John Deere -- Birthplace
John Deere was born February, 7th, 1804 the third son of William Rinold Deere and Sarah Yates Deere. It is presumed that Sarah gave birth to John at home; over William Deeres Rutland tailor shop located on the east side of Main St. across from the park.
In 1805, the family moved to Middlebury, Vermont where at the age of 17, he learned the blacksmith trade as an apprentice. When hard times hit the region in the 1830s, Deere decided to leave his wife and family temporarily and venture west. In 1836 Deere moved to Grand Detour, Illinois where, in 1837 he built the worlds first steel moldboard plow - The Plow that Tamed The West.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesBarry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Marker data: Vermont Division for Historic Preservation
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