The Coolidge examiner., 1934-09-21

10 I7a3 Nathaniel Chapman vas drowned while
fishing ia the Connecticut river near South Had
ley Fails and soon afterwards Johnnys wander.
ings began soon after his fathers death.
Johnny is said 10 have packed bis meaEer per
sonai belongings. walked down 10 the town
clerks Office. where be left instructions that his
fathers cabin be given 70 the most needy family
In Springfield and started for the West
According TO one story. Johnny was aceompa-
MED west by a half brother (Hls father is said
20 have married a second time and BY this sec
ond wife bad ten children. eve boys and eve
girls. one OF the boys was named Jonathan.
and some writer's evidently confuse him with
Johnny Appleseed. whom they call Jonathan
Chapman"l. But whether he was accompanied
by bis half brother or made the trip alone. be
seems 10 have reached Pittsburgh IN i79i. estab-
lished himself on a farm there. and planted an
orchard From that period In his life dated his
name OF Johnny Appleseed.
To emigrants. floating down the Ohio on their
way 20 new homes In the West Johnny Apple
seed became a familiar figure He would in
yariably present each family with a package
OF apple seeds and urge them 10 plant them
as soon as they had found their new homes in
the West As there were not enough seeds on
his place to supply all the pioneers Johnny
went from farm TO farm 10 buy more. His
farmer friends regarded him as somewhat
queer" but the emgrants were glad enough 10
receive his offerings. In 1923 Johnny appeared
as wanderer in the valley OF the Potomac In
the summer OF 1900 be was again In western
Pennsylvania.
In the fall OF 1900 a woman living on the
tanks OF the Ohio river near what is now the
city OF Sieubepyllle saw n crazy-looklng craft
floating dcwn the river II was made OF two
canoes iashed together and heavily laden with
m TIM pf fhpFn "A u Ook ne man
clad In ragged clothes and wearing a broad
brmmed hat II was Johnny Appeseed and
the bags contained little seeds which he had
gathered from the cider presses OF Pennsyl-
yania. He was starting out as the advance
guard OF the wave OF pioneer settlement which
was pouring into the fertile Ohio valleys.
Johnny's idea was to plant his apple seeds so
that the trees would be growing when the set
tiers arrived.
The chronology OF Johnny's life from this
point is somewhat uncertain. II is known
that he established a nursery at Marietta. Ohio.
and that he used this place the base for his
operations. He wandered from place 10 place In
that state planting his seeds and caring for the
trees already growing. His travels carried him
into Indiana. and even TO Illinois. where,
road leading into St Louis there stood until
a few years ago an orchard which he is said TO
have planted.
Frequently ne FeNislteu uls Cluer HILLS OF
Pennsylvania and Ohio 10 get more seeds which
he would wash free OF pulp, sort and sew into
deerskin bags. These bags he presented to emf
grants as they continued 10 penetrate the far
ther regions OF the rich Mississippi valley and
some OF these tiny bags are still the treasured
possessions OF descendants OF the pioneers who
profited by Johnnys bounty. Occasionally word
drifted back 10 Marietta that the trees which
he had planted we're not doing well. or that the
settlers busy with putting in their food crop,
were neglecting TO plant the apple seeds which
Johnny had given them so he would set out
again on his career Gf Horticulture Evan
gelist."
Johnny started four nurseries in Ohio. They
were situated near the present cities OF Mans
field Ashland. Salem and Delaware. He is said
To have established more thar a hundred sub
nurseries in various parts Of the Ohio valley,