Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-06-25
PEDIGREE HUNTING.
RESEARCHES ON THE ORIGIN AND HlSTO'
RY OF HE BLUE BULLS.

RY OF THE BLUE BULLS.
Ephraim Otto of Harrison. 50 years of
age, says; II remember when,the origin
al Blue Bull was brought here. John
Merring was the first man that ever stood
the horse here. A man that moved here
from Pennsylvania brought the horse
here at four years old, driven in team
this was 1925 or 1926. He sold him to
John Merring directly after he came, who
kept him four or five years. He raised Il
great many colts. He was called Ohio
Farmer by Merring, but always known
by name of Blue Bull. He stood at my
fathers stables. one and one-half miles
above Venice, Ohio, three years. | have
seen him hundreds of times. He was Il
large horse. rather rough Il regular farm
horse. big bone, stout. well made: must
have been Is - hands high and would
weigh 1900 lbs. or more. Merring advpr-
tiSed him a. Ohio Farmer. John Mcr-
ring married one Buttcnburgh, sister {:
one of these BOttenburghS i living; Da-
vid Pottinger of Preston. Ohio. can tell
where he lives. The man who brought
Blue Bull from Pennsylvania rented Il
farm about Il mile west of London. ..
never saw the man but once: he was 81
or - years old and was married and had
a family. He lived ON this farm one
year and then went West. We sold one
of the old horses colts when Il vcarlng
for SllO. large price in those DAYS. 1t
was Il stallion colt and the two young
men who bought him took him up to-
ward Hamilton. He had no white The
old horse ! do not think had any white:
might have had star. He had black
streak down his back had a pretty large
head: he was not Il PAGER, rs know of,
but Il great many of his colts We're. We
had five or six of them. They did not
show speed; they were regular draft
horses. There was a horse called Top
gallant in this neighborhOOd at the same
time that showed speed. He was high
headed. and could 90 like streak. one
of the FentOnS had him."
Jonathan Hall of Morgan township,
Ohio. says; II think John Merring
brought the old horse from PENNSYLVANIA.
Bill Grisley owned him when he died.
Think Merring sold him to man out
here on Jameson Creek called Jennison;
he stood him one year and sold him to
Edward Bebb of Morgan township. who
kept him two seasons, and sold to Will
ri. .l,,., 4 1
or seven years. His right name was
Ohio Farmer and Mcrring called him 50:
John Wright gave him the name of Blue
Bull: you could hear him call a. loud ~
Il jack when he came over the hill. He
was called Ohio Farmer when Merring
got him. He died before the Harrison
campaign, that am sure of. had the
last colt he ever got he fell dead at time
of serving the mare. Merring had him
four or five years anyhow, and Gr>lcy
had him longer than any other man."
George GroomeS of Morgan township.
o., says of old Blue Bull: "IIe was the
best horse ever in this country. | got Il
stallion by him from Il Whip mare-a yell
low bay with black stripe as wide as your
hand down each shoulder Old Blue
Bull was just about IL hands, heavy set
horse; real blocky fellow. The horse
! had would pace and trot. The old
horse was not very fast. | always heard
say that he came from Pennsylvania.
Morgan Tiger, ir., was out of Pearson
Appleton's Blue Bull mare. His sire was
called Morgan Tiger. Pearson Apple
ton of Paddy's Run raised the Morgan
Tiger, jr., from Blue Bull mare sired by
my horse, and sold him weanling for "A
hundred dollars to David Morris of wy
oming, Hamilton county, Ohio. His sire,
Morgan Tiger, stood in Venice, o., and
came from the East, The younger Nor
gan Tiger died Just after the war. He
was splendid horse, about Ii Il hands,
thirteen to fourteen hundred pounds, IA
sharp trotter and could also pace Nor
ris also owned IA Stockbridge Chief stall
lion
\ bystander remarked that Knowlton
owned old Morgan Tiger. He was about
ID l-2 hands, heavy horse was fast, a
natural PAGER and would also trot. This
was in 1850 or before. He was the second
Morgan stallion owned by knowlton.
Stockbridge Chief was here three or four
years later than old Morgan Tiger.