Fun People Greats:

                       

John Chapman

          
John Chapman known by countless children as Johnny Appleseed is heralded by many as the planter of the many apple tree in orchards throughout the Midwest. He was born in Leominster, Massachusetts on Sept. 26, 1774 and was buried in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 1844. He had bought property throughout his travels, and left many apple trees to posterity. Mt. Vernon, Ohio claims his first property in Ohio was purchased in 1807. However earlier records indicate he had bought property in Licking County around 1800. In the Bezaleel Wells plat of Canton, Ohio, a property was sold to J. Chapman in 1809. That property is at the junction of Cleveland Ave. S. and the present 5th St. The large number of apple orchards on what were the John Shorb and Andrew Meyers estates testify to the large number of apple trees in the Canton area and his possible purchase of land there. He may have been the inspiration for the Ink family which built apple orchards in Lovells, Michigan and on nearly 200 acres of land north of Fulton Rd. Aplinks Orchards in Canton at one time had nearly 14,000 apple trees with a yield of 50,000 bushels a year. Annually Fort Wayne celebrates with a Johnny Appleseed Festival.
           
 
Reuben Klamer

Born in Canton, Reuben Klamer graduated from McKinley High School in 1940 and developed games and toys as an independent contractor. He was asked in 1960 to design "The Game of Life" for the Bradley Company. The game was a great success and led to his work with different manufacturers until he now is the owner of Reuben Klamer Toylab in San Diego, California. Over the years he has produced over 200 products and was a pioneer in the introduction of polyethelyne and unbreakable plastic to world wide toy production. He was inducted into the National Toy Association Industry Hall of Fame in 2005.

   
   
 
 
 
John McTammany  
Born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 26, 1845, John saw his father emigrate to the United States two years later. Having settled in Uniontown, Ohio, the father sent for the family when John was 14. John played the organ in the Reformed Church there and had ambitions of being a concert pianist. In 1864 he enlisted in the 115th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Seriously wounded he convalesced in a hospital in Nashville. When he could, he would walk down town to repair nicolodeons, pianos and music boxes in a music store. He returned to Ohio and later enrolled in the Adrian Academy of Music in Michigan. A doctor in Adrian suggested that the injuries sustained in the Civil War would make it impossible to pursue the concert piano. And in 1876 he had succeeded in producing a piano player and pursued the patent for it. In 1881 he received the patent for his invention. He died on March 26, 1915 in Stamford, Connecticut and was later buried in West lawn Cemetery in Canton , Ohio