Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1926-03-26
The Trundle Brothers.

century held front ranks in Maryland In
the distribution of Percheron sires.
William B.. the other partner, died in
December. 1924.
The first horse sold by them was I'm
perator. beautiful gray. sired by Victoria,
his dam being by the great Brilliant, that
made history for the Percheron in Amer
lca and the name of Mark Durham famous
on two continents. This horse was the
first ton horse in Montgomery county.
The second stallion was Rempart, a
black. and half-brother to Pink, reported
to have been the nearest approach to the
ideal OF any horse in America at that time.
Durham refused $4,000 for Pink. With
slres OF such breeding the improvement in
the draft horse of PoolesvilIe district was
naturally expected. At one time there
were fifteen stations sold by them being
used in Montgomery county. and today there
are more six-horse draft teams in Mont
gomery county than most any other in the
country. and most of them trace back to
the sires sold by Trundle Bros. They sold
horses in nearly every county in Mary
land. good portion of Virginia and some in
Pennsylvania. Wherever their sires went
they raised the standard of draft horses,
and one horse placed in neighborhood was
usually followed by others. proving that
good stock and fair treatment were appre-
ciated by the farmers.
Perhaps the highest compliment paid
Trundle Bros. was by one best qualified to
speak. A famous importer said to the
senior member. "Mr. Trundle. the farmers
OF Maryland. their children and their chill
dren's children will some day feel thankful
for the good sires put by you at their
service. have never sold such good
horses to any one firm"
The last horse sold by them was sired
by Laet. an international grand champion,
and the only grand champion to have the
same honor placed. The dam of this horse
was sired by Dragon. twice an international
grand champion. The integrity of the firm
is best attested by the fact that the last
horse was sold in their home neighborhood
where the first one was sold nearly
quarter of century ago. and sold by his
picture. the stallion never having been
removed from their barn. This is all the
more remarkable when the selling was done
by William B. Trundle shortly before his
death. when he was totally blind.
Even with horses Of such breeding and
individuality it required craftsmanship of
rare ability to sell them to the average
farmers who had never had the oppor-
tunity to study and compare horses and
were thus unable to judge their worth
fairly.
William B. Trundle was more than
salesman. His genial disposition and
lovable character spread sunshine in many
dark and isolated places His coming was
hailed with smile and his going with
regrets and invitations to return. Every
member Of every household 10 which he
was long a guest was cheered by his
pleasing personality and amused by his
wit and humor.
Twenty odd years of experience with
rural people of several States naturally
brought him in contact with many I'M
usual people and in some very unique
experiences. An excellent judge of human
character and fine sense of humor, al
ways. he never failed to have an interest
ing story. A whole neighborhood at some
time or other was highly entertained by
his experience. Seldom Sunday passed
when Will Trundle was home that some
neighbor did not come over to Trundle
Bros. to see the good stock. but mostly to
have dull care and routine monotony
completely effaced in the hospitable home
and the influence of his many stories of
life ITSELF
No mention Of this home would be CON-
plete without tribute to Callie Trundle
wife of John Trundle. Always cheerful,
always hospitable. Her sweet smile and
matches cooking contributed in untold
measure to the success and harmony OF
the home. The secret of her homemaking
was her unselfish devotion to her duties
William Trundle was at home in any
company and his success was just the
same in Tide Water Virginia, mountainous
West Virginia Or the suburbs of the Nations
Capital.
John Trundle's was the original mind
He planned and Will executed He was
not only judge of men, but of the work
ing of their minds also. and could thus
anticipate and foresee conditions which
were often made easier for Will by him
Few were his equal in judging horses and
he was selected by the Board of Directors
of the Percheron Societies of America as
their accredited judge in the East. He
would not buy an unfit stallion. but spared
not the price when he saw one that suited
him. This is best illustrated by an Incl
dent that happened in the prewar days
when the Percheron horse was most popu-
lar. Importations from France were large
and competition in the show ring was
keen, The State Fairs were over and all
preparations were being made for the
international at Chicago. At Durham's
Oaklawn Stud a bunch was lined up for
John Trundle's selection. He finally Sc.
lected black named Johannesburg and
when the price was named he said. "Il
take him" Then the salesman tried tC
back out and offered to sell several other