JOHNNY APPLESEED

'Johnny Appleseed', born 'John Chapman' (September 26, 1774–March 18, 1845), was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced the apple to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He became an American legend while still alive, largely because of his kind and generous ways, his leadership in conservation, and also because of the symbolic importance of apples.
He was also a missionary for the Church of the New Jerusalem, which is based on the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.''Swedenborgian history.'' Retrieved September 9, 2006 from http://swedenborg.org/jappleseed/history.html

Contents

Family

Heading to the frontier

Attitudes towards animals

Attitude towards marriage

Business plan

Life as a missionary

Health

Grave site

Legacy

Johnny Appleseed in modern culture

See also

References

External links

Family

John Chapman was the second child of Nathaniel Chapman and Elizabeth (née Simonds) (who married February 8, 1770) of Leominster, Massachusetts. Nathaniel was a farmer of little means, although tradition holds that he lost two good farms during the American Revolution. His father started John Chapman upon a career as an orchardist by apprenticing him to a Mr. Crawford, who had apple orchards."Johnny Appleseed, Orchardist", prepared by the staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County, November, 1952, page 4
A third child, Nathaniel Jr., was born on June 26, 1776, while Nathaniel was an officer leading a company of carpenters attached to General George Washington in New York City. Elizabeth, however, was suffering from tuberculosis, and both mother and child died in July, leaving John and his older sister, also named Elizabeth, to be raised by relatives. After being honorably discharged in 1780, Nathaniel married Lucy Cooley, who had 10 children by a previous marriage. Around 1803 John's sister Elizabeth married Nathaniel Rudd.

Heading to the frontier

In 1792, 18-year-old Chapman went west, taking 11-year-old half-brother Nathaniel with him. Their destination was the headwaters of the Susquehanna. There are stories of him practicing his nurseryman craft in the Wilkes-Barre area and of picking seeds from the pomace at Potomac cider mills in the late 1790s.
Land records show that John Chapman was in today's Licking County, Ohio, in 1800. Congress had passed resolutions in 1798 to give land there, ranging from 160-2,240 acres (65-900 hectares), to Revolutionary War veterans, but it took until 1802 before the soldiers actually received letters of patent to their grants. By the time they arrived, his nurseries, located on the Isaac Stadden farm, had trees big enough to transplant.
Nathaniel Chapman arrived, second family in tow, in 1805, although John's sister Elizabeth remained in the east with her husband. At that point, the younger Nathaniel Chapman rejoined the elder, and Johnny Appleseed spent the rest of his life alone.
By 1806, when he arrived in Jefferson County, Ohio, canoeing down the Ohio River with a load of seeds, he was known as Johnny Appleseed. He had used a pack horse to bring seeds to Licking Creek in 1800, so it seems likely that the nickname appeared at the same time as his religious conversion.

Attitudes towards animals

Johnny Appleseed's beliefs made him care deeply about animals. His concern extended even to insects. Henry Howe, who visited all 88 counties in Ohio in the early 1800s, collected these stories in the 1830s, when Johnny Appleseed was still alive:^[1]

Attitude towards marriage

When Johnny Appleseed was asked why he did not marry, his answer was always that two female spirits would be his wives in the after-life if he stayed single on earth. Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero, , , , Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1871 However, Henry Howe reported that Appleseed had been a frequent visitor to Perrysville, Ohio, where Appleseed is remembered as being a constant snuff customer, with beautiful teeth. He was to propose to Miss Nancy Tannehill there—only to find that he was a day late; she had accepted a prior proposal:^[2]

Johnny Appleseed, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, 1871

Business plan

The popular image of Johnny Appleseed had him spreading apple seeds randomly, everywhere he went. In fact, he planted nurseries rather than orchards, built fences around them to protect them from livestock, left the nurseries in the care of a neighbor who sold trees on shares, and returned every year or two to tend the nursery. Many of these nurseries were located in the Mohican area of North-Central Ohio. This area included the towns of Mansfield, Ohio, Lucas, Ohio, Perrysville, Ohio and Loudonville, Ohio.(1871) Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero, "Harper's New Monthly Magazine", LXIV, 830-831
Appleseed's managers were asked to sell trees on credit, if at all possible, but he would accept corn meal, cash or used clothing in barter. The notes did not specify an exact maturity date—that date might not be convenient—and if it did not get paid on time, or even get paid at all, Johnny Appleseed did not press for payment. Appleseed was hardly alone in this pattern of doing business; however, it was unique that he remained an itinerant his entire life.

"Here's your primitive Christian!" Illustration from Harper's, 1871

He obtained the apple seed for free; cider mills wanted more apple trees planted since it would eventually bring them more business. Johnny Appleseed dressed in the worst of the used clothing he received, giving away the better clothing he received in barter. He wore no shoes, even in the snowy winter. There was always someone in need he could help out, for he did not have a house to maintain. When he heard a horse was to be put down, he had to buy the horse, buy a few grassy acres nearby, and turn the horse out to recover. If it did, he would give the horse to someone needy, exacting a promise to treat the horse humanely."Johnny Appleseed, Orchardist", prepared by the staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen Couth, November, 1952, page 26
Towards the end of his career, he was present when an itinerant missionary was exhorting to an open-air congregation in Mansfield, Ohio. The sermon was long and quite severe on the topic of extravagance, because the pioneers were starting to buy such indulgences as calico and store-bought tea. "Where now is there a man who, like the primitive Christians, is traveling to heaven bare-footed and clad in coarse raiment?" the preacher repeatedly asked, until Johnny Appleseed, his endurance worn out, walked up to the preacher, put his bare foot on the stump which had served as a lectern, and said, "Here's your primitive Christian!" The flummoxed sermonizer dismissed the congregation.(1871) Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero, "Harper's New Monthly Magazine", LXIV, 836
He was generous with the Swedenborgian church as well. He swapped 160 acres of land near Wooster, Ohio, in 1821 in exchange for Swedenborgian tracts that he could distribute.

Life as a missionary

He spent most of his time traveling from home to home on the frontier. He would tell stories to children, spread the Swedenborgian gospel ("news right fresh from heaven") to the adults, receiving a floor to sleep on for the night and sometimes supper in return. "We can hear him read now, just as he did that summer day, when we were busy quilting up stairs, and he lay near the door, his voice rising denunciatory and thrilling—strong and loud as the roar of wind and waves, then soft and soothing as the balmy airs that quivered the morning-glory leaves about his gray beard. His was a strange eloquence at times, and he was undoubtedly a man of genius", reported a lady who knew him in his later years."Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero", Harper's New Monthly Magazine November 1871, page 834 He would often tear a few pages from one of Swedenborg's books and leave them with his hosts.
He made several trips back east, both to visit his sister and to replenish his supply of Swedenborgian literature. He typically would visit his orchards every year or two and collect his earnings.

Health

It has been suggested that Johnny may have had Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.^[3] One of the primary characteristics of Marfan Syndrome is extra-long and slim limbs. All sources seem to agree that Johnny Appleseed was slim, but while other accounts suggest that he was tall, Harper's describes him as "small and wiry."
Those who propose the Marfan theory suggest that his compromised health may have made him feel the cold less intensely. His long life, however, suggests he did not have Marfan's, and while Marfan's is closely associated with death from cardiovascular complications, Johnny Appleseed died in his sleep, from ''winter plague'' (presumably pneumonia).

Grave site

There is some vagueness concerning the date of his death and his burial. ''Harper's New Monthly Magazine'' of November, 1871 (which is taken by many as the primary source of information about John Chapman) says he died in the summer of 1847. The ''Fort Wayne Sentinel'', however, printed his obituary on March 22, 1845, saying that he died on March 18:^[4]
The actual site of his grave is disputed as well. Developers of Fort Wayne, Indiana's Canterbury Green apartment complex and golf course claim his grave is there, marked by a rock. That is where the Worth cabin in which he died sat. Researcher finds slice of Johnny Appleseed's life that may prove his burial spot
However, Steven Fortriede, director of the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) and author of the 1978 "Johnny Appleseed", believes another putative gravesite, one designated as a national historic landmark and located in Johnny Appleseed Park in Fort Wayne,^[5] is the correct site. Johnny Appleseed Park was known until recently as Archer Park and was the former Archer farm.
The Worth family attended First Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, according to records at ACPL, which has a genealogy collection.^[6] According to an 1858 interview with Richard Worth Jr., Chapman was buried "respectably" in the Archer cemetery, and Fortriede believes use of the term "respectably" indicates Chapman was buried in the hallowed ground of Archer cemetery instead of near the cabin where he died.
John H. Archer, grandson of David Archer, wrote in a letter^[7] dated
October 4, 1900:
The Johnny Appleseed Commission to the Common Council of the City of Fort
Wayne reported, "as a part of the celebration of Indiana's 100th birthday in 1916 an iron fence
was placed in the Archer graveyard by the Horticulture Society of Indiana
setting off the grave of Johnny Appleseed. At that time, there were men
living who had attended the funeral of Johnny Appleseed. Direct and accurate
evidence was available then. There was little or no reason for them
to make a mistake about the location of this grave. They located the grave
in the Archer burying ground."^[8]

Legacy

Despite his best efforts to give his wealth to the needy, Johnny Appleseed left an estate of over 1,200 acres (500 ha) of valuable nurseries to his sister, worth millions even then, and far more now. The Straight Dope on Johnny Appleseed He could have left more if he had been diligent in his bookkeeping. He bought the southwest quarter (160 acres) of section 26, Mohican Township, Ashland County, Ohio, but he did not record the deed and lost the property. Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero, , , , Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1871
The financial panic of 1837 took a toll on his estate."Johnny Appleseed, Orchardist", prepared by the staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen Couth, November, 1952, page 26 Trees only brought two or three cents each, as opposed to the "fip-penny bit" that he usually got."Johnny Appleseed, Orchardist", prepared by the staff of the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen Couth, November, 1952, page 17 Some of his land was sold for taxes following his death, and litigation used up much of the rest.
A memorial, in Fort Wayne's Swinney Park, purports to honor him but not to mark his grave. At the time of his death, he owned four plots in Allen County, Indiana, including a nursery in Milan Township, Allen County, Indiana, with 15,000 trees.
Since 1975, a Johnny Appleseed Festival has been held in mid-September in Johnny Appleseed Park. Musicians, demonstrators, and vendors dress in early 19th century dress, and offer food and beverages which would have been available then.^[9] An outdoor drama is also an annual event in Mansfield, Ohio.^[10]
March 11 or September 26 are sometimes celebrated as Johnny Appleseed Day. The September date is Appleseed's acknowledged birthdate, but the March date is sometimes preferred because it is during planting season, even though it is disputed as the day of his death.

Johnny Appleseed in modern culture

Many books and films have been based on the life of Johnny Appleseed.^[11] One interesting account is from the first chapter of ''The Botany of Desire'' by Michael Pollan.

1948 Disney movie.

One of the more successful films was ''Melody Time'', the animated 1948 film from Walt Disney Studios featuring Dennis Day. A 19-minute segment tells the story of an apple farmer who sees others going west, wistfully wishing he was not tied down by his orchard, until an angel appears, singing an apple song, setting Johnny on a mission. When he treats a skunk kindly, all animals everywhere thereafter trust him. The cartoon features lively tunes, and a childlike simplicity of message, offering a bright, well-groomed park environment instead of a dark and rugged malarial swamp, friendly, pet-like creatures instead of dangerous animals and a lack of hunger, loneliness, disease, and extremes of temperature. Uniquely for a cartoon of its period, it shows Johnny at the moment of his death, followed by his resurrection in heaven and the commitment to 'sow the clouds' with apple trees.^[12]
Supposedly, the only surviving tree planted by Johnny Appleseed is on the farm of Richard and Phyllis Algeo of Nova, Ohio^[13] Some marketers claim it is a Rambo,^[14] although the Rambo was introduced to America in the 1640s by Peter Gunnarsson Rambo,^[15] more than a century before John Chapman was born. Some even make the claim that the Rambo was "Johnny Appleseed's favorite variety",^[16] ignoring that he had religious objections to grafting and preferred wild apples to all named varieties. It appears most nurseries are calling the tree the "Johnny Appleseed" variety, rather than a Rambo. Unlike the mid-summer Rambo, the Johnny Appleseed variety ripens in September and is a baking/applesauce variety similar to an Albemarle Pippen. Nurseries offer the Johnny Appleseed tree as an immature apple tree for planting, with scions from the Algeo stock grafted on them.^[17] Orchardists do not appear to be marketing the fruit of this tree.
Computer maker Apple Inc. put a tongue-in-cheek reference to Johnny Appleseed (as well as to their "Think Different" ad campaign) in the icon of their TextEdit program, although it is only clearly visible if the icon is zoomed to a ludicrous size. [1]

See also

★ The Man Who Planted Trees

References

1. Howe, Henry (1903). Richland County. Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio (485), New York:Dover.
2. Richland County. Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio, , Henry, Howe, Dover, 1903,
3. Marfan Syndrome Resource Page
4. Obituaries, , , , The Fort Wayne Sentinel,
5. ''Man and Myth'' Retrieved September 5, 2006 from http://www.in.gov/ism/Education/Johnny_Appleseed.pdf#search=%22Johnny%20Appleseed%3A%20Man%20and%20Myth%22
6. http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/
7. John H. Archer letter, dated October 4, 1900, in Johnny Appleseed collection of Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne IN
8. Report of a Special Committee of the
Johnny Appleseed Commission to the Common Council of the City of Fort
Wayne, December 27, 1934
9. Johnny Appleseed Festival
10. The Johnny Appleseed Outdoor Drama
11. A search on "Subject: ''Johnny Appleseed''" in category ''books'' at Amazon.com, September 5, 2007 shows 116 items.
12. ''Johnny Appleseed (1948)'' Retrieved September 12, 2006 from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040494/
13. ''Virginia Berry Farm'' Retrieved September 12, 2006 from http://virginiaberryfarm.com/Fruit_berry_plants/fruit_trees.htm
14. ''Koontenai'' Retrieved September 12, 2006 from http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/kootenai/projects/environmental/nepa/qrtly_files/qrtly699.pdf
15. ''Peter Gunnarsson Rambo'' Retrieved September 12, 2006 from http://www.colonialswedes.org/forefathers/rambo.html
16. ''Virginia Apples'' Retrieved September 12, 2006 from http://www.virginiaapples.org/kids/appleseed.html
17. ''The Johnny Appleseed Tree'' Retrieved September 12, 2006 from http://www.historictrees.org/produ_ht/johnappl.htm

External links

★ ''"Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero"'' from ''Harper's Magazine'', November 1871.

★ ''Johnny Appleseed, Orchardist'' from the online ''Community Album Collection'' of the Allen County Public Library, November 1952.

★ ''''The Continuing Adventures of Johnny Appleseed'''' fictional account of Johnny Appleseed in the twenty-first century