Bio of Johnny Appleseed - This Week in Christian History for the week of 9-22-28

On September 26^th 1774 Jonathan Chapman was born. Johnny Appleseed, as he is known, left his father after he turned 18 to go west with his younger brother Nathaniel. Eventually his father moved to Ohio and Nathaniel moved back with their father and his family. Johnny Appleseed started to work in an orchard for a Mr. Crawford.

 

Johnny Appleseed planted nurseries of apples for settlers. The settlers had to plant pears or apples to secure their rights to the land, since apples and pear are not native to the Americas. The nurseries were very popular. He also preached as he travelled around. His theology was like The New Church, which placed an emphasis on nature.

He preached in exchange for a place to sleep. He was regarded as having a great eloquence, although it was in a unique way. He told stories to children, sometimes of his travels and some old stories from Sweden that his parents used to tell him. A traveling preacher once was preaching about poverty and repeatedly asked where the humbly dressed barefoot Christian’s were, Johnny Appleseed put his bare foot on a stump to show it and said, “Here’s your primitive Christian.”

Johnny Appleseed once noticed mosquitoes getting burned by his campfire and doused the campfire to protect them. He also slept in the snow rather than disturb a bear and her cubs. There are many stories about his which are mythical, like the picture of him wandering around aimlessly spreading apple seeds. Due to this tendency, the exact details of his death are not known, there are several different versions. This only proves the love that people had for the man who loved God and nature.

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Thank you for reading.