Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-09-26
THE DAM OF ETHAN ALLEN.
Middlebury, Vt.

Middlebury, vt.
DUNDEE. ILL, Sept. 10, 1890.
MIR. JOSEPH BATTELL

DUNDEE. LIE, sept. ~. lSJU.
Mr.. JOSEPH BATTELL,
Middlebury, Vt.
Dear Sir Will you have the kind
ness to write Us whether the evidence
that the dam of Ethan Allen was by Red
Robin by Justin Morgan, grandam by
Woodbury., bears enough of truth to be
accepted by you as authentic? If you
do not accept the whole, what part do
you accept?
We are about to commence work on
our next catalogue and would like to
straighten the point in Col. Ethan
Aliens breeding.
Very respectfully yours,
MORGAN HORSE CO..
ID. Dunton, Treas.
Dear &:-The dam of Ethan Allen
was gray mare bred by John Fields,
Springfield, VT, foaled 1890, and got by
Robin or Red Robin, owned at that time
by Moses G.. Bates, Springfield, VT. This
mare was purchased when four years
old by Frederick Leland, who traded her
in the summer of 1885 to Rufus Rising
of Hague, y. V, ana from him she pass
ed through several hands to j. W. Hol-
comb, Ticondoroga, y. Y, who bred
Ethan Allen. This much is beyond
doubt.
The % dam of Ethan Allen was dark
brown mare of Morgan build and appear
ance, bred by Mr.. Bemis of Baltimore,
VT, and thought to be by a Morgan
horse owned or kept by Edmund Lee of
Springfield, VT; 3D. dam, "a chestnut
mare brought from Tunbridge, VT, to
Chester, VT, by DR.. Chandler of Chester
and said to be by Justin Morgan, The
information of the I'd and Sd dams is
from the late Frederick Leland. who was
both truthful man and in a position to
know what he affirmed, as he was en-
ployed by John Fields at the time the
dam of Ethan Allen was bred and re-
membered well her dam.
The whole pedigree as stated above is
true, but it will be perceived that Mr..
Le.and's statement as to I'd and Sd dams
is carefully made. He understood that the
I'd dam was bred by Mr.. Bems and
thought that she was by Morgan horse
kept by Edmund Lee of the Sd dam he
only knew what was said of her at the
time he worked for Mr.. Fields, and he
had no doubt of its correctness. His
statement in regard to the Morgan horse
owned by Edmund Lee was very remark
ably sustained by the testimony which
we add below-and which came to us en-
tirely independent of Mr.. Leland-of
Mr.. Howe, an old gentleman of SPRING
field, Vt. 1t certainly strengthens very
much the pedigree of I'd dam as given by
Mr.. Leland.
There is not the slightest evidence that
Robin was by Justin Morgan. 1t will be
seen by the annexed testimony, which
we took at Springfield, VT, in the fall of
1881, that he must have been foaed
about lSl7, and that he was probably
bred at or near Springfield, and it is a
curious coincidence that at or about that
time the original Justin Morgan stood
just across the river in Claremont, y. II.
The resemblance of Robin to the Nor
gans further suggests the possibility of
his being son of the original Morgan,
but our opinion, founded mainly on the
testimony gwen below, is that Robin was
bred by Amos Gill of Springfield and
got by a red horse which he kept if he
did not own. There is no testimony that
he ever kept the original Morgan horse.
The following is the testimony above re-
ferred to, and we give it entire, though it
includes much concerning other horses
EDITOR REGISTER.
RESEARCHES AT SPRINGFIELD, VERMONT
RED ROBIN, BARNARD HORSE, VERMONT
MORGAN, TRAVELLER.
In the early part of December, 1887,
we stopped over several days at Spring
field, VT, to look into the horse history
of that locality, which we found to be
unusually interesting. The first object
of our inquiry was the horse, Red Robin,
sire of the dam of Ethan Allen. 1t had
been claimed that this horse was by
Woodbury. Morgan, but Mr.. Frederick
Leland of Mddlebury, at a second inter-
view we had with him, cautioned US in
the matter, saying that he could not
vouch for the breeding of Red Robin, in
fact, knew nothing about 1t except he
had heard it said he was by Woodbury.
Morgan.
Shortly after arriving at Springfield
we saw a well-appearng, elderly gentle