Comments on: 4 Things You Didn’t Know About Johnny Appleseed

By: Jeff Kirkendoll-Chapman

Jeff Kirkendoll-Chapman — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:47:27 +0000

As a indirect descendant (2nd cousin.. we share a grandfather) I would advise that the Chapman family has been filled with nutballs for generations.
One of our ancestors was Dr. John A Chapman, who was a Royal Physician at the times of the Jack the Ripper murders and one of the prime suspects. Another was a Privateer in the British-Spanish war who was just as adept at attacking ships of his own fleet as he was at attacking Spanish ships…

Oh, and Mark David Chapman, the murderer of John Lennon (3rd cousin). At least Johnny didn’t kill people.. must be an aberration.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 02:09:00 +0000

I played ol’ J.A. in an elementary school play. Ahh, the good old days…

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:53:17 +0000

I heard a radio program explain that after losing several homestead claims (free land) for failing to meet the requirement for “improving” the property, he hit upon the idea of planting apple trees. Far more economical and easy than raising a wheat crop or building a cabin, etc. Supposedly he became quite a large land owner in the new territories as the U.S. moved westward.

By: rich

rich — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 04:09:53 +0000

our elementary school, in Licking County, Ohio was named “Cherry Valley” and I always heard that the cherry trees, long gone of course, had been planted by Johnny

By: derek

derek — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 21:03:14 +0000

If you want to read a really interesting funny bit about apples and johnny appleseed, check out the first section of “the botany of desire” by michael pollan.

By: mark

mark — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 15:54:57 +0000

i seen a grave for JA in ft Wayne IN. behind the sports arena

By: clair samoht

clair samoht — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 05:59:43 +0000

Thanks for the plug; I did most of the work on the Johnny Appleseed article, and although I no longer have anything to do with wikipedia – it’s overrun by a bunch of little boys on power trips, not by people stoked on knowledge – I’m kinda proud of what I did there.

There are lot of stories about Johnny Appleseed that aren’t true. One is that such-and-so was a favorite apple of his, when in fact, he opposed grafting, which is necessary for all “named” apples. But could you expect less of someone with two graves? (One is in Archer Park, at the end of Spy Run, and the other is on the golf course at Canterbury Green apartments….)

By: MrKrantz

MrKrantz — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:28:04 +0000

One need not be married to have descendents.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 03:50:48 +0000

I too grew up in his birthplace, Leominster, MA. It’s also the birthplace of the pink lawn flamingo. Not bad things for a town to be know for!

By: harold

harold — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 01:28:53 +0000

I,too, read Pollan’s “Botany of Desire”. I’d recommend it to anyone.