John Deere
Posted by: 
drtmn
N 41° 30.456 W 090° 29.524
15T E 709302 N 4598144
This is the grave of John Deere, founder and president of the John Deere Co.
Waymark Code: WMBYR
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 05/04/2006
Views: 186
John Deere was born in Rutland, Vermont, on February 7, 1804, the third son of William Rinold Deere and Sarah Yates Deere.
He served a four-year apprenticeship to a blacksmith and worked in that trade until 1837, when he moved to Grand Detour, Illinois. John Deere believed that a highly polished plow, properly shaped, could scour itself as it cut furrows. In 1837 he created such a plow using a broken sawmill blade. By 1841, Deere was producing 100 of the plows annually. In 1843, he entered a partnership with Leonard Andrus to produce more plows to meet increasing demand.
Deere then sold his interest in the Grand Detour enterprise to Andrus and organized a plow company in Moline, Illinois. After experimenting with imported English steel, he had a cast steel plow made for him in Pittsburgh. By 1855 he was selling more than 13,000 such plows a year.
In 1858, Deere transferred leadership of the company to his son, Charles. John Deere retained the title of president of the company and turned his attention to civic and political activities.
John Deere died on May 17, 1886, at his home in Moline. John Deere was laid away on the brow of the bluff in Riverside Cemetery. He loved wide landscapes and the place of his burial is where one may look out over the town and the great river.
Description:
John Deere originally from Vermont moved to Grand Detour,Il. where he developed the first self-scouring plow to turn the sticky Midwestern soil. Which led to him forming the company we now know as John Deere.
Date of birth: 02/07/1804
Date of death: 05/17/1886
Area of notoriety: Science/Technology
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed
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