Horticulturist and apple grower, Jarvis Mudge Pieterse Van Buren (1800-1885) was born in Schenectady, New York, to Abigail Mudge Van Buren (1778-1805) and Pieter Van Buren (1773-1828). Van Buren married Nancy Sanford (1801-1830) in 1827 and together they had one child, David Halsey (1829-1913). After Nancy's death, Van Buren married Eliza Adair (1805-1884) in 1831, and together they had one son, James H. (1836- ). Van Buren was involved with the first New York railroad operation before moving to Clarkesville, Georgia, in 1838 to manage the Stroop Iron Works as railroad engineer. Van Buren also designed many residences in Clarkesville as well as furniture for the homes he built.

Van Buren founded Gloaming Nursery, one of the earliest nurseries in Georgia where he grew fruit trees, in particular, apple trees. Van Buren cultivated and classified a large collection of Southern seedling apples and helped establish the apple industry in the Habersham County area. In 1853, Van Buren helped organize the Georgia State Horticultural Society (later forming the Georgia Pomological Society) and was an active member and exhibitor of apple varieties. Van Buren was influenced by the work of landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing and corresponded to Downing's publication The Horticulturist. He wrote articles forSouthern Cultivator, The Soil of the South, and The South Countryman, advocating for the Southern fruit industry. In 1868, Van Buren wrote the book,Scuppernong Grape, Its History and Mode of Cultivation, with a Short Treatise on the Manufacture of Wine from It, which included his detailed fruit drawings and plans for arbors, a wine press and tub.