The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1949-04-21
Gaping
the CAPITAL
With BEN HAYES

ing in last weeks Journal about
Johnny Appleseed's grave, and
/ how Indiana and Massachusetts,
people are quarreling over his
final resting place. Nice story.
Johnny's body probably will
remain buried at Fort Wayne.
where he died in 1845. But let
Noble county get into the argu-
ment while it is on. The proper
place for Johnny's grave would
be the Duck creek valley.
The hills between Duck creek
and Muskingum valley are the
home of the Chapman's, Johnnys
people. Dozens of people there
are direct descendants of John
ny's brother, Farley Chapman.
The Chapman name is still there.
Some of the Morgareidges are
part Chapman.
Johnny was born at Leomin-
ster, Mass, in 1774. His name was
Jonathan Chapman. The family
story today is that he was kicked
in the head by a horse, hence
his crazy actions.
While Johnny roamed the will
derneSS barefooted, a mushpot
for his hat, a gunny sack for his
clothes-planting apple trees for
! the settlers, the rest of his family
migrated to Ohio.
Nathaniel Chapman and his
son, Farley, came to Marietta,
in 1905, then pushed up Duck
creek in flatboat They settled
: just south of Dexter City. Both
are buried in a little cemetery on
the hill just south of Carl Ogle's
Maple Shade farm.
This cemetery, if family ties
are to be followed, should be the
burial place of Johnny Apple
seed. The roadside monument, to
Johnny's memory, was a long
time project of the late Mrs. Ross
Stallings of Dexter City. Aunt
Minnie devoted years to this eff
fort. She and her friends col
lected stones from all over the
world for the marker.
Mrs. Stallings, in her days of
vigor, was as energetic as she
was good. 1t is surprising that
she did not instigate the removal
of Johnny's remains to the Duck
creek hills.
I've heard a lot about later
Chapmans, especially one of Par
ley's daughters who became Aunt
Polly Morgareidge. She was six
feet tall, outspoken and firm in
her convictions. She lived at DeX-
ter City and her husband was
Burnham Morgareidge, a short
ad-shouldered Yankee.
A young preacher at Dexter
City, named Johnson, once asked
Aunt Polly how many children
she had
Thirteen" she answered. "Anc
if I'd had half a man, I'd had sly
more"
These stories were told me by
Mrs. Quinn Tilton of Marietta
who is a granddaughter of Aun
Polly.
Her trips to the store were
events When the day dawned
Aunt Polly would send a grand
child to the Clymer Bros. estab
lishment.
Grandma is coming to thi!
store this afternoon, and she
wants no smoking" the chile
would say to Charley Clymer.
Charley would clear out the
loafers, air the store and hold hi
fingers crossed until Aunt Polly
had started back home.
One evening a neighbor passec
the Morgareidge home and made
a pleasant remark about the
weather. Aunt Polly was in M
mood for pleasantries.
do you know what the 11tf
commandment is?" she retorted
Every dod-burned son-of-a-gur
pay attention to his own bust
ness
Andy Briggs, whose farm ad
joined, got his ears knocked of
the same way once. He saw th'
Morgareidge hogs in the Morgan
edge cornfield, and stopped t
tell Aunt Polly.
Aunt Polly's answer was
They are my hogs and my corn
so what about it,"
1t is plain to Sc that Aunt Polly
was a person not easily forgotten