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By the time this list of garden plants was written by Dr. William Stoddard Williams in 1823, he was 61 years old and his interest in and knowledge about plants were well-known locally. He was a talented scientist as well as a respected doctor who used his plant knowledge in his work. By the 1820s many types of seeds could be bought in nearby Greenfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Williams's garden was not typical in that it was both larger and had more different types of plants than most other gardens. It was, however, made for family needs and was carefully planned and laid out in beds.