Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-12-18

on the subject: "Ihe breeding and MIS- /
tory of the Tom Hal family is probably
less known than many others. |
wish to lay before your readers what |
have been able to find out on this sub
ject, and to ask If some of them cannot
fill the few gaps which must yet be clos
ed to make complete the history of a
really great family. In the third vol
ume of Wallace's Register is brief ac-
count of the old red-roan stallion known
as (Dr.) Boswel's or (Col. Benz Shrop-
shire's Tom Hall.
"He is described as having been a horse
of great power and endurance and nearly
16 hands high. In letter from DR.. j.
l.. Shy, late of Franklin, Tenn, he men
tons that DR.. Boswell, who used this
horse in his practice, several times rode
him from Leesburgh TO Louisville, Is
miles, in one day.
"Bald Stockings (also known as Lalls,
Clark's and John p. Shropshire's Tom
Had was the most prominent son of
Boswell's Tom Hal. Mr.. Wallace gives
his pedigree correctly O. and places his
birth in 1871. He was bred by Higgins
Chinn of Harrison county, Ky, and died
the property of John p. Shropshire. The
dam of Bald Stockings was by George
Chinn's Copperbottom, son of old Cop
perbottom. His grandam was by Tar
quin.
"Bald Stockings sired quite Il number
of horses of local note in Kentucky. Sor-
rel Tom, also called Shawhan's Tom Hal,
was bred by Capt. John Shawhan, who
who was the father-n-law of Capt. I. E.
Moore. Capt. Moore tells me that he
was the fastest PAGER under saddle that
he had ever seen in that day. While in
Indiana he sired Gray's Tom Hal (the
sire of Little Gipsey, 2:22, and Timber
Jack, PAGER, Isl, also the dams of Buff
alo Girl, PAPA, jerome Turner, 2:l54,
and others).
"Bald Stockings also sired Expert, a
chestnut horse with strip in face and
four white legs, which Warnock says
was brought to Tennessee by Simeon
Kirtley. 80. He also sired Clark's
Bay Tom, horse concerning which |
am anxious to get more information, as
think it likely that he will furnish the
connecting link between Bald Stockings
and Gbson's Tom Hal (the sire of Brown
Hal, Hal Pointer, etc). Can any of your
readers give particulars as to his history,
particularly as to his exact color and
markings?
"In another letter | will give some
thing of the history of the Tennessee
branch of the family.
CAMPBELL BROWN.
Spring Hill, Tenn"
The theory thus advanced by Ma or
Brown found voice again at the Pacing
Horse Breeders celebration at the grave
of Tom Hal, near Buford's, Tenn essee,
May II, 1891. In his address there Judge
Irving Halsey makes this allusion to it;
"SOme time about the year 1920 little
roam pacing Canadian pony was purchas-
ed in Philadelphia and ridden to Kentuc-
ky by physician residing in that State.
This horse was Tom Hal, the progenitor
of the family by that name. He was
bred to mare by Tarquin granddaugh-
ter of Tarquin?- ED. and pro-
duced a magnificent chestnut nearly or
quite lG hands high, with white face
and white legs up to the knees and
hooks. This horse proved to be the
greatest of old rom Halls produce, and
was called Bald Stockings. He was a
horse of great beauty and symmetry of
form and great speed at the pace. Two
of his sons were out of mare by Whip
Comet, horse that if not Thoroughbred
was | suppose very nearly so. One of
them was called Expert, and the other
was Gas the indications now clearly APP
pear to show Kittrell's Tom Hal, sire
of Gibson's Tom Hal, the great horse
that now lies buried on this farm
Bald Stockings being the sire of the
second dam of Senator Blackburn, and
also of the second dam of Ella Robin
son, causes me to take special interest in
his reputation and history, and leads me
to bring the question involved again be-
fore the public in the hope that some one
hereabouts might possibly be able to
give additional light and information.
A. \. X.