348-/ THE MORGAN HORSE 



Rock was a powerful fellow to go. He would go terribly, and he had some 

 colts here that would go terribly : Mr. Hayvvard had one that would go like 

 the wind. Jim Sumner got the horse in Littleton or Lancaster and had him 

 here when I came here, July 4, 1829. He called him Morgan Rock. As 

 beautiful a horse as ever I saw, and I never saw a better broken horse than 

 he was. He was called seven years old in 1829. We had some of the 

 finest horses here from him that were ever in town nicest. I had one of 

 his colts that I swapped with Walker, hotel-keeper at Keene, for $300 and 

 another horse. Walker sold him to Lamson, the great glass folks of Keene, 

 for $500. Mr. Oilman Bowen had a most beautiful stud from Cock of the 

 Rock; regular chunk, nice Morgan horse as you ever saw, 1200 pounds. 

 Died here. There was nothing else here but Morgan horses in those days ; 

 all Morgans ; all gone. The best horses ever here a great deal. Sumner 

 called his horse Morgan Rock. I never heard anything about his dam. 

 There was not a farmer back here but what had a colt from him, and some a 

 number of them." 



Abraham Hull, Charlestown, N. H., born 1814, said: "I don't know 

 anything about the Cock of the Rock only he was one of the handsomest 

 horses I ever saw. Mr. Sumner raised a light chestnut colt from him, which 

 he kept as a stallion, that was equally handsome, perhaps handsomer, but 

 not so large. I do not think it had any white except a star. I worked for 

 Mr. Sumner in 1832 and used to lead and sometimes ride this colt to water, 

 but the colt had not then been broken to harness. He must have been 

 three years old." To the question of whether they gelded him : " Oh ! no : 

 no one would have ever thought of gelding such a colt. The dam of this 

 colt was a gray mare, that Mr. Sumner bought of James Baker. The Der- 

 rick Hartwell horse was a son of Morgan Rock, and about as beautiful a 

 horse as his sire. Just about the color of the old horse, perhaps a little 

 grain darker. They were the most beautiful horses ; it didn't seem that God 

 could make any more beautiful. It was said that a man in Vermont owned 

 an interest in the old horse when Sumner had him. I know he went there. 

 He was called Morgan Rock, and, later, Cock of the Rock. 



"I went to Gov. Hubbard's in May, the same year that I worked for Mr. 

 Sumner and rode the colt. I stayed at Governor Hubbard's three years, 

 and went to Worcester, Mass., Thanksgiving, 1835. The colt was gentle to 

 handle ; had mild disposition ; I got so I loved it. The dam was a handsome 

 mare of Morgan appearance, and, I presume, a Morgan mare. I think Mr. 

 Sumner died the year I worked for him, but after I went to Gov. Hubbard's. 

 The old horse had a mark on face, and HartwelFs horse had more than the 

 old one. These horses stood right up in style. No artist could make any 

 picture of a horse to beat them. The dam of the Hartwell horse was a high- 

 headed brown mare of good size. The Sumner colt looked the most like 

 the old horse of all his colts I ever saw except Hartwell' s. I remember 

 just as well how the colt looked ; he would put his head right up and trot 

 every step of the way when I led him. The stock of the old Morgan Rock 

 were large and good steppers, all-day horses. Theodore Bellows lived close 



