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John Chapman

John Chapman

Male 1774 - 1845  (70 years)  Submit Photo / DocumentSubmit Photo / Document


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  • Name John Chapman 
    Nickname Johnny Appleseed 
    Born 26 Sep 1774  Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Library book: Genealogy of the Chapman Family 003 - "Johnny Appleseed" 
    Occupation Johnny Appleseed 
    Hard Cider.
    Hard Cider.
    Whatever you may have heard it was about land and booze.

    Frontier law allowed people to claim ownership of land through development of a permanent homestead. One way to prove a claim was by planting 50 apple trees. Traveling through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois, Chapman would plant not random seeds but, orchards. Once the orchard matured he would then sell the land to settlers. It was a strategy that made him fairly wealthy for his time.

    You wouldn't want to eat John's apples. They were small and tart. They were not meant to be eaten but to be transformed into hard cider. Post revolution all the way up to prohibition hard cider was very popular in America and, sometimes safer than the water which might contain bacteria.

    Prohibition destroyed John's legacy. FBI agents took to the orchards with axes and, made sure they could no longer be used to produce alcohol. Today only one of John's trees is known to survive.

    Never the less while edible apples were not his intention, apples of the day were cultivated through grafting not planting seeds. Grafting produced apples that never changed. The seeds he planted allowed for mutations. When you visit the market today and get to choose from many varieties of apples it can be considered a gift from John and his work.
    Died 18 Mar 1845  Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Johnny Appleseed Obituary.
    Johnny Appleseed Obituary.
    Goshen (Indiana) Democrat, March 26, 1845 page 4.
    Johnny Appleseed Estate.
    Johnny Appleseed Estate.
    The Fort Wayne (Indiana) Sentinel, April 18, 1845 page 3.
    Buried Johnny Appleseed Memorial Park, Fort Wayne, Allen, Indiana, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • There is controversy over the john's burial site.
    Johnny Appleseed Gravesite.
    Johnny Appleseed Gravesite.
    Johnny Appleseed Gravesite.
    Johnny Appleseed Burial.
    Johnny Appleseed Burial.
    The spot in Appleseed park was a state cemetery. Some believe that is the location of his burial although, there is no record. The stone marking the grave was set up September 25, 1965. It is likely not an indicator of an exact burial site.

    Others believe he was buried in a location not far from where he died and not far from the cabin was living in. This exact spot has been lost to development.

    For an extended look into the argument that John is buried in this location see the book "Chapman Genealogy" in our Family History Library.
    Siblings 3 siblings 
    Person ID I36602  Nagel
    Last Modified 27 Nov 2018 

    Father Nathaniel Chapman,   b. 13 Sep 1746, Tewksbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Feb 1807, Lower Salem, Washington, Ohio Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 60 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Mother Elizabeth Simonds,   b. 2 Feb 1748, Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Jul 1776, Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 28 years) 
    Relationship Birth 
    Married 8 Feb 1770  Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F11691  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart