‘Johnny Appleseed’: The Real Man Behind the Orchard and the Myth

While he didn’t roam the Midwest with a pot on his head, John Chapman made history as a shrewd frontiersman with an eye for helping settlers.

John Chapman, later known as Johnny Appleseed, was born in Leominster, Mass. in 1774. Public Domain

Unlike most westward wayfarers, John Chapman (1774–1845), known to history as “Johnny Appleseed,” didn’t seek a fixed homestead. Instead, he pursued a mobile livelihood as a nurseryman, anticipating where settlement would happen rather than following it. This distinction is central to understanding the real man and the myth that followed him.

Contrary to popular imagery, Chapman established intentional apple nurseries, usually fenced in to protect young trees from livestock. He returned to these sites over the years.