n County, happened to look
out upon the Ohio River one day when he saw floating down with the tide
a strange looking craft. It consisted of two ordinary canoes lashed
together. The crew was one very oddly-dressed man and the cargo
comprised racks of appleseeds. This singular man was John Chapman,
better known as "Johnny Appleseed," from his penchant for gathering
apple-seeds at the cider-presses in western Pennsylvania, bringing them
to Ohio, planting them at suitable places, so when the pioneer came he
would find an abundance of young apple trees ready for planting.

This was the mission of "Johnny Appleseed" who conscientiously believed
it had been heaven sent. He was deeply religious and his faith taught
him he could live as complete a life in thus serving his fellow-men, as
in perhaps some higher (?) sphere of usefulness. Certainly the result
of his labors proved a great blessing to the Ohio pioneer.

Very little is known of Johnny Appleseed before he came to Ohio. He was
born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in the opening of the Revolutionary
War, 1775. As a boy he loved to roam the woods, searching for plants
and flowers. He was a lover of nature in all its forms. He studied the
birds as well as the flowers. He loved the song of the brook as he did
that of the birds. At night he would lie upon his back and gaze into
the sky and whether he studied flowers or stars, brooks or birds, he
saw God's hand-writing in them all. It is thought he came westward with
his half-brother about the year 1801, and located somewhere about
Pittsburgh. His father, Nathaniel Chapman, shortly afterward became one
of the residents of Marietta and later moved to Duck Creek, in
Washington county, where he died. "Johnny" never spoke much about his
previous life. It was said by some that he had been once disappointed
in love and this accounted for his never marrying and for living the
life he did. This is not probable. Such stories are told about every
old bachelor and since they are so common, they lose their value.

What educational advantages our tree-planter enjoyed, we do not know,
either. But it is certain he possessed a fair knowledge of the
rudiments of learning. He was a great reader for one of his time and
his mode of life, and moreover, he was a clear thinker.

There are some who would call "Johnny Appleseed" "queer;" others,
"freakish;" again, "eccentric," etc. This peculiar, odd personage may
be described by all these terms. Bu