Francis Peabody Sharp

Francis Peabody Sharp (3 September 1823 – 12 December 1903) was a Canadian pomologist and businessman. He pioneered the controlled hybridization of apples to create new varieties suited to short seasons and cold winters. He owned large orchard and plant nursery businesses in the province of New Brunswick from which he shipped to Canada and the United States. Family background and early life Sharp's father was Adam Boyle Sharp, a businessman and landowner. Adam Sharp owned a store in Upper Woodstock, New Brunswick and was manager of the local bank branch, as well as serving as justice of the peace and captain in the militia. Francis Peabody Sharp's mother, Maria Peabody, was Adam Sharp's second wife. She was a granddaughter of Captain Francis Peabody, a veteran of the Seven Years' War and one of the founders of the English settlement at Maugerville on the Saint John River. Francis Peabody Sharp attended grammar school and worked in his father's store. He devoted himself to the study of horticulture, particularly fruit growing, acquiring an extensive library of books and agricultural publications.