10 Theories That Might Change Opinions Of American Folk Heroes - Listverse 10 Theories That Might Change Opinions Of American Folk Heroes Debra Kelly October 31, 2015 American history is full of colorful characters that walk the line between history and legend. Larger than life, they’re often as infamous as they are famous. Yet for every American folk hero, there’s a story—or theory—that can completely change the way we look at them. 10 John Henry Photo credit: Ken Thomas The story of railway steel driver John Henry is a testament to American grit and determination. Faced with replacement by a mechanical drill, his only option was to prove that he was better than a machine. He did—and died of exhaustion just after he proved that he could drive a spike as fast and as well as any machine. He was one of those characters from history who always seemed like a bit of a tall tale, but a professor from the College of William and Mary thinks he’s found the real John Henry. He really did work on building the railways, and he really did die laboring on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. But there’s more to the story.

In the 1870s, work on the railway was done in large part by labor conscripted from the nearby Virginia State Penitentiary. In 1992, excavations at the old prison uncovered around 300 sets of remains belonging to prisoners from that era. Among the records, one name in particular stood out—John William Henry. According to the files, he was 18 years old when he was convicted of theft after stealing from a grocery store. His sentence was 10 years in prison, and when the prison started leasing their inmates to the railroad, Henry was one of them. Some intriguing evidence seems to support the idea that this was the John Henry of folklore. The ballad written about him says, “They took John Henry to the white house, and buried him in the san’.” That’s an accurate description of the white penitentiary building where he served his time. He also worked on the Lewis Tunnel in West Virginia. As historians know, steam drills were tested against human labor there. Then there’s the tragic end to the story. When steam drills first came on the scene, they often broke down.

An experienced team of men could easily beat the drills but working alongside them had deadly consequences. The drills spit clouds of silicon dust into the air. By breathing in that dust, the workmen were at high risk of developing silicosis, a lung disease that quickly killed countless workers. 9 Meriwether Lewis And William Clark Medical Budget Photo via Wikimedia Few American explorers are as firmly entrenched in the spirit of westward expansion as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who braved the unknown wilderness far from civilization. It was surely a noble endeavor, but a look at their medical training—and how Lewis decided to spend their medical budget—sheds a different light on the expedition. At that time, there were almost no doctors in the country. Even in New York City, a newspaper proclaimed that the city’s 40 doctors were “mere pretenders” and “entirely ignorant.” Lewis’s mother was a practicing herb doctor (aka a “yarb”), which may have given him some knowledge of herbal remedies. In preparation for the expedition, Thomas Jefferson also sent Lewis to study medicine in Philadelphia under the guidance of Declaration of Independence signer Dr. Benjamin Rush.

Of his total budget, Lewis allotted about $55 ( around $855 in 2014 dollars ) for medicine. By comparison, he set aside $696 ($10,813 in 2014 dollars) to buy gifts for the native people they might encounter on the trip. We know what medicines were purchased for the expedition because all of them came from an apothecary in Philadelphia. Ultimately, Lewis went over his medical budget, with most of the funds spent on Peruvian bark, which was used for controlling fevers and malaria. He also bought 600 of Dr. Rush’s Bilious Pills , which mainly contained laxatives. The pills did their job so well that they were dubbed “thunderbolts.” Lewis also bought 700 doses of other laxatives , like magnesia and rhubarb. Lewis stocked up on cures and treatments for venereal disease, which may have been a wise decision. During the expedition, they encountered many tribes who believed in offering their wives to white explorers as a way to absorb the strength of those explorers through sex. So Lewis’s store of questionably safe venereal disease treatments—including mercury pills—came in handy.

He also brought along one clyster syringe, which was designed for enemas and for alleviating the symptoms of gonorrhea by flushing out the urethra. 8 General George Armstrong Custer Horse Thief Photo credit: Library of Congress Best known for losing the Battle of the Little Bighorn, General George Armstrong Custer was recently outed as a horse thief, too. At least, that’s what documents from the National Archives and the library of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument suggest. In the months after the Civil War, Union troops were openly seizing Confederate horses, mostly for military purposes. But Custer’s involvement with the thoroughbred bay stallion Don Juan was more than a military seizure. Custer wanted to profit from the horse, and he stopped at nothing to take the animal from the real owner, Richard Gaines. Throughout the South, Don Juan had a reputation as a valuable racehorse, estimated to be worth about $10,000 in 1865 ( about $153,000 in 2014 dollars ). Technically, Custer bought the horse from the US military for $125.

But he also had a pedigree for Don Juan, which wouldn’t happen with a horse seized through standard military procedures. In a letter from that time, Custer asked his father-in-law to keep secret how little Custer had paid for Don Juan. He also detailed his plans to profit from the war by selling the horse for thousands. However, he couldn’t do that without the pedigree. But his possession of the pedigree proved that the horse was not a military seizure. So Custer’s story about buying the horse after a military seizure didn’t make sense. Gaines was vocal about his claim to the horse, which had been taken from his groom by soldiers who had demanded both the horse and the pedigree. Within two weeks, Custer used his military clout to possess the horse and the paperwork. The matter went as high as Ulysses S. Grant, who ordered Custer to return Don Juan to his rightful owner as it was a clear case of abuse of power and theft. However, General Philip Sheridan testified that the horse was simply taken for military use by Union troops. Custer established ownership of Don Juan with some public appearances, while any shady dealings were swept under the carpet.

After he showed off the animal at the Michigan State Fair in 1866, Custer prepared to sell him. But karma kicked in, and the horse died a month later after a blood vessel burst. 7 Johnny Appleseed Photo credit: H. S. Knapp In school, we all heard the story of Johnny Appleseed (whose real name was John Chapman), the kindly man who wore a tin pot for a hat and walked across the country planting apples. Although it’s true that Chapman planted apple trees throughout the country, he didn’t do it for eating purposes. He actually did it for alcohol—and profit. Trying to get settlers to move west, the government promised each settler a patch of land. However, families had to prove they were going to stay and improve the property. One way to do that was to plant 50 apple trees. But that was hard work, and the trees had to be planted within a certain time frame. So many families chose to outsource the work to John Chapman. But it was against Chapman’s religion to plant and graft trees that produced apples that were good for eating. Instead, Chapman’s trees yielded small, sour apples which were great for making hard cider.

For years, his apple trees formed the backbone of America’s alcohol production , which didn’t fall out of fashion until government agents took axes to the trees during Prohibition. However, the American tradition of making cider has made a comeback recently, and so have Chapman’s trees. Cuttings from Chapman’s last tree, found on the Harvey-Algeo Farm of Nova, Ohio, have been grafted onto other apple rootstock and replanted. 6 John Brown Photo credit: Ole Peter Hansen Balling Usually called an “abolitionist,” John Brown led the failed raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 to secure weapons for an armed slave revolt in the fight for freedom. Seventeen people died that night. Although his ideals sounded noble, his methods horrified as many Northerners as Southerners. Born in Connecticut to an extremely religious family, Brown suffered many tragedies. His mother died when he was young, his first wife died in childbirth, and nine of his 20 children died before him. At age 55, Brown finally found his calling, guerrilla warfare in the name of abolitionism. After states were given the right to choose whether they would allow slavery, Kansas turned into a battlefield.

Brown moved there to better wage his own brand of war. In May 1856, proslavery fighters sacked the town of Lawrence. Although only one person died— a proslavery man killed when a brick fell on him—Brown decided to seek retribution. Dubbing themselves the “Army of the North,” he and seven other men (including four of his sons) headed into proslavery Pottawatomie Creek a few nights later. The group stormed homes and killed indiscriminately. Dragged into the streets, their victims had their heads hacked to pieces with broadswords before they were shot. By the end of the night, five were dead. Although Brown didn’t do the killing, he decided who would live and who would die. With Brown becoming a strange mix of abolitionist hero and wanted fugitive, the Pottawatomie massacre kicked off a wave of violence that left about 200 people dead by the end of the year. When Brown was sentenced to hang after Harpers Ferry, he received a letter from the wife and mother of three victims killed by Brown’s men at Pottawatomie Creek.

She wrote: With the loss of your two sons, you can now appreciate my distress, in Kansas, when you then and there entered my house at midnight and arrested my husband and two boys and took them out of the yard and in cold blood shot them dead in my hearing, you cant say you done it to free our slaves, we had none and never expected to own one, but has only made me a poor disconsolate widow. 5 Betsy Ross Photo credit: Edward Percy Moran Betsy Ross has one of the biggest roles in American myth and folklore as the supposed creator of the first American flag. Although this story didn’t appear until 1870, it’s firmly cemented in the public consciousness. Sadly, it’s a myth that may obscure her more interesting role in the revolution. When George Washington made his famous Christmas Eve crossing of the Delaware River in 1776, it was the beginning of the capture of Trenton. That victory might not have happened if 2,000 soldiers had been on guard that night as they were supposed to be. Instead, their Hessian commander, Carl Emilius von Donop, delayed his troops in Mount Holly because he was infatuated with a young widow in town.

That young widow is rumored to be Betsy Ross. Her husband, John Ross, had recently been killed while on guard duty for the colonists. The Rosses were friends with the Washingtons, and Betsy’s work for the revolution was well-known. Although she may not have designed the flag, she did sew uniforms. It’s also possible that she used her feminine wiles to delay von Donop and his 2,000 men as her friend marched on Trenton. It’s just a theory supported mostly by a circumstantial connection between Betsy Ross and Mount Holly, but historians are interested in the idea. Whoever the widow was, she may have played a crucial role in one of the most infamous battles of the American Revolution. 4 Annie Oakley Photo credit: Baker’s Art Gallery Born in 1860, Annie Oakley had all but retired from the public eye as one of the West’s most famous sharpshooters by 1901. The best at what she did, Oakley was always the product of a carefully groomed reputation. For example, she was rarely, if ever, shown killing animals in her shooting stunts, and she was always dressed like a proper Victorian lady.

So when William Randolph Hearst ran a story saying that Oakley had been caught stealing to fund her cocaine habit, the country loved it. The story went turn-of-the-century viral, running in 55 papers across the country before the perpetrator was revealed to be a burlesque dancer of questionable morals who had billed herself as “Any Oakley.” In days, the bogus tale destroyed an image that Oakley had worked a lifetime to create. But she sued each newspaper for libel , traveling across the country and winning or settling 54 out of the 55 cases. It took seven years, and in the end, her defense was so expensive that she lost money despite receiving large monetary settlements. If Oakley hadn’t fought back, Hearst’s story had the potential to change the way America remembered one of the most well-known female shooters in history. In the middle of the fight, Hearst even hired some private investigators to dig up dirt he could use against her. When they came back with nothing, he—and his newspapers—were forced to pay up and admit that Oakley didn’t have a cocaine habit after all.

3 Daniel Boone Photo credit: George Caleb Bingham Daniel Boone was one of the great American frontiersmen, but he was also a politician who served several terms in the Virginia General Assembly. In particular, one incident suggests that he didn’t always put his country first. In 1781, Lord Cornwallis was moving his troops closer to the legislature’s headquarters in Richmond. It was only a heroic—and often forgotten—overnight gallop by Jack Jouett that enabled the American heads of state to escape the British . . . for the most part. According to the memoirs of Boone’s son Nathan, Jouett and Daniel Boone stayed behind to salvage some of the young government’s papers. As they were loading those papers onto a wagon, they were captured by British forces. Strangely, Boone and Jouett were released after only a few days in British captivity. No one’s sure why they were released, but Boone followed the rest of the General Assembly to reassume his position there. One theory suggests that Boone promised not to fight the British in exchange for the safety of his family. While it’s known that Boone’s wife had relatives fighting for the British, she may also have had family members serving in the unit that captured Boone and Jouett.

Another theory says that Jouett fled the scene, wearing full military gear and luring the British away from Boone and potentially dangerous documents. Whatever Jouett’s role was, he did receive an official commendation from the General Assembly, presented with a set of pistols and later a sword as acknowledgment of his “ activity and enterprise .” 2 Molly Pitcher Photo credit: Currier & Ives One historian found the story of Molly Pitcher repeated as fact in 18 of 22 history textbooks, with most reinforcing the idea that her real name was Mary Hayes . Other versions call her Mary Ludwig, but the story is always the same. During the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, she carried pitchers of water to the fighting men on the front lines—hence the nickname. When her husband collapsed by his cannon, Molly supposedly dropped her water , gathered her skirts, and stepped into his place. There’s also an anecdote about a cannonball that passed directly between her legs without fazing her in the least. For her actions, she was supposedly made a captain (or perhaps a lieutenant) by George Washington. However, there’s no evidence to suggest that this story is true.

A woman stepping onto the front lines and helping to win the battle was never repeated in any contemporary papers. The first mention of Molly Pitcher didn’t come until 50 years later, when the story finally began cropping up in print. However, the story likely evolved from a different woman in a different battle. Mary Corbin, affectionately referred to as “Captain Molly,” did fire a cannon for her husband after he was killed. The incident happened two years earlier at Fort Washington, not the Battle of Monmouth. Another woman named Moll Pitcher shows up in history at about the same time. However, she was a fortune-teller who was regularly consulted by sailors trying to determine whether to begin their journeys. The merging of the stories seems to have happened between 1830 and 1840. 1 Black Bart Photo via Wikimedia Charles Boles (aka “Black Bart”) was a notorious stagecoach robber in the Wild West. Between 1875 and 1883, he supposedly targeted at least 29 Wells Fargo stagecoaches, escaping with thousands of dollars. Despite being a Civil War veteran and a successful thief, he was actually a bit of a coward .

Boles conducted all his stagecoach robberies without a key piece of equipment: a horse. He was absolutely terrified of them. All his holdups and getaways were on foot . He also hated the sight of blood, regardless of whose blood it was. For all his successful robberies, there were several from which he ran. In November 1880, a planned robbery on the Oregon border went bad when the driver pulled out a hatchet. Boles had a rifle, but the driver’s threats and the sight of the hatchet sent him fleeing for the hills. In July 1882, a veteran messenger whom he attempted to rob took a shot at him, knocking off his hat and grazing his head. That incident also sent him running. His absolute hatred of horses and bloodshed has never been satisfactorily explained, but it may have something to do with his wartime service. Boles was wounded three times in battle, receiving commendations and promotions for his service. Often called one of the great “gentlemen robbers” because he refused to hurt his targets or take money from anyone except Wells Fargo, that image fades when you look at his personal life.

After marrying in 1854 and having three daughters, Boles left his family to serve in the Civil War. When he returned, he stayed just long enough to have another son. In 1867, Boles headed to Montana alone to try his hand at gold mining. Eight years later, he briefly visited his family during his robbery career. After abandoning his wife and children again, he attempted to reconnect with them while he was in prison. Even though his letters profess his love and devotion for his wife and family, he didn’t return to them when he was released from jail. Are Johnny Appleseed's trees alive today? | HowStuffWorks Are Johnny Appleseed's trees alive today? Born in 1774, Johnny Appleseed (aka John Chapman) is long gone, but his trees are still alive centuries later. NoDerog/iStock/Thinkstock There's an old saying among landscapers: "When is the best time to plant a tree? Ten years ago." As anyone who's ever planted a seedling -- and hoped to live long enough to sit under its shade -- knows, trees take a long time to grow and mature.

It's a lesson folk hero Johnny Appleseed knew well, as he spent 50 years traveling across the northeastern and midwestern United States planting apple tree seedlings ahead of pioneers who would settle the land. Take a Bite Out of History Stuff You Missed in History Class: Laura Ingalls Wilder Podcast Even though most fruit trees have a life span of only 15 to 45 years, there is a last-known survivor of Johnny Appleseed's reign. This ancient apple tree lives on a farm in Nova, Ohio, where Johnny Appleseed is believed to have planted an entire orchard of Rambo apple trees in 1830, and indeed still produces fruit [source: American Forests ]. The tree's seeds and cuttings have been used to propagate hundreds of new "Johnny Appleseed" trees throughout the years, making it one of the nation's most valuable heritage plants. In fact, the Johnny Appleseed Educational Center and Museum in Urbana, Ohio, transplanted seedlings from this lone survivor in honor of Appleseed's contributions to agriculture [source: Urbana ]. Nearly everyone familiar with American lore knows Appleseed was a famed folk hero, planting apple seedlings hither and yon as he traveled the country on foot.

According to legend, Appleseed was often barefoot (by some accounts, he gave his shoes to someone in need) and wearing threadbare clothes. He wore a hat fashioned out of tin or, sometimes, used a metal cooking pot in place of a hat. As legends go, it's an interesting story, but not exactly the truth. The Appleseed tale grew from the life of a real person named John Chapman, born on Sept. 26, 1774, in Massachusetts. Chapman picked up the apple business apprenticing for a neighbor farmer. And, unlike the legend that developed after Chapman's death in 1845, his efforts may have been a bit more mercenary than we've been led to believe. Chapman planted orchards across Pennsylvania, Ohio and a number of frontier states as a way to establish ownership of the land. The carefully selected sites eventually became established nurseries, which Chapman sold off a few years later to newly arrived pioneers -- at an attractive profit. Gentler accounts, however, purport Chapman planted the fruit trees on unsettled land ahead of pioneers' arrivals so the trees would begin producing fruit by the time the pioneers needed it to survive.

Other explanations of Chapman's motives report he planted apple trees not only to provide food for hardscrabble pioneers, but also to use the fruit to make hard cider [sources: Cornwell , American Forests ]. It's entirely possible that, as he planted fruit trees across the frontier, Johnny Appleseed originated the concept of BYOB: bring your own booze. 1 History of Apples THE BENEFITS OF THE USE OF APPLES IN HERBAL PREPARATIONS HISTORY OF APPLES The world as we know it began with the apple. According to Genesis 3:6, Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, gave it to Adam and their eyes were opened. This fruit of knowledge is generally represented by the apple. Were it not for Eveï¿½s transgression, mankind would never have been born. In the eyes of Christians, at least, our world began with the apple. Malus pumila, the paradise apple has been symbolic of many things throughout history. The genus name Malus comes from the Latin root ï¿½malï¿½ which means bad or evil. In the Garden of Eden it represents sin and knowledge.

ï¿½ï¿½the apple of my eyeï¿½ are the words used by Jehovah in the Old Testament of the Bible, to describe his favored people. The ï¿½appleï¿½ of the eye is the pupil, the center. God said he kept the children of Israel in the apple of his eye as a way of saying to them that they were central and favored, that he watched over them even in their trials. Cutting an apple cross-wise will reveal more symbolism. The shape revealed is a five-pointed star. This pentagram, though often mistaken for a satanic symbol, is actually a Christian symbol which represents the atonement. This five pointed star is also called the Star of Bethlehem, representing the star that appeared at the birth of Jesus Christ. The seeds within the star of the fruit represent the Resurrection and Immortality or Rebirth, as this is how the fruit continues its life. This one fruit symbolizes the Birth, Sin and Death of man, then the Birth of a Savior who will Atone and Resurrect him to Immortality and Eternal Life. This symbolism was carried though to several ancient pagan cultures as well.

The Scandinavians had their goddess, Iduna whose name meant ï¿½at-one-ness,ï¿½ very close to the word ï¿½atonement.ï¿½ According to legend, she tended the apple orchards at Asgard a land for the Immortals. To Asgard the other gods went each night to renew themselves. Their immortality depended on partaking of Idunaï¿½s apples. Like Asgard, Avalon was another place for the Immortals. It was believed that Celtic heros like King Arthur didnï¿½t die but sailed through the mist to reach Avalon. Avalon was the ï¿½Apple Islandï¿½. The name came from the Welsh word ï¿½afalï¿½ or apple. The Irish mythological heros were summoned to Emain Ablach, (Emain of the Apple Trees) or the Avalon equivalent, ï¿½Avallachï¿½. This was done by an ï¿½other-worldly woman who brings the hero a silver-white blossomed apple branch from Emainï¿½ï¿½ Some believe these legends to be rooted in descriptions of druidic ceremonies.

In addition to being a fruit rich in symbolism, there is much plant lore assigned to the apple. Apple boughs hung above the door frame of a house are said to bless the couple that resides therein with added peace and love. Others have used the apple in a love spell that involves cutting the apple cross-wise and sharing it with the one that you love to increase the attraction. In Danish folklore, however, apples are believed to wither around adulterers. Many American children have bobbed for apples on Halloween. This childï¿½s game may have originated from and Irish Tradition, ï¿½La mas nbhal.ï¿½ This was ï¿½the feast of the apple gatheringï¿½ which took place on All Hallow Eve. There was a spicy cider and toast beverage in which apples were floated.

ï¿½It was usual for each person who partook of the spicy beverage to take out an apple and eat it, wishing good luck to the company.ï¿½ In England on Christmas Eve, there once was a popular custom called, ï¿½wassailing the orchard trees.ï¿½ The farmer with his family and workers would honor the most productive trees in the orchard with cider and hot cakes while saying the following toast three times: ï¿½Hereï¿½s to thee, old apple tree!ï¿½ Whence thou maysï¿½t bud, and whence thou maysï¿½t blow, Hats full! Caps full! Bushel-bushel-bags full! And my pockets full, too! Huzza!ï¿½ Still in practice by some as late as the early 1900ï¿½s, wassailing was believed to ensure that the best trees would continue to bear much fruit.

ï¿½Wassaile the trees, that they may beare, You many a Plum and many a Peare, For more or lesse fruits they will bring, As you do give them Wassailing.ï¿½ No respectable folk or legend history of apples would be complete would be complete without mentioning Sir Isaac Newton or Johnny Appleseed. Around 1665 or 1666, Newton went to spend some time at his motherï¿½s home away from London. While sitting in the shade of an apple tree he contemplated his many scientific interests. He saw an apple fall to the ground. This inspired him to make the connection of Galileoï¿½s experiments with projectiles, his knowledge of the moonï¿½s orbit, and this fallen apple. The result was the Theory of Gravity. Johnny Appleseed made no contribution to Physics, but he is a well loved American folk hero just the same. Born in 1774 as John Chapman, he developed a great love for apples. He dedicated his life to pomology, (the cultivation of apple trees.) He worked tirelessly, starting many nurseries throughout Indiana, Ohio, and all along the Allegeny River.

His legendary nickname brings to mind a vision of a barefoot man with a sack of apple seeds slung over his shoulder throwing the pips out as he walked the countryside. However, being a gifted pomologist, John Chapman would have known that planting apple trees from their seed was not an effective way to spread his love for this fruit. Legends, symbols, and myths aside, apples have a history traceable by archeologists and historians. To find the origin of the first apple tree, some point to Southwestern Asia between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Others point to carbon dated seeds that were found in Antolia. These are believed to be from 6500 B.C. Still others have found fossilized imprints of apple seeds dating to the Neolithic period in England. Wherever the true origin of the first apple trees may be found, one thing is certain, man has always been less than a pipï¿½s throw away. Henry David Thoreau once wrote, ï¿½It is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man.ï¿½ He remarked that everywhere man migrates he takes his orchard with him. But perhaps he meant more.

As another author has put it, ï¿½From a few natural crab apple species, the varieties of apples increased to thousands, very much like the diversity and richness of the cultures and civilizations all over the world.ï¿½ The first apple trees were types of crab apple trees. These bear a small sour fruit. Through an unknown number of years, these sour little fruits were coaxed by man to be the plump and sweet fruit we know today. Ancient Greeks were very familiar with the apple tree. Homer mentions apples in the Odyssey (circa 850 B.C.) By the 7th century B.C., apples were considered to be very valuable to the Greeks. To celebrate their wedding night, a couple was allowed to share only one apple. It has been suggested that in ancient Greece it was easy to catch a woman -if she could catch an apple. The manï¿½s toss was the proposal, her catch was the acceptance. One of the most famous Greeks is Hippocrates. He lived around 400 B.C. Considered the father of medicine, he was well acquainted with apples.

He said, ï¿½Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food.ï¿½ His most favored prescriptions for his patients included apples, dates and barley mush. It was the Romans however, that are credited with the perfection of the fruit and its spread throughout Europe. In order to have developed the fruit we know today, cross-breeding had to take place to bring out the sweetness. To preserve the new varieties of fruit they had developed, Roman pomologists employed the technique called ï¿½graftingï¿½. Without grafting, trees planted from seeds or pips, as they are sometimes called, eventually revert back to their sour ancestors. Pliny the Elder, a Roman statesman, wrote ï¿½Historia naturales,ï¿½ around 23 A.D. At that time he describes 37 different varieties of cultivated apples, and notes how farmers would auction the fruit on the trees. When the Romans invaded Britian in 55 B.C., they found the locals drinking apple cider. This was most likely from a more tart variety of apple than the Roman people had been enjoying.

Like their herbs and medicines, the Romanï¿½s brought their sweet varieties of apples and orchards with them. During their occupation, officers were given lands to entice them to stay in England. Many accepted, and on those lands they planted orchards. In 597 A.D., long after the Roman armies had left Britain, Christianity was reestablished in England. At this time, monks were predominantly responsible for planting orchards and tending them at their monasteries, along with their herb gardens. ï¿½Encyclopediaï¿½ (printed in 1470 A.D.) by Bartholomeus Angelicus, mentions the value of the apple tree as did many of the old Saxon manuscripts. ï¿½Malus the Appyll Treeï¿½ is gracious in syght and in taste and vertuous in medicyneï¿½ï¿½ Fruit cultivation took a hit during the Black Death. This decline was reversed by Henry the VIII. In 1533, one of the kingï¿½s fruitiers named Richard Harris, imported apple trees from France. He worked to create new varieties with the trees from France.

One of his missions was to reestablish orchards to supply England with trees and fruit. When the colonists came to the New World, they brought with them a variety of apples. Cider production records from the year 1635 prove the value placed on the apple tree by the settlers. A Mr. Wolcott of Connecticut produced a record 500 hogshead of cider that year. This is roughly the equivalent of 55,000 gallons. It takes about 36 apples to make one gallon of cider. Orchard owners must have enjoy considerable success. Americaï¿½s oldest apple tree is believed to have been the one planted by Peter Stuyvesant in 1647. He was the governor of ï¿½New Amsterdamï¿½ at the time he planted the tree in his Manhattan orchard. It was still bearing fruit 219 years later when it was run over by a derailed train in 1866. Malus pumila known to many as the ï¿½Golden Deliciousï¿½ apple was discovered in 1905.

Anderson Mullins was tending his apple orchard at his farm in Clay County, West Virginia that year when he spotted a tree bearing the huge yellow fruit. It had spontaneously appeared from seed. Over the years he watched this tree as it continued to produce the sweet, plump fruit. Finally in 1913, he sent a sample to the Stark Brothers nursery in Missouri where he had bought his stock of apple tree seedlings. Although red apples ruled at the time, Paul Stark Sr. was soon converted. He later bought the rights to the tree and named it Golden Delicious. In 1972, the ï¿½Golden Deliciousï¿½ apple was named the official state fruit of West Virginia and is grown all over the world today. Apples have come a long way since their beginning. Between 7500 and 10,000 varieties are cultivated today. The leading producer is China, followed by the United States, Turkey, Poland, and Italy. New varieties have been developed that do well in warmer climates without the need of a two month dormant period. Growers are taking advantage of the seasons all over the world in order to supply fresh apples year round.

It is no wonder that the apple is the most well known and well loved fruit in many nations of the world. Apples: How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Apple Trees | The Old Farmer's Almanac Rate this Article: Average: 3.7 (356 votes) Ever wish you could have an apple orchard in your backyard? You can—in the space of a single tree—if you plant a hedge of dwarf apple trees or an apple espalier. To get started, let’s talk about selection criteria first: Look for disease-resistant trees that give you the ability to grow organic fruit or to use fewer chemicals. Maintenance is easier, too. You need to choose a rootstock. All apple trees sold have 2 parts: a “rootstock” or foundation and a “scion” or top portion which determines the fruit variety. A rootstock can be a seeding (which produces a full-size tree) or it can be “dwarfing” or “size-controlling” (which produces a smaller tree for easier care and harvest). For dwarf trees, make sure that the rootstock is specified. A Bud 9 is a common, hardy tree that’s easy to train for USDA Climate Zones 3 to 5.

The M9 is probably the most widely planted rootstock, though it would die in frigid winters. Buy dormant, bare-root, 1-year-old nursery trees with good root systems. Dwarfs and semidwarfs will bear in 3 to 4 years, yielding 1 to 2 bushels per year. Standard-size trees will bear in 5 to 8 years, yielding 4 to 5 bushels of apples per year. The variety of apple selected should be based on fruit characteristics, bloom time and pollen compatibility. Consult a local nursery to see which trees are potential cross-pollinators in your area. For best results, include a ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Red Delicious’, or ‘Winter Banana’ in your planting. These varieties are known pollinators. Crabapple trees can also be used as pollinizers if they bloom at the same time as the desired variety. Nursery catalogs will provide pollination charts. Most apple varieties do not pollinate themselves or any flowers of the same apple vareity; this requires planting at least two different apple tree varieties close to one another so that the bees can pollinate.

(There are actually some self-pollinating apple tree varieties if you are really short on space. However, even these apple trees will bear more fruit if cross-pollinated.) Planting Spring planting is recommended in central and northern areas. Where fall and winter weather is generally mild and moist, fall planting is successful. Climate Considerations Not every apple grows everywhere. Each variety has a specific number of days needed for fruit maturity. Tree tags don’t always tell you where the variety grows best, but many catalogs do. Also, check with your county extension agent for a specific recommendation for your area. As a general rule, if a tree is termed hardy, it grows best in Zones 3 to 5. If termed long-season, apple quality will be best in Zones 5 to 8. Check your zone here. Each variety has a number of chill hours needed to set fruit (i.e., the amount of time temperatures are between 32 and 45 degrees F). The farther north you go, the more chill hours an apple variety needs to avoid late spring freeze problems. Check tree tags for chill hour information or ask the seller. Site and Soil Take a soil test prior to planting your apple trees.

Your local County Extension Center can instruct you in collecting the soil sample, help you interpret the results, and provide valuable information about the soil in your county. Results from the soil test will determine the soil amendments necessary to correct nutrient deficiencies and adjust soil pH. The amendments should be worked into the soil to a depth of 12 to 18 inches where the tree will root, not just the planting hole. Apple trees need well-drained soil, not too wet. Soil needs to be moderately rich and retain moisture as well as air; mulch with straw, hay, or some other organic material to keep soil moist and provide nutrients as they decompose. Choose a sunny site. For best fruiting, an apple tree needs “full sunlight,” which means six or more hours of direct summer sun daily. The best exposure for apples is a north- or east-facing slope. Tree spacing is influenced by the rootstock, soil fertility, and pruning. A seedling or full-size tree should be planted about 15 to 18 feet in a row. A dwarfing rootstock might be 4 to 8 feet in a row.

Dwarf apple trees are notoriously prone to uprooting under the weight of a heavy crop, so you should provide a support system for your hedge. You can grow your trees against a fence, or you can provide free-standing support in the form of a trellis. Make sure the tree will not be planted in a “frost pocket” where cold air settles in low-lying areas. Choose a higher site with a slip if possible so that cold air will flow away from the trees. Do not plant trees near wooded areas or trees. Planting the Tree in the Ground Before planting, remove all weeds and the grass in a 4-foot diameter circle. After you purchase the tree, protect it from injury, drying out, freezing, or overheating. If the roots have dried out, soak them in water about 24 hours before planting. Dig a hole approximately twice the diameter of the root system and 2 feet deep. Place some of the loose soil back into the hole and loosen the soil on the walls of the planting hole so the roots can easily penetrate the soil. Spread the tree roots on the loose soil, making sure they are not twisted or crowded in the hole. Continue to replace soil around the roots.

As you begin to cover the roots, firm the soil to be sure it surrounds the roots and to remove air pockets. Do not add fertilizer at planting time as the roots can be “burned”. Fill the remainder of the hole with the loose soil, and press the soil down well. Most apple trees are grafted. The graft union must be at least 2 inches above the soil line so that roots do not emerge from the scion. The graft union (where the scion is attached to the rootstock) can be recognized by the swelling at the junction. Care Minimize Pruning of a Young Tree Pruning slows a young tree’s overall growth and can delay fruiting, so don’t be in a hurry to prune, other than removing misplaced, broken, or dead branches. There are several techniques to direct growth without heavy pruning. For example: Rub off misplaced buds before they grow into misplaced branches. Bend a stem down almost horizontally for a few weeks to slow growth and promote branches and fruiting. Tie down with strings to stakes in the ground or to lower branches. Prune a Mature Tree Annually Once an apple tree has filled in and is bearing fruit, it requires regular, moderate pruning.

Prune your mature tree when it is dormant. Completely cut away overly vigorous, upright stems (most common high up in the tree). Remove weak twigs (which often hang from the undersides of limbs. Shorten stems that become too droopy, especially those low in the tree. After about ten years, fruiting spurs (stubby branches that elongate only about a half-inch per year) become overcrowded and decrepit. Cut away some of them and shorten others. When a whole limb of fruiting spurs declines with age, cut it back to make room for a younger replacement. Thin Ruthlessly Thin or remove excess fruit. This seems hard but this practice evens out production, prevents a heavy crop from breaking limbs, and ensures better-tasting, larger fruit crop. Soon after fruit-set, remove the smallest fruits or damaged ones,leaving four inches between those that remain. Pests/Diseases Apples are prone to pests. Here are some pointers: Keep deer at bay with repellents, fencing, or deer-resistant plants ; deter mice and rabbits with wire-mesh cylinders around the base of the tree.

Sprays may be needed for insects like Japanese beetles , although one of the worst culprits, the apple maggot, can be trapped simply enough by hanging one or two round, softball-size balls, painted red and coated with sticky “Tangle-Trap,” from a branch in June through the summer. Reapply the sticky goo a time or two, as necessary. Fend off diseases by raking apple leaves, burying them beneath mulch, or grinding them with a lawn mower at season’s end. Pruning reduces disease by letting in more light and air. To keep insects away from apple trees, make a solution of 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 quart of water. Pour this mixture into a widemouthed plastic jug. Hang the jug, uncovered, in your apple tree. Harvest/Storage Harvest Patiently. After all this pruning and caring, be sure to harvest your apples at their peak of perfection. Pluck your apples when their background color is no longer green. Different apple varieties mature at different times, so the harvest season can stretch from August to October.

At this point, the stem should part readily from the branch when the fruit is cupped in the palm of your hand and given a slight twist around, then up. If the apple is overripe and soft, use for cooking! Apples keep well for about six months at temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees F. “Baked apples have an excellent effect upon the whole physical system, feeding the brain as well as adding to the flesh, and keeping the blood pure; also preventing constipation and correcting a tendency to acidity, which produces rheumatism and neuralgia.” –A Tip from The 1898 Old Farmer’s Almanac Recommended Varieties Beyond climate considerations, how will you use your apples? Do you love to bake apple pies? Or, perhaps you just want apples that taste far better than what you could buy in a grocery store. A young dwarf tree produces about 1 ½ bushels of fruit—and even less when the tree is part of an apple hedge. So, if you’re interested in baking lots of ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ apple pies, you’ll need to plant several trees of that variety to get enough fruit.

If you have no particular culinary goal, try planting one each of different varieties that ripen over the entire harvest season. Then you can enjoy regular apple tastings and still have enough fruit on hand for a “mess” of cooked apples. Plant disease-resistant apple varieties such as ‘Liberty’, ‘Jonafree’, ‘Macfree’, and ‘Williams Pride’. Seek out the advice of local orchardists about the varieties that will do well in your area. Do the bulk of your planning from an easy chair, with a half-dozen nursery catalogs in your lap! Wit & Wisdom March 11 is Johnny Appleseed Day, celebrating John Chapman, legendary American pioneer and folk hero who planted apple trees across the American Frontier. Did you know that apples and aged cheeses can reduce tooth plaque? (Eat them together!) A bad woman can’t make good applesauce.–proverb Johnny Appleseed Tree Mar 21, 2006 22:00 PST ENTS, especially Ohio ENTS, In the latest American Forests newsletter - Forest Bytes, March 2006 is a note about the last remaining known living apple tree planted by John Chapman - better known as Johnny Appleseed grwoing in Nove Ohio.

You can view the location of the city by going to Have any of you visited this tree - a 170 year old apple should be worth measuring in northern ohio I would think. Info from various websites: Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman and was a very industrious man, planting millions of apple trees during his lifetime. His work was important to the new settlers moving West after the American Revolution - apples were a vital staple to many families. The last known living apple tree planted by Johnny still grows on an old farm in Nova, Ohio . The farm dates back to an original Land Grant signed by John Quincy Adams in 1837. We take soft bud cuttings from the tree, graft them to apple root stock and offer you the opportunity to sink your teeth into a piece of American history! $35 Johnny Appleseed -- The last known, surviving tree John Chapman, the American folk hero planted was traced to Nova, Ohio in 1994. This variety comes from this tree. Tart, green apple ripens in late Sept. in zone 5. Great for baking, applesauce and fresh eating is is very similar to an Albemarle Pippen.

Pollinates with other apple trees except Winesaps, Mutsu or Jonagold. Johnny Appleseed Apple You get both form and function with an apple tree-beautiful spring blooms and delicious, healthy fruit. The most famous apple tree planter was John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed. His plantings made life easier for pioneers, who found them to be a sustainable crop that had many uses. The last known living tree planted by Johnny Appleseed is in Nova, Ohio, and serves as the bud source for these grafted trees. The species is Rambo-one of John Chapman's favorite-an excellent dessert apple for eating fresh or cooking A hero for the ages American Forests, Wntr, 2003 by Jeff Meyer One of my favorites among the historic trees whose descendents we cultivate at AMERICAN FOREST'S Historic Tree Nursery is one of the last remaining apple trees planted by John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. The tree itself is on the family farm of Richard and Phyllis Algeo of Nova, Ohio..... (continued) PLANT A TREE WITH HISTORIC ROOTS There's no telling how many apple seeds John Chapman, the legendary "Johnny Appleseed", planted across the Northeast and Midwest.

But horticultural historians acknowledge that the last surviving apple tree planted by Johnny sits on a farm in Nova, Ohio. Planted when Andrew Jackson was president, the tree is about 170 years old. Now, you can purchase a direct offspring of that ancient, historical tree and plant it in your own patch of green. Call (800)320-8733. The Famous and Historic Trees project is an effort to preserve the genetic and historical legacy of significant trees across the land, everything from Johnny's last apple tree to one of the poplars George Washington planted at his farm in Mount Vernon. Page through the group's catalog and you'll see that some of them are varieties no longer widely offered, like Johnny Appleseed's last tree, a Rambo. This is a large green apple, firm and tart, that's good for cooking and eating. Ed Frank RE: Johnny Appleseed Tree, Ohio Pamela Briggs Mar 21, 2006 22:09 PST Dear ENTS -- Wouldn't that heirloom fruit make a wonderful dessert for an ENTS gathering? If I could cook, I'd arrange to order them, make something, and send it myself.

RE: Johnny Appleseed Tree, Ohio srgale-@comcast.net Mar 22, 2006 12:10 PST Nova is about an hour away from me, to the SW. After our spring season at the nursery I'll try to get down there to photograph and measure. Sounds interesting. Re: Johnny Appleseed Tree, Ohio Edward Frank Mar 22, 2006 20:47 PST Steve, I want to add a section on Unusual, Great, and Historical trees on the website. It will include links to Colby Rucker's article Great Eastern Trees Past and Present. I want to include a link to a gallery we have of old.historical tree photos. In addition I would like to add pages about trees with historical conections such as this one. The Virginia Big Tree Program has a section called the Remarkable Trees of Viginia Program It's introduction reads: "Please join us in searching for Virginia's most remarkable trees! The overall goal of this project is to increase awareness and appreciation of Virginia's trees, especially among Virginia's youth.

The culmination of the project will be a book describing Virginia's finest trees, and you could be one of the people who nominates a tree chosen to be profiled. We are looking not just for champion trees (the largest of their species) but also for trees that are noteworthy for their age, beauty, history, community significance, or for any other reason known to the nominator." I think this an interesting concept. Ed Frank My Father, Mr. Persimmon - Ga Dept of Agriculture My Father, Mr. Persimmon My father, Gordon Schronce, has become Gordon Persimmontree. Allow me to explain. Remember Johnny Appleseed? The American folk hero who traveled the frontier sowing apples, tending to apple trees and encouraging settlers to plant apples? Well, my father has become the impetus for numerous neighbors and acquaintances to plant oriental persimmons. Strangers are stopping at my parents’ house to ask about that unusual tree next to the house. “Is it an orange or an apple?” “It is an oriental persimmon,” Gordon will reply and begin to tell the inquirers about its virtues like an evangelist laying out the plan of salvation.

It all started with two persimmon trees - one ‘Sheng’ and one ‘Fuygaki’ - I gave my parents about 10 years ago. I had become fond of the fruit and thought they would enjoy it, too. Within a few years the two varieties were bearing. ‘Sheng’ is astringent like our American persimmon; its fruits are not edible until they are almost jelly soft. Bite into one too early and your entire mouth will pucker. ‘Fuyugaki’ is a non-astringent variety; its fruits can be eaten while still hard like an apple without any puckering whatsoever, although I think they are best when they are allowed to soften a little. There are numerous varieties of oriental persimmons, some astringent and some not. I favor the non-astringent ones. Both non-astringent and astringent oriental varieties are larger than the American persimmon and superior in flavor and texture. Both types can be harvested when fully colored and allowed to ripen off the tree, and both types are equally good for making persimmon pudding.

Besides the size and flavor, oriental persimmons have an advantage over many other fruit trees such as peaches and apples. They are not bothered by pests or diseases and don’t require another tree nearby for cross-pollination. “You have to spray apples constantly and still run the risk of worms,” Gordon will explain. “I have never had to spray.” Few fruits besides figs or pawpaws are as trouble free. And they are attractive. The orange fruits hang on the trees like Christmas ornaments in the fall. “I wish you could see the trees now," Daddy says over the phone. "They are hanging in clusters.” The ‘Sheng’ is now about 15 feet tall and bore 269 fruits this year. The ‘Fuyugaki’ is six feet tall and bore 201 fruits. My parents have sent me packages of both this fall. Another quality of the persimmons is that they ship well. ‘Fuyugaki’ (sometimes simply called ‘Fuyu’) is the most popular of the oriental persimmons (which are also sometimes called Japanese persimmons).

Other popular varieties include ‘Jiro,’ ‘Eureka,’ ‘Tanenashi,’ ‘Ichi Ki Kei Jiro,’ ‘Saijo,’ ‘Great Wall,’ ‘Hachiya,’ ‘Kyungsun Ban-Si,’ and ‘Sheng’ (which is supposed to be one of the most cold hardy.) Daddy hasn’t ventured into the frontier, although he has spread the news of oriental persimmons to the far western end of the county when he gave a lecture about growing peanuts to schoolchildren. (He is also known as “The Peanut Man” in the Lincoln County, North Carolina, school system, and Mama is “Mrs. Peanut.”) Several teachers approached him afterward about where to buy the trees. Many oriental persimmons are sold bare-root although some nurseries do sell them in containers. The bare-root ones are shipped in late winter while the trees are still dormant. Gordon says get your orders in soon. -- Arty Schronce Arty Schronce lives and gardens in the historic Cabbagetown neighborhood of Atlanta. He encourages everyone to discover the pleasures of plants and gardening. Who was Johnny Appleseed? | Reference.com Who was Johnny Appleseed?

A: Quick Answer Johnny Appleseed is a modern-day folk hero in stories based on the life of John Chapman. Chapman lived in the eastern United States from 1774 to 1845. The name "Appleseed" refers to the folk hero's tendency to randomly plant apple trees wherever he goes throughout his stories. Full Answer John Chapman did plant apple trees, but not as randomly as depicted in the stories of Johnny Appleseed. Chapman was a horticulturist who planted small orchards of cider apple trees in order to make a profit off settlers moving West. At the time, land ownership laws stated that if someone planted an orchard on a plot of land, then the planter owned the land and the orchard. Chapman sold his orchards of young apple trees to settlers for 6 cents a tree. Researchers believe Chapman owned nearly 1,200 acres of land at the time of his death. Chapman was also a vegetarian, an advocate for animal rights, and a member of the Church of New Jerusalem. The church was founded on the teachings of Edward Swedenborg, who promoted pacifism, individualism and simple living.

Chapman was a missionary of the church during his travels. He died in Fort Wayne, Ind. on March 18, 1845. Obit of the Day (Historical): Johnny Appleseed... • Obit of the Day 31 Notes Obit of the Day (Historical): Johnny Appleseed (1845) An early American folk hero, Appleseed was best known for supplying farmers in the Ohio/Pennsylvania apple tree sapling and helping to developing swaths of apple orchards in the early western US. Appleseed, born John Chapman, in Massachusetts, moved to Ohio by 1800. Only six years later he was commonly called Appleseed. Most of the apples trees he sold were bred to grow cider apples, not “let’s jump in the car and head to Vermont for maple syrup and a cup of cider” cider, but hard cider. Hard cider was easier for farmers to make than most any other intoxicating beverage. Appleseed, who was later imagined wearing a pot on his head, did dress in rather ragged outfits, often without shoes.

He was also a missionary of Swedenorgianism (aka The New Church), a Christian denomination that espoused beliefs such as marriage in Heaven and the salvation of all, if an individual was good. (Historical note: Another famous Swedenborgian was 19th century architect Daniel Burnham.) Appleseed died on this date (March 18) in 1845 and is buried in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. His gravestone is pictured above. (Image courtesy of Life magazine, who you can also find on tumblr, life.tumblr.com .) Here is his obituary from the Fort Wayne Sentinel from March 22, 1845: On the same day in this neighborhood, at an advanced age, Mr. John Chapman (better known as Johnny Appleseed). The deceased was well known through this region by his eccentricity, and the strange garb he usually wore. He followed the occupation of a nurseryman, and has been a regular visitor here upwards of 10 years. He was a native of Pennsylvania we understand but his home—if home he had—for some years past was in the neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, where he has relatives living.

He is supposed to have considerable property, yet denied himself almost the common necessities of life—not so much perhaps for avarice as from his peculiar notions on religious subjects. He was a follower of Swedenborg and devoutly believed that the more he endured in this world the less he would have to suffer and the greater would be his happiness hereafter—he submitted to every privation with cheerfulness and content, believing that in so doing he was securing snug quarters hereafter. In the most inclement weather he might be seen barefooted and almost naked except when he chanced to pick up articles of old clothing. Notwithstanding the privations and exposure he endured, he lived to an extreme old age, not less than 80 years at the time of his death—though no person would have judged from his appearance that he was 60. He always carried with him some work on the doctrines of Swedenborg with which he was perfectly familiar, and would readily converse and argue on his tenets, using much shrewdness and penetration. His death was quite sudden. He was seen on our streets a day or two previous.

Source: JOHNNY APPLESEED'S "DESCENDANTS" FOR SALE JOHNNY APPLESEED'S "DESCENDANTS" FOR SALE LANCASTER - John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, left his Leominster home to plant trees along the American frontier, but area residents can now bring a living example of his legacy back home. The Johnny Appleseed Hospitality and Visitors Center on Route 2 in Lancaster is selling saplings, offspring from a tree that the folk hero planted in Ohio, along with other trees with historical connections. Nancy K. Dell, tourism manager of the Johnny Appleseed Trail Association, explained the tree's history. Five years ago, Ohio resident Phyllis Algeo discovered documentation which showed that Chapman had planted an Albemarle pippin apple tree that was still living on her farm. American Forest, a Jacksonville, Fla., company, placed the tree on its register of historic trees and used cuttings from the tree to start sapling trees, which are now for sale. "It's a great history lesson," said Dell.

She added that a storm destroyed the old tree in 1996, but "the tree wasn't totally lost, because of the offspring." THE WHOLE KIT AND KABOODLE The tree kit costs $35, and includes the tree itself (about 1 to 3 feet), a growing tube, stake, fertilizer tablets, a net to protect the tree from birds, planting instructions and a certificate of authenticity. It also comes with a lifetime guarantee, Dell said. American Forest sells a wide array of trees with historical ancestry, including trees located at important sites such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, as well as homes and grave sites of American presidents, war heroes and literary figures, among others. Many of those trees can be ordered through the Visitors Center, which began selling them last August. "The response has been good," said Dell. "I'm excited about this program."

Question: What American folk hero is famous for planting apple trees?
Answer: Johnny Appleseed