The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-06

ETHAN ALLEN.
We propose to republish from the
american CUitirdtOr "a series OF articles
ON the above topics. The second ill.,
stalment is given below:
DAM OF JUSTIN MORGAN.
In 1S45, f. a. Wier, of New Hlmp.
shire, VINO nj that time owned some
very fine representatives of the Morgan
horse stock, in corresponding with John
Morgan concerning the pedigree of the
horse, Justin Morgan, learned some
additional facts, chiefly, however, in
regard to the breeding of his dam. The
substance of these were published in
1916, and were to the effect that the
dam of the original Morgan was got
by horse called Diamond, which was
kept by Mr.. Justin Morgan at the time
the mare was sired: also that Mr.
Justin Morgan owned the dam of the
col 1t, afterwards called Justin Morgan,
at the time said colt was got, and bred
her to True Briton himself.
These statements of John Morgan
were unsupported by any published
evidence until 1873, when a Mr.. O. w.
Cook wrote one or more articles on the
breeding of the Morgan, which were
published in 1873 and 1879. Mr.. Cook &,
it appears, was not prompted in his eff
forts by desire to learn all the facts
possible to be gotten at concerning the
breeding of this horse, as is shown by
the following statement, which occurs
in his second article, and is given below
exactly as it appears there: "Sev raj
months ago the writer started out TO
demolish a pedigree"
This pedigree which he started out
to demolish rested solely on John Nor
gan's statements. Mr.. Justin Morgan,
in his account of the matter, says the
colt, then two wears Old, WAS brought
to Randolph, VT, in 1875. 1t will also
be borne in mind that upon the date
mentioned Mr.. Morgan could have
been but nine years old. As Mr.. JUS
liu Morgan, ST., moved to Vermont in
1888, it did not seem probable that he
returned to Springfield and bred colt
in 1902.
During his efforts to disprove the
statements of John Morgan c)1cerning
the breeding of the horse Justin Nor
gan, Mr.. Cook brought to light the fol-
lowing facts: First, that John Morgan
was born in Springfield, Mass. lin 1862,
and moved from that place to Lima, N.
Y, in 1871, when twentv-nine years of
age; and second, that Mr.. Justin Nor
gan was in 1887, and some years prior
10 that, a resident of West Springfield,
Mass. These facts were learned from
the town records and prove the correct
ness of Mr.. John Morgan's first state
ment, viz; that he resided in Spring
field, Mass, near Mr.. Justin Morgan,
ST., prior to tie latter's removal to
Randolph, Vermont.
This statement, 1t will be remember
ed, was IN lde forty-seven years prior
to its being verified by Mr.. Cook in his
demolishing effort. Mr.. Cook also
found an advertisement in the Hamp.
shire Herold of Nav 3, 1885, which
reads as follows, "The elegant full
bfooded horse called the Beautiful Bay,
will cover this seas VI at justin Nor
gan's stable in West Springfield, at
twenty shilllngs the season." This ver-
flies Mr.. John Morgan's third state
ment, viz, that True Briton was kept
one season at Springfield by Mr.. Justin
Morgan. In the Hampshire Chronicle
Of April l6, 1888, John Morgan, who
at that time was known as John Nor
gan, Jr., his father, John Morgan, then
being alive, advertised as follows:
The famous fuil.blooded English
horse, called True Briton or Beautiful
Bay, said to be the surest aud finest
horse for colts in New England, will
cover this season at the stable of the
subscriber in Springfield, at the very
low rate of eighteen shillings the sea-
SON." Below the signature occurs this
postscript: an Bit is the same
horse that was kept three seasons ago
| by Justin Morgan" etc. In the Hamp-
shire Chronicle of 1889, Mr.. Cook also
found the same horse again advertised
by John Morgan. This substantiates
John MDrgau's fourth statement, viz
that True Briton was kept by him two
seasons after he as,ed out of Justin
MOrgan's hands. The records show,
however, that three years instead OF
two, interviewed between the time that
Justin Morgan had the horse before
John Morgan TO k him, and proves
how liable even grown person is &c
err in dates of events that have long
since transpired. From the above il
will be seen that the first, third, and
fourth statements of john Morgan were
proved true by records brought TO light
forty-seven years after they were ut err
ed; and that, too, by man who wa:
bent upon demolishing John Morgan,
account of the matter, which was the
sole support of the horses pedigree.
The Only statement which Mr.. Cook
did not prove was the second, viz. tina
the horse Justin Morgan was sired BY
True Britou. This could be proved
only from the service books kept by
john Morgan, which have never beer
brought to light and were probably de
stroyed years before. AS three of the
four statements were proved, and the
fourth not disproved, there is no room
for the least shadow OF a doubt concern
ing its accuracy, and every friend o
the Morgan family of horse owes t
debt OF gratitude to the man who actu
ally proved from the records that the
horse was got Iby True Briton, while
laboring, to the best of his ability, t.
convince the public that the contrary
was the fact.