Profile of the Day: Johnny Appleseed

Johnny Appleseed

Remember the story of Johny Appleseed? On this day in 1774, the real Johnny Appleseed was born.

He was born John Chapman on September 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. His father, Nathaniel Chapman, fought in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 1776, while his father was away at war, his mother died while giving birth to a son, who also passed short time later.

As the folk story goes, Johnny Appleseed wandered barefoot with a tin pot hat carrying a sack of apples to plant apple trees where ever he went on the frontier. The real John Chapman was an orchardist and nurseryman. He traveled extensively from western Pennsylvania down the Ohio River, purposefully planting apple trees to establish a claim to the lands. The apples from his orchards were used to produce hard cider. By the time of his death, he owned over 1,200 acres of land.

How are you related to Johnny Appleseed? Explore his family tree and discover how you’re connected to the American folk hero.
 

View Johnny Appleseed’s Geni Profile

Image: Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, 1871 / Internet Archives