Abstract
This paper documents the history of the introduction of the soybean (Glycine max), a domesticate of China, to North America. Henry Yonge, the Surveyor-General of Georgia, planted soybeans on his farm at the request of Samuel Bowen in 1765. Mr. Bowen, a former seaman employed by the East India Company, brought soybeans to Savannah, Georgia, from China via London. From 1766, Mr. Bowen planted soybeans on his plantation “Greenwich” located at Thunderbolt, Georgia. The soybeans were used to manufacture soy sauce and vermicelli (soybean noodles). In addition, he manufactured a sago powder substitute made from sweet potatoes. The 3 products were then exported to England. Samuel Bowen received a patent for his manufacturing inventions for producing these products. Another early introduction of soybeans to North America was by Benjamin Franklin. In 1770 he sent seeds from London to John Bartram in Philadelphia.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature Cited
Auber P. 1834. China an Outline of its Government, Laws and Policy; and of the British and Foreign Embassies To, and Intercourse With, That Empire, p. 167–173. Parbury, Allen, London.
Bonner, J.C. 1964. A History of Georgia Agriculture 1732–1860. p. 25. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens, GA.
Bowen, S. 1767. Gentleman’s Mag. 37: 253.
Brigham, C.S. 1947. History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690–1820. Vol. 1: 122–131. Amer. Antiquarian Soc., Worcester, MA.
Candler, A.D. 1907. The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia. Vol. IX: p. 474–475. The Franklin-Turner Co., Atlanta, GA.
— 1937. The Colonial Records of the State of Georgia. Vol. 39: 247–253. Typed under direction of Louise Frederick Hays, State Historian and Director of the Department of Archives and History of the State of Georgia, Atlanta.
Cummins, J. S. 1962. The Travels and Controversies of Friar Domingo Navarrete (1618–1686). Hakluyt Soc. Ser. 2 No. 118. Vol. II: 195–196. Cambridge, England.
Deed Book “O.” 1762–1765. Miscellaneous Bonds, Bills of Sale, Deeds of Gifts, Powers of Attorney. p. 177–178. Original documents on file in the Georgia Dept. Archives and History, Atlanta, GA.
Dossie, R. 1768–1771. Memoirs of Agriculture and Other Oeconomical Arts. Vol 1: 303. J. Nourse, London.
Fox, R.H. 1919. Dr. John Fothergill and His Friends. p. 171. Macmillan, London.
Fu, Lo-Shu. 1966. A Documentary Chronicle of Sino-Western Relations (1644–1820). p. 215–228. Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.
Gazette of the State of Georgia, February 24, 1785. p. 2. col. 2.
Georgia Gazette. April 4, 1765. p. 3, col. 1.
-. August 6, 1766. p. 3, col. 1.
-. September 17, 1766. p. 2, col. 1–2.
-. November 19, 1766. p. 3, col. 1.
-. November 30, 1768. p. 3, col. 2.
-. March 15, 1769. p. 2, col. 2.
-. April 25, 1770. p. 3, col. 1.
-. February 9, 1774. p. 2, col. 2.
-. May 4, 1774. p. 3, col. 1.
-. May 25, 1774. p. 2, col. 2.
-. June 22, 1774. p. 3, col. 1.
-. March 22, 1775. p. 2, col. 1.
Grantham, A.E. 1934. A Manchu Monarch, p. 13. George Allen and Unwin, London.
Hartridge, Walter C. Collection. Genealogical records as well as other documents pertaining to the life of Samuel Bowen. Georgia Historical Soc., 501 Whitaker St., Savannah, GA.
Hymowitz, T., and C.A. Newell. 1981. Taxonomy of the genusGlycine, domestication and uses of soybeans. Econ. Bot. 35:272–288.
LaFar, M.F., and C. P. Wilson. 1963. 2nd Printing. Abstracts of Wills Chatham County, Georgia 1773–1817. Will Book “B.” Natl. Genealogical Soc., Washington, DC.
Lesley, J.P., ed. 1884. Early Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge; compiled from the manuscript minutes of its meetings 1749 to 1838. Vol. 1: p. 24, 25, 32, 33, 35. McCalla and Stavely, Philadelphia, PA.
Letters of Hon. James Habersham. 1904. Collections of the Georgia Historical Soc. Vol. VI: 91.
Letters of Sir James Wright. 1873. Vol. III: 176. Collections of the Georgia Historical Soc.
Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum. Vol. II: 727. Stockholm.
Log, Ledger for Wages and Receipts for Wages for thePitt. 1758–1763. Code L/MAR/B/525I(1) and (2). British Library, India Office Library and Records, 197 Blackfriars Rd, London.
Manuscripts of the Earl of Dartmouth. 1895. Historical Manuscripts Commission, Fourteenth Report, Appendix, Part X, Vol. II, p. v. American Papers. Printed for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London.
Mease, J. 1804. The Domestic Encyclopedia, A. F. M. Willich, ed. 1st Amer. ed., Vol. 5: 13. Philadelphia.
Minutes of the Court of Directors of the East India Company. 1754–1767. Information about Samuel Bowen and James Flint was found in B/72 to B/82. British Library (see Log ofPitt).
Morse, H. B. 1926–1929. The Chronicles of the East India Company Trading to China 1635–1834. Vol. 1 and 5. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Piper, C.V., and W. J. Morse. 1916. The soybean with special reference to its utilization for oil, cake, and other products. USDA Bull. 439: 1–20.
Pritchard, E.H. 1970 reprint. Crucial Years of Early Anglo-Chinese Relations 1750–1800. p. 167, 246. Octagon Books, New York.
Probst, A.H., and R. W. Judd. 1973. Origin, U.S. History, Development and World Distribution.In Soybeans: Improvement, Production, and Uses, B.E. Caldwell, ed, p. 1–15. Amer. Soc. Agronomy, Madison, WI.
Romans, B. 1962. A concise Natural History of East and West Florida (A facsimile reproduction of the 1775 edition with introduction by R. W. Patrick), p. 130. Univ. Florida Press, Gainesville, FL.
Royal Georgia Gazette, October 18, 1781. p. 2, col. 1.
Smyth, A.H. 1907. Writings of Benjamin Franklin. Vol. 5: 245–246. Macmillan, New York.
Stifler, S. R. 1938. The language students of the East India Company’s Canton factory. J. North China Roy. Asiat. Soc. 69: 46–82.
Warner, E.J. 1959. Generals in Gray. p. 29–30. Louisiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge, LA.
Woodcraft, B. 1854. Titles of Patents of Invention, Chronologically Arranged From March 2, 1617 to October 1, 1852. Vol. 1: 158. Queens Printing Office, London.
Woodward, C.R. 1943. Meet Dr. Franklin, p. 194. The Franklin Institute, Lancaster Press, Lancaster, PA.
Yonge, H. 1767. Gentleman’s Mag. 37: 253.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hymowitz, T., Harlan, J.R. Introduction of soybean to North America by Samuel Bowen in 1765. Econ Bot 37, 371–379 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904196
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02904196