Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed, born as John Chapman was a skilled nurseryman who grew apple trees and even supplied apple seeds to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. He was born on September 26, 1774, two years before the American Colonies declared their independence from England, in Leominster, Massachusetts. He was the second child of Nathaniel Chapman and Elizabeth and his father was a Minuteman in the Continental Army who lost two good farms in the service of his country. On June 26, 1776, Johnny's mother who was suffering from tuberculosis gave birth to her third child, a son and after two weeks she and the baby died. While Johnny's dad continued to serve in the Continental Army until the summer of 1780 when he was virtuously released, Johnny and his sister were cared for by their relatives. Johnny was raised on a small farm on Massachusetts and since he loved apples, he spent most of his time in his father's apple orchard.

His Work

As a kid, Johnny Appleseed was smart, inquisitive and kind. He always dreamt about a land where blossoming apple trees were everywhere and so following his dream, he became a nurseryman and started planting apple seeds on the western side of New York and Pennsylvania. He ventured beyond the boundaries of established towns carrying apple seeds from Pennsylvania cider presses to form nurseries in the wilderness. He carried a bag of apple seeds over his back and where ever he found a good place to plant he stopped and planted his apple trees. He always picked a good loamy, fertile piece of ground in an open place, fenced it in with fallen trees and logs, bushes and vines to protect his plants from animals, sowed his seeds, and came back at regular intervals to repair the fence or tend the ground, and to sell his trees.

While traveling from one place to another, apart from planting apple seeds he even settled disputes or conflicts between pioneer settlers and American Indians and shared his beliefs and thoughts with all those he met on the way and who wished to listen. With a selfless purpose and no greed of material gain, he wandered from one place to another and in the early 1800s he explored the rich, fertile lands south of the Great Lakes and west of the Ohio River which were later called the Northern Territory, including the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Like this, Johnny Appleseed had nurseries which were about an acre or so and some of his orchards are still there, having trees bearing delicious apples.

His Personal Life

Though Johnny Appleseed didn't had an easy life, he loved every bit of it. Wherever he went, he carried a stew pot or kettle with him. He didn't eat meat and usually survived on berries and nuts. One point to be added to the lists of Johnny Appleseed facts is that he even sowed the seeds of medicinal herbs and often used them to heal diseases and sickness. He made friends with many of the Indian tribes and even learned their language to converse with them. He had an unusual zest of serving others and was often found helping new settlers. He walked bare feet from one place to the other and used to keep his stew pot as a hat on his head.

There were many tales about Johnny Appleseed, like once he was sleeping and a rattlesnake tried to bite him but the fangs didn't go into his foot since his skin was as tough as an elephant's hide. Also once he got caught in really bad snowstorm and spend entire night in a big hollow tree that had fallen to ground. To his surprise, he found a mother bear and her cubs already in there. Since there wasn't any other place to go, he spent the entire night playing with them. He didn't marry and had no children, but had so many friends who just loved spending time with him.

Johnny Appleseed died in 1845 due to some illness and if facts are to be believed that was the first and the last time he has ever fallen sick. Often thought as a fictional character, i hope after reading Johnny Appleseed timeline or story you all agree that he was a real man who led a simple life but made a huge difference in the world not only through planting millions of apple trees throughout his life but also by doing the most humble, generous and selfless deeds.