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

by law then existing, as follows:
every OK or steer, of four years old
and upwards, four pounds each; every
steer or heiflr three years old, aud each
cow, three pounds each steer or hei-
fer, two years old, two pounds; each
steer or heiter, one year old, one
pound; each horse, of three years old
or upwards, three pounds; all horse
kind, of two years old, two pounds
each all horse kind one year old, one
pound each ETC." An examination and
comparison of the lists of 1889, 1870,
1871 and 1892, convinced Mr.. Thomp-
son that Mr.. Justin Morgan was first
taxed there for stallion in 1892, and
that the colt was then three years old.
In 1888 Mr.. f. A. Wier gave to the
public copies of two letters received by
him from Mr.. John Morgan, of Lima,
n Y, in answer to inquiries from Mr.,
Wier concerning the breeding of the
horse Justin Morgan. These letters,
together with all article from Mr.. Wier,
were published in the July number of
the Maine Horse Breeder'S MonthIy.
Speaking of the pedigree of the horse,
as given by John Morgan, Jr., Wier
states that to corroborate the truth of
the statement made by him, 81 append
copies of two letters received from
John Morgan, certified to by Hon. 5.
W. Hale, present governor of New
Hampshire; also copy of an advertise
ment showing that Justin Morgan kept
the horse Diamond, by whom the dam
of Justin Morgan was sired.
LIMA, Jan. o. 1915.
Dear SRI received your note a few
days since, and will with pleasure give you
the desired information. The dam of the
Morgan horse was of the Wild Air or
Wildare breed she was middlng size, with
large chest, her color was light bay, name
and tail not dark, hair on the legs rather
long she was smooth, handsome travel
er Her sire was the Diamond, thick,
heavy horse of middle size /; he had thick
bushy name and tail, hairy legs. smooth
traveller. He was raised in East Hartford.
Conn. He was kept one season in West
Springfield, Mass by Justin Morgan. His
sire was the Wild Air, known as the Church
horse his dam was the noted mare Wild
Air, owned by Capt. Samuel Burt of Spring
field. Mass. The Church horse was sired
by the Wild Air imported by Delaney of
Long Island 1t was afterwards said that
he was sent back to England As to the
second point do not remember so distinct
ly, but believe the Morgan horses legs were
hairy; rs the stock of the Diamond were
generally so; the Morgan hose was bright
bay, with very dark name and tail. You
are mistaken, SIR, as to the relation which
sustain to Justin Morgan; he was but dis
tant relative of mine. but a near neighbor
when | lived in Springfield, Mass.
Written by request of my father, John
Morgan.
Your obedient servant
s. P. MORGAN.
LIMA Januarv 20 1S45
Dear Sir.-Yours of the 23d inst. was re-
ceived Il few days since. AS to your first
inquiry of VINO owned the dam of the Nor
gan horse. | believe that Justin Nor yan
himself owned her; she was a very light
bay, not SOrrel, her name and tail rather
brownsh, inclined to black, but still what
could not be called dark name and tail
| kept the True Briton. or Beautiful Bay
at the time the Morgan horse was sired.
The True Briton was a hgh-headed, hol-
low or sway-backed horse, and his stock
We're of such class also. The Wild Airs
were generally 80, too. Justin Morgan kept
the Diamond at the time the mare was
sired. | do not know any person living at
Springfield. Mass, who would be likely to
know anything about the circumstances, AS
there were but very few that took any in
terest in horses at that time in Springfield.
Nearly One-half of the True BrtOn colts
were light sOrrel, with Il small strip in the
face not bald faced. with one hind foot
white generally sometimes both; there was
occasionally "a very bright sorrel one, but
not often. | do not remember of having
ever seen white hair about his colts that
were bay. As there has been a good deal
said about Justin Morgan bringing the
Morgan horse from Canada, know that it
was not so. The Morgan horse was as near
a full-blooded English horse as it was pos
slba for us to get at the time, and our ad
vantages were not small. JOHN MORGAN.
Per S. p MORGAN.
This certites that the above are true cop
ies of letters written by John Morgan, Jan.
8 and 80, 1915. S. w. HALE.
Concord, June 10, 1888.
"COpy of advertisement of the horse
Diamond from the Massachusetts Ga
zette, for April 20, 1888:
Will cover this season, at the stable of Mr.
Justin Morgan, in West Springfield, the
horse called Diamond, who sprung from a
good mare, and from the horse formerly
owned by Mr.. Church of Springfield
West Springfield, April %, 1888
"The exact year when the horse JUS
tin Morgan was taken from Springfield,
Mass, to Randolph. VT, was matter
of conjecture down to the summer of
! 1876, aud the time given a. guessed at
| by Judge Griswold and Justin Nor
gan, Jr,, and published in my COM
munication to the CultivatOr, under
date of November, 1915, published in
January, 1916, was wrong. They
thought it was in 1895, but after my
article was published calling attention
to the Morgan bree of horses, some
doubt was entertained in some minds
as to the possibility that the horse was
taken into Vermont so late as 1895 and
be the colt of True Briton; consequent
ly, in the summer of 1916, | met, by APP
pointment, Justin Morgan, Jr.. and
Judge Griswold, in the judges Office at
Randolph, VT, if possible to subs anti
ate the truth as to what year The horse
Justin Morgan was taken to Vermont.
at was known that Justin Morgan
moved from Springfie Mass, to Ran
dolph, VT, in 1888. and sometime af-
forwards made a journey to Springfield
on business, and when he returned
brought hack two colts, one of which
was the stallion justin Morgan. He
| maHA his inurnay IN hnraahacLy hirin,,