Description
John S. Harbison (1826-1912) was one of the first beekeepers to import bees into
California and was an inventor of innovative beehives and new methods of rearing queen bees. He authored
An Improved System of Propagating the Honey Bee (1860) and
The Beekeeper's
Directory
(1861). His papers contain daybooks documenting Harbison's beekeeping activities;
correspondence to and from his brothers, his patent representatives, and business partners; and deeds, business
receipts and patent grants.
Background
John Stewart Harbison was born to William and Margaret (Curry) Harbison in Beaver County, Pennsylvania on
September 28, 1826. Harbison followed in his father's footsteps and became interested in beekeeping and the
nursery trade.
Restrictions
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to
publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of
California, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Availability
Collection is open for research.