The real life Johnny Appleseed was born John Chapman in 1774. Trained as a planter and working in Western Pennsylvania and New York, Chapman set out West when the government opened the lands across the Ohio River. He was not a typical settler. While others claimed land for farming or established themselves in frontier towns, Chapman roamed. He would disappear into the wilderness for weeks at a time, clearing land of trees and brush and planting apple seeds in their place. His only company on these expeditions were his seeds, the woods, and wild animals, with whom Chapman claimed to...
