John Chapman, better known as Johnny
Appleseed, was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, on September 26, 1774.[1]
Born during the apple season and to a family that had been “orchardists for
generations,” it is no surprise that John would take a shine to the delicious
fruit.[2]
In 1780, John’s family to moved further west, after his father was discharged
from the Continental army and settled in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. It is there
that John most likely started to develop his legendary frontier skills; such that
he “could chop as much wood or girdle as many trees in one day as most men
could in two.”[3] With each year and each
apple tree planted, Johnny Appleseed’s legend grew larger and larger.
The plethora of tall tales spread
about Johnny Appleseed’s adventures on the American frontier originated from
the period that followed his appearance in the Ohio territory, in 1801. Whether
he was bringing “a horse-load of apple seeds,” a canoe filled to capacity with those
wonderful kernels, or a leather sack full of his legacy, John set to work
planting his apple orchards in the Ohio territory for all to enjoy.[4]
John’s first orchard was planted “on the farm of Isaac Stadden, in what is now
Licking County,” Ohio.[5]
From there, John planted his apple seeds “at every inviting spot” along his travels
throughout the territory.[6]
John traveled without a weapon and
carried a bible. He has been depicted as a man, like John the Baptist, living
in the wilderness with little clothing and barefoot. Being the good man that he
was and so caring for others, it is true that John would rather offer his
worldly belongings to those in need, than keep them for himself. When welcomed
into a frontier home, it is said that John would lie down on the floor and
inquire, “Will you have some fresh news from heaven?”[7]
John was a kind and gentle man; who according to R.I. Curtis said, he “was very
fond of children and would talk to me a great deal.”[8]
It was also said that this unusual frontiersman “seemed to be as much at home
with the red men of the forest as with his own race.”[9]
This generous man planted more than just
apple trees on the edge of civilization, John planted seeds of kindness, peace,
and love into the hearts of all those with whom he spoke to. In 1887, Charles
Henderson, a professor of sociology, wrote: “We need men like
Jonathan Chapman…who carried apple seeds into Ohio, planted them in open
spaces, sold or gave away his infant orchards, and left behind him living and
grateful mementos of a worthy and devoted life.” So the next time you enjoy a
sweet apple, think of and remember the goodness of Johnny Appleseed.
[1]
Robert Morgan, Lions of the West: Heroes
and Villains of the Westward Expansion, (Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books of
Chapel Hill, 2012), 93.
[2]
Ibid.
[3]
Ibid, 95.
[4]
“pasteboard with an immense peak”
W.D. Haley, “Johnny Appleseed—A Pioneer Hero,” Harpers Monthly Magazine, vol. 43, (November 1871): 830.
[5]
Ibid.
[6]
Ibid.
[7]
History of Allen County, Ohio,
(Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1885), 237.
[8]
Morgan, Lions of the West, 95.
[9]
Ibid.
No comments:
Post a Comment