Johnny Appleseed (born John Chapman, September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845), was a horticulturist, shrewd businessman, and a missionary for the Swedenborgian Church (A kind of hippieish Christian new religious movement founded in the mid-18th century by the Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg after a series of strange dreams) who traveled across what is now Ohio and Indiana. He specifically left apple tree nurseries in the care of other farmers, and later returned to collect the profits of the tree sales. As he was frequently willing to accept barter goods or credit instead of money, he was never very monetarily wealthy; most of his wealth was in the frontier land that he had claimed as his own. And he owned a lot. His will left over 1200 acres of land to his sister, and had he pursued the legal rights, he could have owned even more.
As a Historical Domain Character, Johnny Appleseed shows up quite often in folklore, and in some other forms of fiction as well. Most fictional accounts of the man have a tendency to focus on his personal poverty and generosity, and downplay his religious views and mercantile accomplishments.
Either way, his influence is felt to this day, as many tales and stories indicate. Oh, and a type of apple is named after him.