Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-07-03
JOHN NELSON, THE CELEBRATED
HORSE

HORSE.
The recent correction in the date of the
death of John Nelson by the Breeder and
Sportsman of San Francisco, CAL, and
fixing it in 1873. instead of 1871, has again
brought the question of that horses pedi-
gree before the public. In 1867, or per-
haps earlier, we found what purported to
be the pedigree of this horse somewhere,
and we think we took it from an adver-
Using card when he stood on Long
Island. The source of our information
simply read "John Nelson, CHI. c., foal-
ed 1851, by a son of imp. Trustee, dam
the Redmond mare by Abdallah." No
breeder or owner is given, and in this
very unsatisfactory shape it has stood
for many years. In order to get a start
in the then trackless wilderness we had
to accept many things on evidence then
that we would wholly reject now. The
great twenty-mile gelding Trustee, died
the same year that John Nelson was foal-
ed, but he left behind him fame so wide
that everybody thought, and we among
the number, that Trustee blood was the
most valuable of all the elements enter
ing into the trotter. Hence we could
have had no sinister purpose in writing
'son of Trustee" instead of "Trustee'
himself 1t is said he was engaged in
some races and was quite fast trotter
for his day, but unfortunately was an in
veterate puller. He was taken to Cali
fornia in 1858 and died III 1873. He has
four to his credit in the 2 80 list, and
some of his daughters have been good
producers. He seems to have left no
sons that have succeeded as sires.
In the Monthly for April, 1887, page
lis, will be found an article from the
pen of a very intelligent correspondent,
Mr.. John w. Newell of New Brunswick =,
y. J. He says that John Nelson was
bred by neighbor of his, now dead.
named Thomas Evans, that lie knew the
colt well, and that Evans always said he
was by imp. Trustee. The dam of the
colt was long-bodied, black roam mare,
and Mr.. Newell says her breeding was
unknown, but it was understood she
came from Vermont. This colt was sold
by Evans to Mr.. GOelet, and by him tax
en- to Newark, y. j.. and he afterward
passed to Halsey Snyder of Newark for
dept. Beyond this point in his history
Mr.. Newell is unable to go. Now the
question is, Did DR.. Evans send this
mare of unknown breeding away off, at a
| large expense, to be bred to Trustee in
1850? Was he a horse fancier who could
afford to spend his money in this way {:
Trustee was kept in Westchester county,
y. Y, at that time, and died there in Is
Sc. The books of his services would set
tie the point whether Mr.. Evans bred a
mare to him in 1850. but unfortunately
ar earnest search of more than dozen
years has failed to secure an inspection
of those books. In his old days Harry
Booth. the keeper of Trustee for a great
many years, lost his wife and married
again, leaving no family by either
woman. When the old man died he was
very poor, and his widow is spending the
remainder of her days in charitable in
stitution. Thus have vanished all hopes
of ever obtaining possession of Trustees
old books.
In the complete absence of all details
and circumstances connected with the
Journey of the mare from New Bruins
wick to Westchester county, it is very
hard to believe that she ever saw Trus-
tee. This conclusion we might accept
without doing violence TO the good name
or truthfulness of Mr.. Evans. The early
history of this mare was unknown in
New Brunswick. She came there as a
stranger, and it is possible. indeed prob
able, that Mr.. Evans bought or traded
for her when in foal, and as was the Gus
tom of the times the trader would
select the most noted horse he could
think of as the one to which she had been
stinted he represented Trustee as the
horse, Mr.. Evans could believe it and re-
peat it to his friends as the sire of the
colt, and do so without any dishonest
purpose or motive.
Mr.. Newell leaves the horse without a
name, so far as known, at Newark, y.
j., and some years afterward Mr.. Roe,
a reputable citizen of New Bruins wick.
found the horse John Nelson in sam Nc
Laughln's stable in 1859, about to be
shipped to California, and says this was
the horse that had been bred and reared
by Thomas Evans. We take it for grant.
ed that there is no doubt about John
Nelson hayihg been stabbed with sam
Mclaughlin in Jersey City, for we know
that sam had stable there. But what
about the history and ownership of the
horse during the years between his leaving
Newark and his arrival in Jersey City in
1859? Who were the owners and what
are the dates? Without these connect
ing links Mr.. Roe's Identification of the