land by a J. Buell. The
80-acre plot was along the Cherry Valley Turnpike, near Albany. Can anyone
expand on the information? Even a first name would help.

Thanks in advance,

David Minor