John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, two years before the American Colonies declared their independence from England. His father was a Minuteman in the Continental Army. As a citizen of our young nation, Chapman enjoyed the fruit of the apple trees brought to America by earlier colonists. He foresaw the need for apple trees in the west as Americans moved well beyond the boundaries of eastern towns to settle the wilderness that would become Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. At the turn of the century, Chapman ventured beyond the borders of established towns carrying apple seeds from Pennsylvania cider presses to create nurseries in the wilderness. Fellow frontiersmen dubbed him Johnny Appleseed.
In his legendary travels, he negotiated disputes between pioneer settlers and American Indians and shared his religious beliefs with anyone who wished to listen. His purpose was not material gain. He often gave away his trees and his peers painted a picture of austerity. The picture of a raggedy man with a pot on his head walking barefoot as he scattered seeds may first spring to mind at the mention of Johnny Appleseed. Yet Johnny Appleseed is also remembered for his gentle nature and generous spirit. When Chapman died in 1845 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, his name and reputation had spread far and wide.
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