William Kenrick was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 nurseryman. When 28 years of age he was taken into partnership by his father, a pioneer nurseryman, whose gardens were planted in 1790 upon the ground where John Eliot

John Eliot (missionary)

John Eliot was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the Indian apostle.”-English education and Massachusetts ministry:...

 commenced preaching the gospel

Gospel

A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...

 to the Indians. Perhaps Kenrick will be best remembered on account of his introduction of the mulberry

Mulberry

Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....

, and the active part he took in the attempt to establish the silk

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...

industry in America.

Works

• The new American orchardist; or, An account of the most valuable varieties of fruit, adapted to cultivation in the climate of the United States, from the latitude of 25 [degrees] to 54 [degrees], with their uses, modes of culture, and management; remedies for the maladies to which they are subject, from noxious insects, and other causes, &c. Also, a brief description of the most ornamental forest trees, shrubs, flowers, &c, 1833
• The American silk growers guide, or, The art of raising the mulberry and silk and the system of successive crops in each season, 1835.