Apple Trees and Civil War Soldiers

The part of our camp that we are allowed to use was once a fruit farm.   The Neals ( who built the fancy houses)  ran the Neal Fruit Farm as a sideline.  The Giant Eagle next store started out as the Neal's "Country Counter".  In the mid 1800's, well before the Neals, it was the Freeman Fruit Farm, one of the largest orchards in Ohio.  Mrs. Freeman was the daughter of Nathaniel Oviatt, one of the first pioneer settlers in the village.  

So.....how did it all start?  I was wondering if there may have been a connection with Johnny Appleseed  (yes, he was a real person).   But altho Johnny may have made some contribution,  he worked mostly in the Massillon area when he was in Ohio.  The Freeman fruit came came from somewhere else - probably right next door.  

The land that the camp's long drive crosses has had some interesting owners.  The first recorded owner (1834 tax map) was Isaac Welton, Revolutionary War veteran and fruit farmer.  It was his family that carried varieties of Connecticut apples by covered wagon to Richfield.   From these, their family grew what became known as the Richfield Nonesuch Apple and the Welton Pie Apple.  These varieties were well enough known to be described in a mid-nineteeth century English booklet on American apples.   

The Richfield Nonesuch was very much a local claim to fame.   But it was small and tart,  and fell out of favor with large growers. I was in the Richfield Historical Society last week reading about how interest in the Nonesuch revived from time to time.  And each time, a few cuttings  of the historic trees were carefully grafted and nourished.  I mentioned to Linda that it would be cool to see one.  "Oh, c'mon then," she said. "I'm just about to lock up and get some lunch".  I tagged along with her across the street and into the neighbor's yard.  There were trees loaded with every color of apple.  "This one" she pointed out a tree loaded with bright pink and yellow apples.  We both munched into the Richfield Nonesuch.  Historic Research: Delicious!  

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Back in the archive after lunch, Linda told me about some college undergrad coming in to research a couple of Civil War soldiers who were brothers.  Both died during the conflict, but one had kept a diary.  After his death, the family had the diary published.  The soldier's name was John Oviatt.  The name didn't ring a bell to me.  Not a surprise - considering that there were probably several hundred Ovaitt's in NE Ohio at the time.  But I poked through the introduction.    Lo, John's parents were Nathaniel & Julie - which made him the brother of Ruth Oviatt Freeman.   Yup, that's OUR girl!