7 Facts About Johnny Appleseed Day

Today is September 26th, which is also commonly known as Johnny Appleseed Day! The folklore hero John Chapman, commonly referred to as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer who brought apple trees to many places across the United States. While we often associate Johnny Appleseed with apples, there’s a lot more to his life than that! Here at Cypress, we compiled some rather hidden facts about his life. Here are 7 of them!

1. He was a very generous businessman of the 18th Century who sold and bartered apple seedlings. If a family was really struggling and had nothing to trade, he would even give them seedlings.

2. At the time of his death in 1845 at the age of 70, he owned over 1,200 acres of property!

3. He helped settlers claim their new land by selling them seedlings, which allowed them to grow orchards (to claim land, they needed to grow at least 50 trees)!

4. He preferred to grow apples that were more suitable for cider and applejack, as they were too tart to be enjoyed by themselves.

5. He was a very vocal animal welfare activist and vegetarian, most likely due to his involvement in the Church of Swedenborg (also known as “The New Church”). The church was very against the harming of God’s creatures, including animals.

6. The last known tree to be planted by Appleseed himself can be found in Nova, Ohio. It is an estimated 177 years old and grows tart green apples, which are great for cider and applesauce recipes.

7. Appleseed’s respect for nature meant that he did not like the idea of “grafting” apple trees, believing that it was harmful to them. Because of this, his apple trees had to adapt to their environments in order to thrive. Due to this, he is credited with producing many of the yummy varieties of apples we have today, such as the golden delicious!