Johnny Appleseed was the nickname of John Chapman (born September 26, 1774, in Leominster, Massachusetts; died around March 18, 1845, near Fort Wayne, Indiana). He was an American pioneer nurseryman who traveled extensively through the American Midwest—especially Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and parts of Canada—planting apple-tree nurseries to supply settlers. He was both a devoted missionary and a shrewd businessman who sold or gifted apple seedlings, helping settlers claim land through orchard planting. Chapman is remembered for his eccentric, kindly nature, living simply often barefoot, wearing ragged clothes, and having a deep connection with nature, animals, and native peoples. Although a folk legend mainly known through fiction, the real Johnny Appleseed was a genuine nurseryman who owned over 1,200 acres of planted land and played a key role in American pioneer history.