(Photo by Larry Lewis) If we saw a man wandering along the road with bare feet, dressed in rags, and wearing a saucepan on his head, we'd probably cross the street to avoid him. But, as we learned in elementary school, Johnny Appleseed was a welcome sight in pioneer days. In school, we thought it a bit strange that a man would dedicate his life to planting apple trees on other people's property, but maybe he was just a nice guy. A nice guy who really liked apples. Since today is his 232nd birthday, we thought we'd walk in the footsteps of the legendary apple-lover. It turns out that he was a really nice guy: He planted and maintained orchards across the Ohio Valley to help settlers survive harsh winters in remote and hostile places. He sold, traded, and gave away his apple trees and even the clothes off his back, choosing to live an extremely simple and nomadic life. His inspiration was more than just a love of apples, though. He was also a missionary of sorts, living by the principles of the Swedenborgian faith, a new Christian denomination at that time (and it still has a small following today) that emphasized good deeds and charity to all living creatures. That explains the stories of Johnny's kindness to animals, vegetarian diet, and refusal to graft apple seedlings, but we can't quite understand his mercy toward mosquitoes. Suggested Sites... The Story of Johnny Appleseed - a profile of John Chapman from the Swedenborgian Church. Johnny Appleseed Festival - Fort Wayne, IN - Johnny's final resting place honors him with a festival each year. This year's is over, but there's always Applefest 2007. Johnny Appleseed Festival - Sheffield, PA - there's still time to catch this one, held October 6-8. Appleseed Alley - includes a Chapman family tree, resources for teachers, and plenty of links. Johnny Appleseed - A Pioneer Hero - a scanned article from the November, 1871 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine.

Directory categories: Johnny Appleseed, 19th Century U.S. History, Environment and Nature, Apples, Swedenborgianism

Archived under: American History, Apples, Environment, Food and Drink, History, Religion

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