348 THE MORGAN HORSE 



1855, by Joseph Caverly and J. F. Stevens, Wentworth, N. H. Received 

 ist premium at New Hampshire State fair, 1855. 



By referring to pages 6 and 919 of this work it will be perceived that 

 the opinion is there expressed that Seely's American Star was a Morgan 

 horse. Since this work has been electrotyped additional evidence has come 

 in which makes it sufficiently certain that Coburn's American Star, the sire 

 of Seely's American Star, was a son of Cock of the Rock, by Sherman Mor- 

 gan, to warrant his insertion and that of the family in this book. 



It has been proved, beyond all possible question, that Seely's Ameri- 

 can Star was bred by Judge Berry of 'Pompton Plains, N. J., foaled 1837, 

 and got by an elegant, but small, young chestnut horse, called American 

 Star, owned, at the time, by Ira Coburn of New York city. 



In a pamphlet, containing a history of Seely's American Star, furnished 

 us by Henry K. Berry, Paterson, N. J., it is stated that he was got by 

 American Star, son of a horse called Cock of the Rock. In a compilation 

 of pedigrees by S. D. Bruce (editor of the " American Thoroughbred Stud 

 Book") procured, as he states, from the most reliable sources, and published 

 in the "Turf, Field and Farm," New York city, and which can now be found 

 in the office of that paper, after first giving the old pedigree, " by Stock- 

 holm's American Star," which has been proved to be false, he says : "Another 

 account makes him to have been got by a son of Cock of the Rock." 



These statements, made with so much accuracy, would hardly be hand- 

 ed down except they were founded in fact. And the question arose at once, 

 What horse was this " Cock of the Rock," whence did he come, who owned 

 him, and what was his breeding ? 



After much effort, that extended over several years, we, at last, succeeded 

 in finding a daughter of Ira Coburn, Mrs. James M. Quick, living in Brook- 

 lyn. In an interview with her she stated that she remembered well her 

 father's horse, American Star, which he owned several years, but did not 

 know where he got him, or the horse's breeding ; but said that he owned at 

 the same time an older stallion, she thought chestnut, and called Cock of 

 the Rock. She did not know whether this horse was the sire of the younger 

 one or not ; said he was a larger horse, not quite so handsome, but a very 

 stylish horse. She thought her father got these horses in New York city. 



It was, of course, at once quite evident that the Cock of the Rock re- 

 ferred to in the pedigree of Seely's American Star was almost certainly this 

 horse owned by Mr. Coburn. 



We have received the following letters from J. S. Quick of Brooklyn, 

 N. Y., and from Mrs. Charles C. Bradford of East Boston, Mass., another 

 daughter of Ira Coburn : 



"219 BERGEN STREET, BROOKLYN. 



"Your note of 191)1 inst. received. In answer would say that my wife is 

 the daughter of the late Ira Coburn, and remembers her father owning the 



