The Truth of Johnny Appleseed

By Cole Knox

As some of you may know, September 24th was Johnny Appleseed day. In honor of that day, I've decided to go on a search defining the closest origins of the tall tale, what exactly it was based on, and who wrote it. For those who don't know, Johnny Appleseed is an American fable about a pioneer man who supposedly brought the world's first apple trees.

The earliest record I could find of the Johnny Appleseed name was in 1871 by W.D. Haley on Harper's Weekly where he wrote an article based on John Chapman, which initially brought the myth to the public eye. John Chapman was the true mastermind behind the Johnny Appleseed myth because he was Johnny Appleseed. John Chapman was a nurseryman who lived in the 1800s whose original story was embellished with more fairy tale like aspects. He planted acres of orchards across west America through the 1800s.

John Chapman, The original Johnny Appleseed was born on September 26th, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. We don't know much about his early life but we do know much about his adulthood. In the 1800s, he went to the western lands with a tote of apple seeds which he planted by hand, which made them unfit for eating and rather used to make cider and other beverages.

As shown, Johnny Appleseed was a real person by a different name who brought apples to the west. His actual story was much different than the one told to most when in our early years.

Magazine, Smithsonian. “The Real Johnny Appleseed Brought Apples-and Booze-to the American Frontier.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 10 Nov. 2014, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/real-johnny-appleseed-brought-applesand-booze-american-frontier-180953263/.

Synan, Mariel. “Who Was Johnny Appleseed?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 18 Sept. 2013, https://www.history.com/news/who-was-johnny-appleseed.