Johnny Appleseed

If you ask any American elementary school student who Johnny Appleseed is, they will most likely begin describing a man who planted apple tress and used a pot as a hat. Children love to hear his tale. He is undoubtedly one of the most beloved characters in American history. While there is plenty of evidence to confirm that he really did exist, Johnny’s story has been told by so many over so many years that many of the details have become exaggerated. His story has evolved into what is known as a “tall tale.” While many details of his life have been thoroughly debated, a few things remain certain: he was a very kind man who was full of life and loved to travel through the countryside planting apple trees.

Let us start with some facts that we know for sure about his early life. Johnny Appleseed was the nickname of Jonathan Chapman. He was a pioneer—one of the first Europeans to come to the American Midwest. As he traveled, he planted apple trees in large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. These areas hadn’t had apples planted in them before. Therefore, he is considered the father of the apple tree in these areas. Born in 1774 in a town in Massachusetts, Johnny served in the Continental Army with General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. They were fighting for American independence against Great Britain. After the war was won, Johnny started moving west, planting apple seeds as he went.

Although popular stories depict Johnny planting seeds randomly as he walked, he actually maintained nurseries, or small farms of young apple trees that were carefully planned. Johnny would leave the nurseries in the care of neighboring farmers, and would return to check on his tree’s progress every few years. While he was away, he was busy starting more nurseries in other areas. It certainly was a busy lifestyle!

Johnny didn’t just care about his apple trees; he cared about all life very deeply, including animal life. There are many stories that demonstrate just how much Johnny cared for animals. According to one story, on a cold and snowy night, Johnny noticed that there were many mosquitoes, or little bugs, dying in the campfire that he had made. Despite the cold, he put out his campfire so that no more mosquitoes would have to die just to keep him warm. Another time, a man wanted to kill a horse that had grown old and useless. Johnny bought the horse and provided some open grassland for the horse. After a while, he gave the horse to someone in need, but only after they promised to be kind to the horse. It should come as no surprise that Johnny was a vegetarian during his lifetime.

 Perhaps because he was so busy taking care of his beloved nature, Johnny never had time to marry. There are many theories that attempt to explain why he never did. Some say that he had intended to marry a Miss Nancy Tannehill. Records show that he had certainly visited her hometown of Perrysville, Ohio several times. According to legend, on the day he arrived to propose, he discovered that he was too late. She had accepted another man’s proposal the previous day!

Having lived to a ripe old age, Johnny finally died. Most estimates put his age at around eighty years old. Since he lived outdoors most of the time, he was in excellent health and seemed to be much younger than he was. It came as somewhat of a shock to those around him when he died. However, there are disagreements about when and where he died, exactly. Perhaps he is still tramping through his beloved woods, tending to young apple trees and caring for old horses!