Johnny Appleseed

Jonathan Chapman was an eccentric American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apples to large parts of Ohio. During his lifetime (1775 - 1845) he became an American legend because of his journeys across Ohio and other areas as a missionary for the Swedenborgian Church.

Sometimes on his journeys he distributed pamphlets about the church and used the apple seed as a metaphor for the church. Other times he just read passages from his Bible. Jonathan was a frugal man that never let anything go to waste. If left to his own means, he would never hunt or kill for food, but trust in God to provide him with was he needed, be it food or clothing.

At some point in his young life, Jonathan Chapman learned the value of apples and took it upon himself to spread that knowledge by planting orchards of apple trees on land that he thought would be a good place for his apple seeds to take root.

Apple trees were not only easy to grow, they were a requirement for many of the new settlers in the Northwest Territory. During the Revolutionary War our new government was a bit short of cash to pay the professional soldiers doing the fighting. After the war and with the money supply no greater, it was determined that instead of waiting for back wages, these veterans could be given some land west of the Allegheny Mountains in the Northwest Territory (which in large part became Ohio). The only requirement the government placed on this free land was that they (the veterans) had to plant 50 fruit trees on their land within 3 years.

Apple trees became the natural choice simply because it could be used in so many different ways and preserved for much of the winter when food supplies were naturally in short supply. Apples could be eaten directly from the tree without preparation. The could be safely stored whole, in root cellars for later use, or cut and dried for even longer use. Apples also made excellent sauces, butters, vinegar, as well as cider. Once processed, the apples could be shipped long distances. It was during this early development that Jonathan Chapman found himself.

Jonathan learned to appreciate fruit trees at an early age by working as an apprentice at an orchard back in New England. When he was 18 years old, he and his younger brother left home and headed west. He arrived in the Ohio Territory around 1801 with a horse loaded with leather bags of apple seeds he had gathered from cider presses in Western Pennsylvania.

Jonathan Chapman left no diaries or other written records of his daily life. Most of what we know about him are firsthand accounts of his visits with people living on the frontier. He established his first orchard along the banks of Licking Creek in what is now Licking County. It would take a number of years for these trees to begin to develop fruit that would provide additional seeds. This became his base nursery and in the upcoming years, Chapman would return here to gather additional seeds. But Chapman continued spreading his apple seeds by returning to the mills back in Pennsylvania. He became a regular site coming down the Ohio River with lashed together canoes filled with bags of apple seeds. From the Ohio River he would move up and down the Muskingum and Walhonding Rivers and their tributaries planting nurseries. He always looked for areas with rich soils, that were secluded.

He then began setting up orchards throughout north central Ohio. When he found a suitable spot, he would plant the seeds for a new orchard. If the land was owned, he got permission from the owner to plant the orchard. Once these trees reached the sapling stage, he would sell or trade them, and in some instances, just give them away to people who couldn't afford the trees. Besides the nurseries in Licking County, Chapman also established Nurseries in Knox, Richland and Wayne Counties. Later he established additional nurseries in Crawford County.

As he moved from area to area he would also take the opportunity to preach to those that would gather. During his sermons he used the apple seed as part of his message of planting something so small that would in time, produce so much fruit.

For those people that came in contact with Jonathan, they were always aware of his quirky traits. He never seemed to wear shoes except in the winter months. He wore a hat he fashioned out of pasteboard with one side having a large brim to keep the sun from his face. He often was invited to spend the night with families and one of his common traits after being invited to stay, was to enter the cabin, stretch out across the floor with his head pointed to the doorway and resting upon his knapsack. After getting himself arranged just right, he would then announce in strong loud voice "Will you have some fresh news right from Heaven?" and then begin to recite passages from his old New Testament Bible.

Jonathan Chapman died in Fort Wayne at the age of 70. There is a museum in Urbana, Ohio devoted to Johnny Appleseed.