Johnny Appleseed Passages

Johnny Appleseed: He Planted Apples and Goodwill
(obituary)

American hero Johnny Appleseed died in March 1845. This wanderer was
known all over America for his work spreading apples and good cheer.

John Chapman (appleseed’s real name) was born in Leominster,
Massachusetts, on September 26, 1774. In 1792, when he was 18 years
old, he and his younger half brother, Nathaniel, traveled west. Later,
Chapman traveled on alone. He traveled to Pennsylvania, the Ohio Valley,
and Indiana.

As he wandered, Chapman carried a leather bag filled with apple seeds he
collected along the way. He planted these seeds as he traveled, creating
new apple orchards all over the land. Because he often gave away trees to
poor pioneers, many people believe his goal was to keep people from
going hungry. People began calling him “Johnny Appleseed” and the
nickname stuck.

Chapman visited his orchards each year. He returned to gather new seeds
and take care of the trees. Then he would move on to new areas and plant
the seeds he had collected. People say that he walked about one hundred
thousand miles during his life. He stayed with people he met or slept on the
ground under the trees.

People became used to seeing Chapman and looked forward to his visits.
He was a friend to settlers and Native Americans alike. Chapman lived on
food provided by nature and he never killed animals. He traded food or
clothing for his trees rather than collect money and would plant a tree for a
settler even if he couldn’t pay for it.

Chapman traveled around planting trees for over fifty years. In March 1845,
he went to Indiana to visit a friend. While he was there, Chapman fell sick
and died. He is buried near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is survived by
Nathaniel and thousands of apple trees.

Johnny Appleseed: American Hero

Next time you bite into an apple or eat a slice of apple pie, you might want
to thank Johnny Appleseed. This American folk hero lived more than 200
years ago, but he is still important today.

John Chapman was born in 1774 in Massachusetts. When he was about
18 years old, he traveled west with lots of apple seeds. Chapman walked
along the Ohio River and planted apple trees as he went. He planted apple
seeds in many Midwestern states, including Ohio and Indiana. That’s how
he got the nickname we still use today: Johnny Appleseed.

Johnny Appleseed loved nature. He usually slept outside, under the trees.
He never killed animals and ate only what he found in the wild. Johnny
didn’t care about having fancy clothes or a nice house. Instead, he traveled
hundreds of miles on foot. He wore a coffee sack with holes cut out for
arms. He could have afforded better clothes, but he gave his money to
people in need.

Johnny was friends with everyone he met, whether they were settlers or
Native Americans. As he traveled, he spread more than apple seeds. He
brought news about other places in America. During a time before
television or the Internet, Johnny was sometimes the best source of
information around. He knew things like how certain plants could be used
for medicine, and he often helped those he met who were sick.

The apple man might have appeared odd, but he was really a smart
businessman. Johnny would travel into places where settlers had not
moved yet. He would plant apple orchards there. In a few years, when the
settlers arrived, Johnny had apple trees ready to sell to them. By the
1830s, he owned apple orchards that stretched from western Pennsylvania
through central Ohio and into Indiana.

Some people say that Johnny Appleseed was never sick a day in his life.
But in March 1845, 70-year-old Chapman died. He had been staying near
Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is buried there. An American hero was gone, but
he is still part of our world today.