Born John Chapman, on September 26, 1774, and dying on March 18, 1845, Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer nurseryman who brought apple trees to much of what is now Ontario, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and the northern counties of West Virginia. Because of his charitable and compassionate nature, his leadership in environmental conservation, and the symbolic value he placed on apples, he became an American legend while he was still alive. In addition, he served as a missionary for The New Church (Swedenborgian)[1] and served as the model for numerous historical sites and museums, including the Johnny Appleseed Museum in Urbana, Ohio [2].
born in Leominster, Massachusetts, on September 26, 1774, Chapman was the second child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Chapman (née Simonds; they were married on February 8, 1770). The street is now known as Johnny Appleseed Lane, and his birthplace is marked with a granite marker.
Shortly after giving birth to her second son, Nathaniel Jr., who passed away a few days later, Elizabeth Chapman’s mother passed away in 1776. After serving in the war, his father Nathaniel returned to Longmeadow, Massachusetts, in 1780, and that summer he married Lucy Cooley.[1][4]
According to author Rosella Rice, “Johnny had an Indiana sister named Persis Broom. She was a pretty ordinary woman, outgoing and open in her numerous “says she’s” and “says I’s,” and she was nothing like him.”[5]
Some sources state that in 1792, an eighteen-year-old John convinced his eleven-year-old half-brother, Nathaniel Cooley Chapman, to accompany him to the West. Until their father moved his entire family west in 1805 and met them in Ohio, the two seemed to have led a nomadic life. Nathaniel the younger made the decision to stay and assist their father in farming the property.
John started working as an apprentice orchardist for Mr. Crawford soon after the brothers split up. Mr. Crawford planted apples, which served as inspiration for Chapman’s life mission of planting apple trees.[6] Chapman lived in Licking River, Ohio, in 1800, when he was 26 years old. He planted his first orchard on Isaac Stadden’s Licking County farm.[7] Using two boats tied together, he set off on a canoe journey down the Ohio, Muskingum, and Walhonding rivers in 1806, carrying his seeds along with him.[7]