Hopewell News

This is the story of a man you have all heard about. The legend of Johnny Appleseed is as familiar as that of Paul Bunyan and Ichabod Crane. Just about every child is introduced to the character with a bag around his neck full of apple seeds. The vague impression we carry through life is that of a type of Santa Claus going through the countryside planting trees so that all the pioneers would have something to eat.
Forgotten due to legend and fanciful storytelling is John Chapman, the man behind the myth. He was born in Massachusetts on Sept. 26, 1774. In his twenties, he worked his way west. He indeed had an interest in apple trees. Chapman owned property in Ohio and tended more than one orchard. To manage his business interests he was a regular traveler canoeing on rivers such as the Mohican, Tuscarawas, Kokosing, Walhonding, and Muskingum. By the names of these rivers you can easily ascertain that this was country occupied by Native Americans.
Regarding Indians, animals, and just plain general attitude is where Chapman differed from his neighbors. Most pioneers traveled to the then West to enjoy the privilege of owning land and creating farms and towns resembling where they came from. Nature and Native Americans stood in the way. Trees occupied potential farmland. The axe would ring loud and clear until the forests became cultivated land. Animals, or varmints, were a nuisance. Creating a huge circle of men and slowly moving inward until the trapped animals could be easily shot was most effective.
Civilization needed symbols and institutions. Clothes and manners were important symbols. Institutions, churches, courthouses, and eventually schools and libraries dotted the countryside. Entering this scene during its earliest development before nature and Indian tribes were defeated was John Chapman. His character and beliefs were not mainstream. He dressed eccentrically preferring the utility of wearing a pot for a hat as opposed to one made from beaver or leather. He never seemed to stay put or have the desire to build a home and accompanying farm. He had an excellent relationship with the Indians and was so fond of animals that he would go out of his way to save the smallest of creatures.
Much of Chapman�s behavior can be explained due to his religious beliefs. He was a follower of Swedenborgianism, a Christian faith that was organized in London in 1787. It is based on the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg who believed Jesus as Immanuel (God with Us) among other things. Chapman had a very mystical understanding of his faith and you might say he saw a oneness in everything.
Though different from the mainstream he was also well loved by the settlers due to his kindness. He indeed strongly believed in the virtues of planting orchards and he encouraged others to do so. He also courageously traveled to warn settlers of coming Indian raids during the War of 1812.
Chapman gradually moved west as wilderness turned into settled land. He died in Allen County in northeastern Indiana in 1845. Like other nonconformists who went against the majority and mourned the passing of the frontier he was immortalized. The names of Pontiac, Tecumseh, and Johnny Appleseed live on as a reminder that there once was a different way of life and that everyone did not see the value of what we call civilization.