ORIGIN OP PEACH INDUSTRY IS TOLD IN INTERVIEW BY LEWIS HUMPH TO MACON MAH
Famous E lb e r ta V a rie ty was Named f o r W ife o f Samuel Rumph by M rs. L . E. Veal
a t a P a rty H eld y e a rs back
By A lb e r t S . H a tch e r
(From In te rv ie w w ith Lewis A. Rumph)
The r e c e n t d e a th o f Samuel H. Rumph, o f M a r s h a llv ille , G a ., t h e a c c r e d ite d
founder o f th e pe&oh in d u s tr y a s a commercial f a o t o r , h a s prom pted numbers o f
a r t i o l e s in v a rio u s new spapers o v e r th e c o u n try e n d ea v o rin g t o g iv e a h i s t o r y
o f th e o r i g i n o f th e E lb e r ta and G eo rg ia B e lle p e a a h e s , t h e f i r s t c o sta e ro ia l
v a r i e t i e s , b u t th e w r i t e r s o f none o f th e s e a r t i o l e s seem t o have had a c c e s s t o
th e r e a l f a c t s in th e o a s e .
Being i n a p o s itio n to o b ta in f i r s t - h a n d in fo rm a tio n in th e m a tte r , I
decided to w r i t e t h i s a r t i c l e from a p e rs o n a l in te r v ie w w ith Lewis A* Rumph,
sho i s an u n c le and n o t a b r o th e r o f Samuel H. Rumph.
( I t m ig h t be w e ll to
say by way o f p a r e n th e s is a t t h i s tim e , t h a t Lewis A. Humph and Samuel H.
Rumph were b o m in th e same house and b o th h av in g l o s t t h e i r f a t h e r s when th e y
were boys w ere r a is e d by widowed m o th ers in th e same h o u seh o ld and w ere so
c lo se ly a s s o c ia te d a l l th ro u g h l i f e t h a t a g r e a t many p e o p le , e x c e p t r e l a t i v e s
and th e d o s e n e ig h b o rs , to o k i t f o r g ra n te d t h a t th e y w ere b r o t h e r s . )
Now,
as to th e tr u e in c id e n ts o f th e o r i g i n o f th e peach in d u s tr y , th e y a r e as
follows t
In th e y e a r 1857, I . C. P la n t, who was engaged in p r i v a t e ban k in g in th e
C ity o f Macon, G a ., was c a l l e d on by a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f a D elaw are n u rs e ry
from whom Mr. P la n t p u rc h a se d a n a s s o rtm e n t o f s e le c te d v a r i e t i e s o f budded
peaoh t r e e s , known a s C hinese K lin g , E a r ly C raw ford, L a te C raw ford, Mixon F re e ,
T illo ts a n and Stump th e W orld.
Mr. P la n t s e n t th e e e t r e e s t o h i s f r i e n d . C olonel
Lewis Rumph ( f a th e r o f Samuel H. Rumph), whose farm and home was th r e e m ile s
e a s t o f M a r s h a llv ille , Ga.
A ll o f th e s e t r e e s , C o lo n el Rumph s e t o u t in h i s
-3 —
Soon Had O rchard*
A f te r t h i s s u o o e s s f u l e x p e rie n c e (b e a r in mind th e r e m s
no ioe o r r e f r i g e r a t i o n in th o s e d a y s ) , Mr. Runph m s convinced t h a t s h ip p in g
E lb e rta peaches m s a com m ercial p o s s i b i l i t y , so he p ro ceed ed t o bud th e
"E lb e rta " i n t o h i s n u rs e ry s to c k o f p each s c io n s and soon h ad a grow ing o rc h a rd
o f " B lb e rta a " f o r com m ercial p u rp o se s on h i s W illow Lake farm*
(F o r y e a rs
Samuel H. Runph had been p r o p r ie to r o f a n u rs e ry on h i s farm id iio h h e s ty le d
"Willow Lake lf u r s e r y ." )
S e v e ra l y e a rs a f t e r t h e W illow Lake o rc h a rd was s e t o u t a lm o st in th e
c o rp o ra te l i m i t s o f F o r t V a lle y , Ga. , w ith n u r s e r y s to o k from W illow Lake,
a n o th e r o rc h a rd f o r com m ercial p u rp o s e s ,
H ence, th e f i r s t peaches sh ip p e d to
th e m arket front F o r t V a lle y , G a ., w ere grown by Samuel H. Rumph, h av in g a s a
p a rtn e r i n t h i s o rc h a rd C a p ta in John Jam es, o f F o r t V a lle y , Qa.
At t h i s tim e , th e o ld o r i g i n a l C hinese C lin g , p a r e n t o f th e " E lb e r ta " , d on ated
by I . C . P l a n t , was s t i l l i n good b e a r in g , though g e t t i n g t o b e an o ld t r e e
and Lewis A* Rumph, son o f C olo n el Lewis Runph, p la n te d se e d from same, from
which came an e x c e l l e n t p e a c h , l i g h t e r in o o lo r and f i n e r in t e x t u r e , o f th e
fre e s to n e v a r i e t y , which H r. Rumph named "G eo rg ia B e lle " f o r h i s w if e ’ s h a l f s i s t e r , M rs. B e lle H a ll (w ife o f D r. Roland B. H a l l , o f Macon, G a .) .
T h is
peach, from th e tim e o f i t s o r i g i n , to o k i t s p la c e a lo n g w ith i t s s i s t e r p each ,
the " E lb e r ta " , a s a com m ercial f a v o r i t e and h o ld s t h i s e n v ia b le p o s itio n to d a y .
O rig in a te d E l b e r t a .
I t w i l l be n o te d t h a t th e " E lb e rta " and "G eo rg ia B e lle "
both came from se e d from th e C hinese C lin g , d o n a ted by I . C. P l a n t , and t h a t
th e " E lb e rta " was o r ig i n a te d b y Samuel H. and th e "G eo rg ia B e lle " by Lewis A.
Runph.
The o ld hom estead i n which b o th th e Rumphs w ere b o rn and grew to manhood
to g e th e r and th e farm s w hich th e y a tte n d e d a r e s t i l l in good r e p a i r and th e
farms p ro d u c tiv e .
The s i t e o f t h e p a re n t " E lb e rta " and "G eo rg ia B e lle " tr e e *
a re marked w ith an u n p re te n tio u s w h ite p o s t.
-4 Soae day th e b ir t h p la o e o f th e s e two peaches which have h e ra ld e d th e fane
of G eorgia aro u n d th e m srld and made an in d u s tr y o f such la r g e p ro p o rtio n s
and w ealth f o r many w i l l d o u b tle s s b e marked b y a more e n d u rin g monument th a n
a mere w h ite p o s t .
The C hinese C lin g d o n ated by I . C. P la n t t o C olonel Lewis
Humph, in th e y e a r 1857, a s m entioned i n th e o u t s e t o f t h i e a r t i c l e , grew t o
be a f in e specim en o f a t r e e and li v e d a b o u t t h i r t y y e a r s .
Ho mark in d ic a te s
the s p o t w here t h i s t r e e grew .
The Lewis Humph ho m estead ,' t h r e e m ile s e a s t o f H a r s h a l l v i l l e , G a ., on which
the peach in d u s tr y came t o b i r t h , i s s t i l l i n p o s s e s s io n o f th e Humph fa m ily .
The hom estead was s e t t l e d in a b o u t th e y e a r 1030 by C o lo n el Lewis Humph, b o rn
in Orangeburg d i s t r i c t . South C a r o lin a , in 1792, son o f G en eral Jaoo Rumph, o f
th a t p la c e .
Samuel H. Rumph d ie d on December 2 2 , 1922, aged se v e n ty -o n e y e a r s , le a v in g
by f i r s t m a rria g e , one d a u g h te r , C la ra E l b e r t a (M rs. W arren G ric e , o f Macon,
Ga.) and by second m a r r ia g e , a widow and one s o n , Samuel H. Rumph, J u n io r .
Lewis A. Rumph, from •whom th e w r i t e r o b ta in e d t h i s in te r v ie w , i s e n jo y in g
good h e a lt h and i s i n h i s s e v e n ty - s ix th y e a r .