Allen County, Indiana Genealogy

Apple trees are discussed on our Johnny Appleseed page. There is also a 200+ year old Centennial Oak Tree with a 1797-1987 plaque on Baker Street in downtown Fort Wayne.

The 'old apple orchard' was mentioned in the discussion of the day the 1852 daguerreotype photograph of the last fort was made when 'Charley Munson' was driving his cow to the pasture in the 'old apple orchard' in the present Lakeside shown on page 143 of The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River by Griswold, B. J. (Bert Joseph), 1873-1927; Taylor, Samuel R., Mrs Publication date 1917 on Archive.org.

An Old Apple Tree of Fort Wayne Lore (“Along the Heritage Trail with Tom Castaldi” – June 2015, No. 125) published September 13, 2016 on The History Center blog is a fun read describing the appletree in what is now the Lakeside Neighborhood the birth location of Little Turtle and how it appeared in many publications in the 19th century.

Page 22 shows The Old Apple Tree in the History of Fort Wayne from the earliest know accounts of this point, to the present period Embracing an extended view of the aboriginal tribes of the Northwest, including, more especially, the Miamies ... with a sketch of the life of General Anthony Wyane; including also a lengthy biography of ... pioneer settlers of Fort Wayne. Also an account of the manufacturing, mercantile, and railroad interests of Fort Wayne and vicinity by Wallace A Brice with an 1868 historic apple tree drawing. on Archive.org

Page 492 in The pictorial field-book of the war of 1812; or, Illustrations, by pen and pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the last war for American independence by Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891, Publication date 1896, on Archive.org

Shown as Stop #51 Tacumwah & the “Old Apple Tree” on the ARCH ( Architecture and Community Heritage) Heritage Trail Kekionga map. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, about three hundred yards westward from Harmar’s Ford, on the site of the Indian camp, was a venerable apple-tree, full of fruit, its trunk measuring fifteen feet in circumference. Under this tree Chief Richardville, to whom allusion has been made, was born a little more than a hundred years ago. It was a fruit-bearing tree then, and is supposed to have grown from a seed dropped by some French trader among these Twightwees, as the Miamis were called in early times. In the sketch of the apple-tree the city of Fort Wayne is seen in the distance. The spires on the left are those of the Roman Catholic Cathedral. Copied from page 44 of The pictorial field-book of the war of 1812; or, Illustrations, by pen and pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the last war for American independence by Benson John Lossing, 1813-1891.

About three hundred yards westward from Harmar’s Ford, on the site of the Indian camp, was a venerable apple-tree, full...

Posted by Indiana News 1 on Wednesday, May 13, 2015

This apple tree image was discussed May 13, 2015 on the original Great Memories and History of Fort Wayne, Indiana page on Facebook:

About three hundred yards westward from Harmar’s Ford, on the site of the Indian camp, was a venerable apple-tree, full of fruit, its trunk measuring fifteen feet in circumference. Under this tree Chief Richardville, to whom allusion has been made, was born a little more than a hundred years ago. It was a fruit-bearing tree then, and is supposed to have grown from a seed dropped by some French trader among these Twightwees, as the Miamis were called in early times. In the sketch of the apple-tree the city of Fort Wayne is seen in the distance. The spires on the left are those of the Roman Catholic Cathedral.

One Comment: Harmar's Ford happened on the Maumee River. There is a historical marker near the intersection of Dearborn and Edgewater Avenue in Fort Wayne. From there, you could pretty accurately guess the site where the old apple tree grew.

In keeping with the Johnny Appleseed festival in Fort Wayne - it seems appropriate to mention the Old Apple Tree that...

Posted by Military History of Fort Wayne on Sunday, September 19, 2021

September 19, 2021 post by the Military History of Fort Wayne on Facebook:

In keeping with the Johnny Appleseed festival in Fort Wayne - it seems appropriate to mention the Old Apple Tree that stood witness to many years of Kekionga's history and early Fort Wayne's history and predated John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) himself.

This tree was said to have existed long before the foundations of Fort Wayne were laid and to have had a trunk circumference of some 12 feet and was still bearing fruit into the 1850s. Apple trees are not native to North America so its likely it was planted by French traders when they first came to Kekionga and at least 100 years old when George Winters sketched it in 1848.

The Old Apple Tree survived the destruction of the villages and crops by Josiah Harmar's forces in 1790 and then looked on as Josiah Harmar's forces were themselves destroyed by Miami, Shawnee and Delaware warriors led by Little Turtle.

Chief Richardville was said to have been born near the base of the tree in 1761.

During the Siege of Fort Wayne in 1812, a native had taken to climbing the Old Apple Tree to spy on the inner workings of the Fort and taunt the soldiers that were defending the fort during the siege. Reportedly the native would flap his arms and caw at the soldiers as if he was a big bird in the tree. A marksman from the fort took aim and knocked the spy down from the tree, killing him, at a distance of several hundred yards.

While it's precise location is unknown - it's said to have been close to the intersection of Edgewater and Columbia, near the present day Conjure Coffee shop. The Old Apple Tree was finally felled by a storm in 1866.

Page 161 shows four stanzas of a poem Ode to the old apple tree in Little Turtle (Me-she-kin-no-quah) the great chief of the Miami Indian nation; being a sketch of his life, together with that of William Wells and some noted descendants by Young, Calvin M., 1851-, Publication date 1917, on Archive.org.

The apple tree is discussed on pages 738-739 in Harper's New Monthly Magazine Volume 24 December 1861 to May 1862, Publication date 1862, on Archive.org.

XVL--The Miami Apple-tree At the junction of the St. Mary and St. Joseph rivers, where they form the Maumee River, or Miami of the Lakes, in Indiana, is a rich plain — so rich that Indian corn has been raised upon the same field for a hundred consecutive years without exhausting the soil. It is oppo- site the city of Fort Wayne, that stands upon the site of the Indian village of Ke-ki-on-ga. There was once one of the most noted villages of the Miami tribe of Indians ; and there Afish- i-ki-nak-iva, or Little Turtle, the famous Miami chief, was born and lived until late in life. He and his people have long since passed away, and only a single living thing remains with which they were associated. It is a venerable Apple Tree, still bearing fruit when I visited it late in September, 1860. It is from a seed doubtless dropped by some French priest or trader in early times. It was a fruit-bearing tree a hundred years ago, when Pc-she-wa (Wild Cat) or Rich- ardville, the successor of Little Turtle, was born under it; and it exhibits now — with a trunk more than twenty feet in diameter, seamed and scarred by age and the elements — remarkable vigor. Glimpses of the city of Fort Wayne may be seen from the old Apple-Tree ; and around it are clustered memories of stirring scenes near the close of the last century, when American A short distance from Little Turtle's village, in another direction, lies a beautiful and fertile plain, between the St. Mary and St. Joseph, op- posite Fort Wayne. There, in a garden, near an apple-orchard planted by Captain Wells, the white brother-in-law of Little Turtle (who was killed at Chicago in 1812), is the grave of the chief. That orchard is the oldest in Northern Indiana, having been planted in 1804. Little Turtle commanded the Miamis at the defeat of St. Clair, in the autumn of 1791. He was also in command in the battle with Wayne, at the Fallen Timbers, in 1794. He was not a chief by birth, but by election, on account of personal merits. He died in 1812, when Co-is-see, his nephew, pronounced a funeral oration at his grave. Volney, the eminent French traveler and philosopher, became acquainted with Little Turtle in Philadelphia, in 1797, two years after he led his people in making the final treaty of peace with Wayne, at Greenville. By his assistance Volney made a vocabulary of the Miami language. While in Philadelphia Little Turtle sat for his portrait, and alternated with an Irish gentleman. They were both fond of joking, and sometimes pushed each other pretty hard. On one occasion, when they met at the artist's studio, the chief was very sedate, and said but little. The Irish gentleman told him that he was defeated in badinage, and did not wish to talk. (They talked through an interpreter.) Little Turtle replied, "He mistakes; I was just thinking of proposing to this man to paint us both on one board, and then I would stand face to face with him, and blackguard him to all eternity !"

Patriarch of Fort Wayne's Apple Trees on page 154 of Pamphlets Volume 8 by the Public Library of Fort Wayne and Allen County, Publication date 1954, on Archive.org
On page 11 of the book: The patriarch of Fort Wayne's apple trees was bearing fruit long before General Wayne appeared on the scene. When Chief Richardville of the Miami Indians was born in a hut near the tree in 1761, the apple tree stood in the midst of the Miami village, Kekionga. The city grew and prospered; late in the nineteenth century the venerable tree perished at an estimated age of one hundred and fifty years. Although the exact location is unknown, it stood in the Lakeside residential district of Fort Wayne. An article in the May, 1862, issue of HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE reveals that the trunk of the ancient tree measured twenty feet in diameter in I860.

As The History Center blog at the beginning of this section on the apple tree discusses is how popular it was in the literature of the time. It also appears on page 616 in the book Genealogical records of the Royer family in America published in 1928. There seems to be some question about the correct parents and age of George Royer and conflicts whether his age was 90 or almost 100 from different newspaper obituaries raising the question whether this apple tree story was even true, and if not why was it in the book at all? Perhaps George Royer was a story teller and maybe why it was included in this Royer family history book.

Genealogical records of the Royer family in America or more especially those of Sebastian Royer's family : Based on original records of Michael Zug by Francis, Jay Gottwals, 1870-, Publication date 1928, on Archive.org.
Page 616, A large apple tree, perhaps the largest in Indiana, stood about half a mile out from Fort Wayne. One day Wayne from the fort noticed an Indian climb up into the apple tree. He said to George Royer: “Go bring my little pocket piece and I will drop that red d — out of that apple tree.” The pocket piece was brought, Wayne aimed, and the Indian was seen to drop out.

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