34 8-h THE MORGAN HORSE 



AMERICAN STAR (COBURN'S) 



Chestnut sorrel with star, 15 hands; foaled about 1830; bred by Fred- 

 erick E. Sumner, Charlestown, N. H. ; got by Cock of the Rock, son of 

 Sherman Morgan : dam a very handsome and excellent gray mare, 15 hands, 

 1025 pounds, foaled about 1820, very much resembling the Morgans, and 

 called by the owner a Morgan mare. 



Owned by Ira Coburn, a builder of New York city, who kept him, 1835, 

 at John Ricker's tavern, Little Falls, and, 1836, at Pompton Plains, N. J., 

 in charge of Nicholas Smalley. Said to have been gelded 1836, at close of 

 season. He was the sire of Seely's American Star. 



Samuel P. Raum, Pompton Plains, said : " Henry H. Berry, an uncle 

 of my wife, bred American Star. He called him American Star. He was a 

 colt of the old American Star, and was afterwards known as Seely's Ameri- 

 can Star. The old Star stood at the hotel here ; he was a sorrel horse, a 

 little lighter color than the one Berry raised. He was not an old horse ; look- 

 ed to be a young horse. The old Star was 15 hands, hardly as tall as the 

 young Star he stood here one season and there was several colts from him. 

 I never heard that he was gelded. Berry did not own him or stand him. 

 He was in charge of a man whose name I forget. You could see he was a 

 blooded horse. He looked like a running horse ; was not thick-set, but of 

 just proportions, good neck and head, very nice horse, full as nice as the 

 younger horse." 



Garnett Van Ness, a farmer living near Pompton Plains, N. J., 

 born 1 8 1 1, and considered one of the most intelligent and reliable horse- 

 men of that locality, said : " The Berry horse was out of the old, original 

 American Star. I knew the man that brought this original horse here ; his 

 name was Nicholas, but I forget the last name. The old Star (Coburn's) 

 was a very handsome horse, the handsomest I ever saw except Morgan One 

 Eye. He was chestnut sorrel with nice star ; he was not very large, but a 

 clean-made, lively fellow. Oh ! he was a pattern, a little scant of 16 hands, 

 I think ; a moderate-size, clean horse, and, my stars, he was a star ! He was 

 called one of the gentlest horses in the country. Service fee was $20, common 

 price then $5 ; not very old when here, seven or eight or so ; well proportioned, 

 rather light build, rather light horse. Berry's horse could not come up to 

 him at all, could not begin. Squire Berry did not stand the sire I am sure 

 of that nor did he geld him. I think the old Star was here two seasons. 

 It would have been a wilful presumption to have gelded a horse like that. 

 He might have been a Morgan ; I have not the least doubt but that he had 

 Morgan blood. He was quick, just like the Morgans, and then he had the 

 rangy neck and clean head, and showed up bigger than he was, just as the 

 Morgans always do. Old Star stood at Little Falls before he came here, at 

 John Ricker's tavern. I raised a colt from him when he stood there, I 

 think it was the year before Berry raised his colt." 



Henry C. Van Ness, another old resident of Pompton Plains, said : 

 "The Berry horse looked like a Morgan horse. I bred a mare to him when 

 he was coming four years old. I should think he was thoroughbred, or 



