He was a wacky barefoot dude who wore rags and a cooking pot on his head as he traveled from town to town spreading apple seeds throughout the American Midwest.

Why’d he do that? Because he wanted to. Because he was generous. Because he had a dream. And he liked to travel light.

Johnny Appleseed is an American legend whose tale we still see across many U.S. states. In fact, he’s partly the reason behind the phrase, “As American as Apple Pie.”

A visionary is someone who looks to the future. John Chapman saw the apples along the east coast, and he saw riches in land ownership. So, he found a way to put those two things together.

During the early days of this country, a person could stake a legal claim to land if he first grew crops on it. John’s dad was a farmer, so John knew about planting things. So he found some land for himself and established an apple orchard. Soon he was a land owner.

He realized he help others become land owners too.Instead of being greedy with his idea John created apple nurseries in several locations. Then he sold his small apple seedlings to pioneers as they headed west. Those people used to create their own orchards and claim their own lands.

That’s how John Chapman earned the name Johnny Appleseed. He traveled around and created more and more nurseries. He eventually helped many people to become landowners across five states.

Missionary work was also part of his motive. Johnny shared the teachings of the Free Church as he went about his business of growing and selling apple trees. He also converted many Native Americans to Christianity.

The pot on his head was so he could travel light. He often slept in the open with just a campfire. It was easier to store his cookware on his head than to wear a hat and carry his cooking pot. People who couldn’t buy his trees sometimes paid in food, lodging or spare clothing, which is why he has a reputation for wearing rags. But Johnny was a rich man with over 1,200 acres of apple nurseries that he left to his sister when he died.

The apples that Johnny grew were the small, tart apples used to make hard cider or applejack. This was as common as beer in the early nineteenth century and as important as currency in some places. Having an apple orchard truly set many people up for a prosperous life.

One of Johnny’s trees still stands today. You can find it on a farm in Nova, Ohio, where Johnny Appleseed is believed to have planted an entire orchard of Rambo apple trees in 1830.

Sources:

www.biography.com/historical-figure/johnny-appleseed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed

www.history.com/news/who-was-johnny-appleseed

https://history.howstuffworks.com/revolutionary-war/are-johnny-appleseeds-trees-still-alive.htm 

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From the popular “Who was…?” series, children are sure to be fascinated by the eccentric and legendary Johnny Appleseed, a man who is best known for bringing apple trees to the Midwest. 

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