994 THE MORGAN HORSE 



Page 898; Mountain Maid. Record should read 2:26%. 



Myrtle. The pedigree of dam here given is from Nelson Seckell, Seneca Falls, N. V., 

 who states that he and his brother bought this mare, when three, with this pedigree, of her 

 breeder. It has also been said that she was by Nimrod (Magnum Bonum), a son of Zielley's 

 Eclipse. See Charley B. 



N. B. Palmer, fourth line. Read 1867-73. 



Page 899; Nelly K. This mare was bred by T. M. Kelley, Irving, 111. 



Page 901; Parole, third line. Instead of "son of Ethan Allen," read son of Camden, 

 by Shark. 



Parrott. For " Peter Clough" read Peter Congler. 



Page 903; Randall, third line. Read Parma instead of " Parmer.'' 



Rarus. Record should read 2:15. 



Red Rover. Red Rover was owned by William Parks, Brooklyn, N. V. 



Rhode Island. Rhode Island was foaled May 19, 1855, and bred by Samuel Brown, 

 Piketon, ('). : dam Peg, bay, bred by Jacob Taylor, Piketon, O.( sold to B. Violet, to S. Brown), 

 got by Nigger Baby, owned by a Mr. Miller of Piketon; 2d dam white face and four white 

 feet, said to be by Bald Hornet. Samuel Brown sold Rhode Island, when three, to his 

 brother, Henry Brown. 



Page 904; Ripton, sixth line. The' following interesting letter from Moses W.Wi[son 

 throws further light upon the breeding of this famous trotter. 



WESTPORT, CONN. N<>v. 27, 1889. 

 JOSEPH BATTELL, Esn. 



Dear Sir: Ripton was bred by the late Burr Meeker Sr.; the year I cannot state. He 

 was sired by a horse called the Heron Horse. All I can state about the origin and history 

 of the Heron Horse is that the late Morris Ketchum, the New York banker, whose country 

 residence was at Westport, bought a mare with a colt by her side somewhere on Long 

 Island. He sent a man up to this place with the mare and the colt. The man rode the 

 mare and the colt followed by her side. This journey gave the colt what are called sand 

 heels, from which he never recovered. He always had bunches on his heels, but they never 

 made him lame. The colt grew up an entire colt and when old enough sired Ripton. The 

 dam of Ripton was a good-sized, brown mare, no white on her, low headed and no speed. 

 I can not now ascertain where Meeker Sr., got her. She was quite old when she foaled 

 Ripton. The sire of Ripton grew up and became a mature horse, and was traded about 

 from place to place; was owned at one time by the old Heron family of Redding Ridge, 

 Conn., and then by the late Nathaniel Lyon of Dodgingtown, a few miles north of Redding 

 Ridge. Then he was returned to Westport and an Irish carman by the name of Welch 

 owned him and used him as a cart-horse. While he was thus' owned by Welch he covered 

 a number of. mares at a nominal price. Welch used to run him short distances over our 

 common roads for small wagers and he was always the winner. When the colt Ripton grew 

 up Wm. Meeker, son of Burr Meeker Sr., used to ride him, and a man by the name of 

 Henry Nichols of Weston, Conn., owned a horse that could trot then a mile in about three 

 minutes. Ripton was about a match for him. Sometimes one would win and sometimes 

 the other. It very soon became noised about that Ripton was a trotter and Samuel H. 

 Blackman, then of Norwalk, Conn., bought him of Burr Meeker Sr. for $250 and then sold 

 him to a man by the name of Hutchinson of New York, and he then went into the hands of 

 the late Hiram Woodruff of New York. I am aware that this letter falls far short of a defi- 

 nite and exact pedigree of the horse Ripton, but it is the best I can do, aided by a gentleman 

 by the name of W. J. Finch of this place, who is personally cognizant of all the above facts. 



Burr Meeker Sr. died March 20, 1860, aged 75 years. Morris Ketchum is also dead. 

 Any other information possible will be cheerfully furnished you on request. 



Yours respectfully, MOSES W. WILSON. 



Page 905 ; Russian Spy. This gelding was bred by John Stuart as recorded, and sold, 

 when three months old, by him, to O. W. Chamberlin, Petrolia, Ont. 



