Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Galusha, Orson Bingham ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com April 20, 2006, 5:30 pm Author: Jeriah Bonham ORSON BINGHAM GALUSHA. President Illinois State Horticultural Society Among the great productive interests of our rich, grand and patriotic state that have assumed importance in the last quarter of a century is that of horticulture, the "art which does mend nature," and like all other great industries that contribute wealth, luxury, comfort and pleasure to our people, there are among the prominent citizens of the state men who have given their time, means, talents, and all the great faculties with which they were endowed to the advancement of this science, along with the more important one of agriculture. Conspicuous among the earnest workers we find Hon. Orson B. Galusha, of Morris, Grundy county, Illinois. He was born at Shaftsbury, Bennington county, Vermont, December 2nd, 1819. His father, Jonas Galusha, Jr., was the son of Governor Jonas Galusha, who served several terms as governor of that state, and at this time was serving his second term. Jonas Galusha, Jr., resided on the estates of his father, the governor, and managed them for him, they being divided into several farms. Here he resided until Orson was sixteen years old, the lad assisting; to some extent in the labor of the farm and attending district school, and one year attending Bennington Seminary. Jonas Galusha, Jr., then removed to Rochester, N. Y., and his son Orson was placed under the tuition of Dr. Chester Dewey, at the Rochester Collegiate Institute, where he pursued his studies for three years. He also varied his student life by serving as assistant teacher at the Fitzhugh Street Seminary. In 1839 the family removed to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he was left at the age of twenty-two, his mother having died there and his father and brother returning to Rochester. In the summer season he worked on the farm, and in the winter taught school until 1843, when he married Miss Mary J. Hinsdale, third daughter of Judge Mitchell Hinsdale, of Kalamazoo, Mich., afterwards continuing farming for five years. In 1849 he sold his farm in Michigan and removed to Lisbon, Grundy county, Illinois, and bought a small farm of 120 acres, and at once engaged in the nursery business and cultivating small fruits. Here he remained near twenty years, gaining rich experience and practical knowledge of fruit growing and the nursery business. In 1868 ha sold his Lisbon farm and bought another near Morris, the county seat, where his facilities for selling his fruits and nursery stock were much better. To this place he removed a large part of his nursery stock and established the "Eclectic Small Fruit Nursery," and his fruit farm is known as the "Evergreen Fruit Farm," on account of the evergreen shelter-belts and evergreen timber plantation upon it. Here he has "practiced what he preached" on the fruit question, been very successful in both nursery business and fruit growing. Several years ago, on account of impaired health, he left his fruit farm for a short residence at Normal, in this state. After a few years residence at Normal he "returned to his first love," to the shades of his beautiful evergreen home near Morris. But we have only been giving the farm work and labor performed by Mr. Galusha. Along with this his has been a life-work in trying to advance the interest of the people in the chosen business in which he was laboring—the cultivation of the soil; horticulture and agriculture fruit growing and farming. His life has been one of continuous service to the public, and often of so much gratuitous service as to seriously interfere with efforts to accumulate property. In Michigan, soon after attaining his majority, he was elected township clerk and school inspector, which positions he held during most of his residence in that state. While residing at Lisbon the question of agricultural education was agitated, in which he took a deep interest. He corresponded with agricultural papers east and west, he attended meetings and addressed them on the subject. He was one of the pioneers in the movement favoring a system of state agricultural colleges or industrial universities, and when the movement culminated in the establishment in each state of an agricultural institution, his interest increased in the work to see that it was founded on a permanent and independent basis, and in connection with such men as Prof. J. B. Turner, Smiley Shepherd, M. L. Dunlap and others, aided in defeating a scheme by the trustees of some existing colleges to attach agricultural and mechanical departments to their waning institutions and thus establish them upon a permanent and popular basis. He was the first member of the board of trustees appointed by the governor in his district, which position he held for six years, until the board was reduced in numbers by act of the legislature. He was the first recording secretary of the board, and always active and influential in efforts to bring the institution into the special line of work for which the agricultural colleges were established. It was our duty as well as a great pleasure to lend the aid of the columns of the Farmer's Advocate and Rural Messenger to Mr. Galusha and his co-workers when they were struggling for the establishment of the Industrial University. So we know whereof we write when we speak of their great labors. During this whole time there were other fields of labor, hardly less important, that were receiving the benefit of his great capacity for organization. In 1856 he, with a few others, organized the Illinois State Horticultural Society at Decatur, with the late Dr. E. S. Hull, of Alton, as president, and Mr. Galusha as corresponding secretary. He continued to occupy this and other important positions in the society until 1861, when he was elected to the presidency of the society. Subsequent to this year, and until the year 1869, he was for the most part of the time giving gratuitous services to the society by serving on its ad- interim committee, traveling thousands of miles annually, collecting facts in horticulture and making suggestions to growers of fruits and trees, formulating the information gained into reports which were published by the society. In 1869 he was again elected secretary of the society, which position he held until December, 1882, with the exception of one year, when, on account of his severe illness at the time of electing officers he refused to take the place. In December, 1882, he was at his own request, and in accordance to previous notice given to the society, excused from further services as secretary. But the society, unwilling to lose his services and counsel, elected him to the presidency by a unanimous vote. He also served the state as a member of the state board of agriculture from the year 1864 to 1868, and for several years before and subsequent to this served the state agricultural society as superintendent of the pomological and horticultural departments at the state fairs. In all these years of usefulness it has been our pleasant recollection of Mr. Galusha to find him an untiring worker in all the great organizations that he has been connected with. We have met him on fruit-growers' excursions in our own state and in Michigan, at state, county and horticultural fairs, always the same urbane gentleman, untiring in his industry, faithful to his numerous trusts, and of advanced ideas in educational and all great interests that would promote all the great industrial enterprises of the country. Mr. and Mrs. Galusha, in their married life, have had but two children, one son and one daughter. The eldest, a son, died at the age of four years, at Grand Rapids, Mich. The daughter is now the wife of Wm. Hawley Smith, one of the proprietors of the Saturday Evening Call, Peoria. Additional Comments: Source: Fifty Years’ Recollections with Observations and Reflections on Historical Events Giving Sketches of Eminent Citizens – Their Lives and Public Services; Jeriah Bonham. Peoria, Illinois: J. W. Franks & Sons, Printers and Publishers, 1883; pages 378-382. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/grundy/bios/galusha654nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 8.6 Kb