Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-10-22
THE DAM OF ETHAN ALLEN.
A. W. THOMPSON SHOWS THAT SHE WAS
THE OLD RISING AND BALLOON
MARE.

HE DAM VI ( HAN ALLEN.
A. W. THOMPSON SHOWS THAT SHE WAS
THE OLD RISING AND BALLOON
MARE.
In W. II. Balcom's second letter which
was published in the thirteenth number
of the REGISTER, he says, 81 had some
,alk with a Mr.. Bevins of Hague. He
says that the gray mare that Rufus Ris-
ing used to own, that foaled the celebrat-
ed horse Ethan Allen, was sold to j. w.
Holcomb of H."
1t was supposed that Mr.. Balloon
meant William Bevins of Hague. Nine
years after he wrote this he was asked
to explain. His answer was given in the
fifteenth number of the REGISTER. He
said, IL do not say | had talk with
Bevins." 1t will be seen that he had for
gotten writing what he did. The letter
was sent him and then he understood
what it meant, and under date of April
s, 1856, he says, "The Mr.. Bevins had a
talk with was Edwin Bevins of Argo, ILL.,.
He used to live in the neighborhood of
Rufus Rising's, Hague. y. Y, is a JUS
tice of the peace and is a very reliable.
straightforward man. Write him and
he will tell you about it." \ letter was
written Mr.. Bevins and the following is
his reply:
ARGo, ILL.,, May l, lSSG.
Dear Sir-I can only say that | know
l., -.,1.x Il. / Nj
except what | heard my father say. He
lived in Hague from about 1916 TO 1865.
| was born there in 1881. | was in
Hague when Ethan Allen first became
noted as a trotter. and heard nv father.
Thomas {. BeVinS. and others say that
the dam of Ethan Allen was a gray mare
owned by Rufus Rising and afterwards
by George Johnson and sold by johnson.
or some later owner. to Joel IIolcomb of
III. Yours very truly.
EDWIN BEvINs.
This letter is valuable in one respect.
as it shows that it was well known in
Hague, when Ethan had become a noted
trotter, that his dam was the gray mare
that Rufus Rising once owned.
The following letters are from Joseph
&. Balcom, Gardiner, Mass:
GARDINER, Mass. May 3. 1856.
Dear Sh'-I recOllect Rufus Rising had
gray mare, was small and half hipped !:
but when he got her or how disposed of
her | cannot tell, but think he traded her
in some way to George johnson.
have no recollection of W. II. Balloon
having gray mare, yet he might have
had one. In regard 70 the statements of
William Bevins and Ira Potter, they are
stories | never heard before. | think the
Rising mare was lame from being half
hipped, and think she had Il colt. / was
born in Hague in 1920.
Yours, j. g, BALLOON.
GARDINER, Mass. MAY Is. 1856
Dear Sr-l cannot say positively the
year Rufus Rising had the gray mare,
but should think it may have been in
1880 and SO. My impression now is that
she was difficult to catch. | think she
had colt, but cannot tell the year or
whether horse or tilly, nor when he dis
posed of it or how; don't think it was a
gray colt. | should say X. Rising had
the half hipped gray mare when / went
to live with Ieno Rising, about 1884. |
think there was but one halt-hipped gray
mare, probably X. Rising had her of
Deacon Hayford, rs ! recollect it being
called the Hayford mare. Deacon Hay
ford was Mrs. Rufus Rising's father.
recollect Caleb Balloon having "A half
hipped gray mare, ana think it the same
one that Rufus Rising had, but how
il got round to him | cannot say. DO
not recollect W. II. Balcom owning it !:
but he bought the Caleb Balcom place
and probably owned the mare. VI. H.
Balloon was lame and no horSeman, and
have no recollection of ever seeing him
drive any horse. | probably visited him
several times between 1886 and 1910. as
we were cousins and lived in the same
town.
left Hague in 1913.
should have answered sooner, but YOU
asked good many questions that had
to think over, and don't think this now
VIII give you anything very satisfactory.
Yours, j. q. BALLOON.
GARDINER, Mass. May 20. 1856.
Dear Nr-Will try once more and an
swer some of your questions. In regard
to Beyins' statement | don't recollect
hearing any of the statements you wrote.
! don't believe Il. Rising had but one
half hipped gray mare, and my impress
sion is she was raised in Hague. In re-
SdTu 10 uales am not very accurate.
have faint recollection VIM. ii. Balloon
having the gray mare, and he disposed of
her previous 10 lS4l but of course he
ought to know better than do. can
give no dates when w. III. Balcom bought
or sold the Caleb Balloon farm. | am
quite sure that the Rising mare was the
one Caleb Balcom owned. | have no
recollection of ever hearing her called
"Rising Old Colt" | cannot tell how
old she was in 1884. 1t is my impression
that Caleb Balcom owned her year or
two, but cannot state the year he bought
or sold her. don't recollect of II. Ris-
ing owning but one gray mare. never
heard anything of his bringing mare of
any kind or color from Vermont.
Yours, j. G.. BALLOON.
Mr.. Balcom's patience and good nature
had to be taxed again, and his answers