When I think of “Johnny Appleseed,” a vision of a happy-go-lucky, overall-clad young man striding along the countryside while sowing seeds of apple-y goodness immediately comes to my mind. While the legend of Johnny Appleseed paints a picture of some mythological pioneer making his way across the American west, Johnny Appleseed was just a clever businessman who tried to stay a bit ahead of the settlers who were westward-bound.

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Born on September 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, John Chapman was the son of a former “minuteman,” Nathaniel Chapman. Nathaniel felt that his son should have a career as an orchardist and when John was just fourteen, his father signed him up to work as an apprentice to a local apple farmer.

As he was learning to become a farmer himself, John would often strike up conversations with settlers as they passed through his town. He would hear reports of fertile soils throughout the great frontier, which, in combination with his love for apples, ultimately led to his desire to travel west so that he could plant apple trees. So, around age eighteen, John Chapman left the tiny town of Leominster with his younger siblings in tow, and headed in the direction of the setting sun.

According to various records, it is thought that John began to plant apples in the Pennsylvania area, moving west toward Ohio, and eventually made his way into Illinois and Indiana. However, unlike the images conjured up by the legend, John was very systematic in how he sowed his beloved apple seeds. He would find large areas of fertile ground as he wandered the countryside—likely points of future settlements. Once the land was appropriately sized up, he would plant an apple tree nursery, protect it from livestock by constructing a fence around the perimeter, and leave it in the care of a neighboring farmer before moving on to the next area. If he timed it just right, the saplings would be big enough to be sold for transplant upon the arrival of settlers. It wasn’t long before John Chapman disappeared into obscurity and Johnny Appleseed took his place.

Interestingly, a majority of the apples grown during that time period were not used in the same way that we use apples today—the expression “as American as apple pie” would not enter our vernacular until many years later. With that said, if you were to guess the main purpose of growing apples during that time period in America, I am sure you would easily reach the answer: to make alcoholic beverages. Since the seeds found within apples are rarely genetically representative of the apples from which they came, it is impossible to guarantee the type of fruit that will be produced. Therefore, current apple farmers rely mostly on methods of asexual propagation, such as grafting, to keep producing tasty fruit. But when apples are used to make hard cider, it doesn’t matter how they taste—cider mills (past and present) can use even the most inedible apples. Luckily for Johnny Appleseed, cider mills were willing to give him apple seeds for free, primarily because they wanted to keep up their supplies. Needless to say, Johnny Appleseed did his fair share of making people happy, in more ways than one.

Most of us only know of Johnny Appleseed in the context of sowing apple seeds; however, there was much more to this man. Indeed, Johnny Appleseed wandered across the not-quite-yet United States and can be credited with the introduction of the apple to the west coast. However, he also used these opportunities to preach about his religious views, which were that of the Swedenborg belief system. A major principle help by the Swedenborgians was that if you suffer in the present life, you will be comfortable in the next. This is primarily the reason why Johnny Appleseed wore the worst clothing (even though he could easily afford nicer attire) and often went barefoot. In line with his religious attitude, Johnny Appleseed felt connected to animals—he wouldn’t even hurt a fly, literally. And, of course, he was a vegetarian.

Johnny Appleseed was hugely respected during his time and easily won the hearts of the local communities, including that of the Native American population. He was always welcomed into someone’s home and would often tell long stories in exchange for food and a place to rest for the night.

Johnny Appleseed wandered around the American frontier until his death, thought to have occurred sometime around 1845. During his roughly 70 years on Earth, John Chapman did what it took to become the stuff of legends. Many have credited him with changing the American agricultural landscape, and with leaving behind a legacy that is sweet, crunchy, and crisp. I only wonder if he ever had a chance to taste an apple pie.

References and further readings:

Johnny Appleseed – Myth and Truth of an American Legend. American History by Suite 101.

John Chapman—Also known as Johnny Appleseed. Ohio History Central.

Johnny Appleseed, Wikipedia

Jane Yolen and Jim Burke. Johnny Appleseed: The Legend and the Truth. HarperCollins, 2008.