Hi Guys, I found this on Google Books this morning and thought it was interesting. It is a two page article written by H.N. Gillett giving a detailed account of the Rome Beauty. Apparently some people from over Washington County way exhibited some Rome Beauties and gave credit to Putnam rather than Gillett, and Gillett wanted to set the record straight. He tells of how his family purchased land in Quaker Bottom, Lawrence County and then set out to settle on it. He gives an account of stopping by Putnam's orchard, and then several other orchards as well. He tells of stopping by Gallipolis on the way and swapping some seedlings there too, and he says that it is possible that the Beauty was already on his land when he arrived since some squatters had been living there for many years before his uncle purchased it, and there were orchards in the neighborhood both above and below. In H.N's own words the Rome Beauty had fruit "bright red on yellow ground, occasionally mottled with dark red and russet about the base..." Hey, I'm just saying what he said, don't shoot the messenger. :-) I don't know if those who keep the Lawrence Register site would be interested in linking to this since it is an interesting story of the famous Rome Beauty as told by the man who introduced it to the world.It's in the Horticultural Review and Botanical Magazine, 1852. http://books.google.com/books?id=5zFIAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA65 Admittedly the printer made an error in Gillett's name giving it as W.N. Gillett, instead of H.N., but the author says that in 1817 he was in his 19th year (or 18 years old), and he traveled with his father Zebulon and two uncles... I looked up in the 1850 census and H.N. was 51 meaning he was born in 1799, which would have made him 18 at the time. I did some research in the Gillett family history sites and forums under Zebulon and could find no child with the initials W.N. The other sign that it is H.N. is his signature includes the name of his farm, Evergreen. Linda Trent who's only interest in the apple is historical