378 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
PEDIGREES OF COL. RANDALL’S SHEEP. 
Mr. L. Tucker. —I enclose you the pedigrees of the 
Merino sheep on which I drew the first premiums of the 
State Agricultural Society at the late Fair at Poughkeep¬ 
sie. 
My object is, incidentally, to save myself the trouble 
of answering almost daily inquiries on the subject, but, 
mainly, to throw light on an important, and among those 
who have not particularly investigated it, a mooted sub¬ 
ject, viz. whether there are or are not now in the United 
States, pure blooded descendants of the early importations 
of Spanish Merinoes. Some have supposed there were 
none remaining; others, that the whole number remain¬ 
ing are confined to the flock of Hon. Wm. Jarvis. That 
Consul Jarvis has them, cannot be denied, unless we 
would put bare conjectures against the direct testimony of 
a man who concededly stands before the public unsulli¬ 
ed in every relation of life. That others also have them, 
I will proceed to show by the positive testimony of va¬ 
rious gentlemen, a portion of whom are well known to 
the public, and whose character and standing is not infe¬ 
rior to that of any in the United States. 
I have, for brevity, confined myself to the representa¬ 
tives of but a single family in my flock; though I have 
other strains of blood, the purity of which is equally sus¬ 
ceptible of proof, and which I know to be accompanied 
with equal value in the individual. 
Andrew Cock of Flushing, Long Island, purchased im¬ 
ported Merino sheep of Richard Crowninshield, and va¬ 
rious other importers. In 1823, he sold his flock to Hon. 
Charles Rich, whom many will recollect as a former 
member of Congress, from Vermont, and Leonard Be- 
dell, both of Shoreham of that State. John T. and Charles 
Rich, sons of Charles Rich, senior, inherited their father's 
flock. John T. has kept his portion of it pure to the pre-j 
sent day. Charles kept his pure for a period, but wheth¬ 
er he has to the present day, or whether he retains them 
at all, I am not informed. Bedell kept his flock pure to 
the time of his death, at and shortly previous to* which 
time, portions of it fell into the hands of’various breed¬ 
ers, several of whom have preserved it pure to the pre¬ 
sent time. John T. Rich, S. W. Jewett, Gen. Jasper 
Barnum, M. C. W. Wright, and some other individuals 
own descendants ot the Cock flock, which have been pre¬ 
served pure and unmixed, a portion of them from any 
other blood —a portion of them from any other blood ex¬ 
cepting that of Consul Jarvis's importation, by the use of 
rams regularly attested by Consul Jarvis to be pure de¬ 
scendants of his imported Spanish sheep. The ewes of 
mine which received the State Society’s first and second 
premiums at Poughkeepsie, were got by “ Fortune,” 
dams pure bred ewes of the Rich or Cock stock, owned 
by S. W. Jewett. 
The following statement by the Hon. Effingham Law¬ 
rence, of Long Island, (who acted as Chairman of the 
fine wooled sheep committee at the 2d State Fair at Al¬ 
bany—who has owned, bred and sold more pure bred 
Merinoes, and possesses a greater knowledge of the early 
importation of them, than almost any other individual in 
the United States,) shows the kind of sheep possessed by 
Andrew Cock, his skill as a breeder, and his integrity as 
a man. 
Judge Lawrence's Statement. 
Yours is duly received, in which you refer to a conversation we had, 
on the subject of Merino sheep, and particularly of the quality and pu¬ 
rity of the flock Of Andrew Cock, who was my near neighbor. We 
were intimate and commenced laying the foundations of our Merino 
flocks about the same time. I was present when he purchased most 
of his sheep, which was in 1811. He first purchased two ewes at 
SI,100 per head. They were very fine, and of the Escurial flock im¬ 
ported by Richard Crowninshield. 
His next purchase was 30 of the Paular breed at from $50 to $100 
per head. He continued to purchase of the different importations un¬ 
til he run them up to about eighty, always selecting them with great 
eare. This was the foundation of A. Cock’s flock' nor did he^ever 
purchase any but pure blooded sheep to my knowledge or belief. An¬ 
drew Cock was an attentive breeder; saw well to his business, and 
was of unimpeachable character. His certificate of the kind and pu¬ 
rity of blood I should implicitly rely on. I recolleetof his selling sheep 
to Leonard Bedell of Vermont. EFFINGHAM LAWRENCE. 
Flushing, 1844. - 
Statement of John T. Rich, Esq. 
I certify that my father, Charles Rich, and Leonard Bedell,former re¬ 
sidents of this town, (now deceased,) did on or about the year 1823, 
ourenase me entire flock of sheep owned by Andrew Cock of Flush¬ 
ing, Long Island. Accompanying said sheep, Air. Bedell brought a 
certificate that came with the sheep from Spain I have read said 
certificate, which gave a full description of the eep purchased in 
Spain, with guaranties of their purity of blood, which was regularly at¬ 
tested by the American Consul then in the Spanish or Portugese do¬ 
minions. I thereby had satisfactory evidence that they were all of 
this importation, and that many of them brought to this town, were 
the identical sheep imported. The certificate, I am confident, descri¬ 
bed them as from the Paular flock. The ewe that was the dam of 
Mr. Jewett’s buck Fortune, was a pure descendant of this imported 
flock above described. 1 have preserved this flock pure to this day, 
which amounts*to more than five hundred. Some oi» the flock have 
been recently crossed by bucks of the importation of Consul Jarvis, 
which said bucks were purchased from the flock of, and regularly at¬ 
tested by said Jarvis, as being pure Spanish Merinoes. 
Shoreham, 1844. JOHN T. RICH. 
Statement of Hon. S. H. Jennison, (late Governor of Vermont .) 
I certify that I am personally and intimately acquainted with John 
T. Rich of Shoreham, Vt., the signer of the above certificate, and that 
his statements are entitled to full credit. 
I further certify that Leonard Bedell, late of Shoreham, deceased, 
was a near neighbor to me, and I recollect learning from him many 
years since of his purchase of the flock of merino sheep, on Long Is¬ 
land, as stated by Mr. Rich. I have several times seen the certificate 
mentioned by Rich in the possession of said Bedell. I have reason to 
believe the portion of the Long Island flock, purchased by the late 
Hon. Charles Rich, and now kept by John T. Rich, have been pure as 
he states. I was well acquainted with the portion of the flock kept by 
Bedell, having handled them on several occasions between 1824 and 
1830. Some of the ewes in the flock were pointed out to me as impor¬ 
ted ones, which were toothless and very old, between the dates above 
named. I have several times had bucks from the flock, and never 
entertained a doubt of their being pure bred Spanish Merinos. Mr. 
Bedell called them, and I think the certificate named them, as of the 
Paular Breed. S. II. JENNISON. 
Shoreham, 1844. - 
Charles A. HurlberVs Statement. 
I certify that I lived near neighbor to Leonard Bedell, rnthe town of 
Shoreham, Vt., in the year 1823, and that during that year Air. Bedell 
drove a lot of sheep from Long Island, purchased of Andrew Cock. 
From 1823, until the decease of Mr. Bedell, a period of fifteen years, 
I lived in his family, and had the charge of his sheep. Mr. Bedell 
kept none other but full blooded sheep ot the Cock flock, and I was 
perfectly familiar with a number of them always asserted by him to 
have been originally imported. They had a distinctive mark as # sucn, 
had attested marks and ring of copper in their ears, and were very 
old. 
Mr. Bedell also had the original Spanish certificate of their purity of 
•blood, attested'by the American Consul. These sheep were preser¬ 
ved by Mr Bedell, entirely free from admixture with any other blood. 
Previous to his decease, I selected about eighty of his ewes, which I 
afterwards drove to Monkton, and finally disposed of to S. W. Jewett 
of Weybridge. CHARLES A. HURLBERT 
Monkton, 1844. - 
Gen. Barrmm's Statement. 
I hereby certify that I was born, and lived in the neighborhood of 
Mr. Leonard Bedell, during his residence in this town; that I well re¬ 
member the flock of Spanish Merino sheep which he drove from 
Long Island 21 or 22 years ago; that I was familiarly acquainted with 
this flock of sheep until his decease iu 1838, having assisted in shear¬ 
ing them every year during that time with the exception of three or 
four. Mr. Bedell had a certificate of the lineage of the sheep from 
Spain, certifyingtheir purity of blood, which l have several times read; 
and I am confident that it described them to be Paular, from the flock 
of “ Don Manuel de Godoy, Prince of Peace,” &c. Mr. Bedell, though 
repeatedly urged to sell ewes, utterly refused, though repeatedly offer¬ 
ed high prices by myself and others; nor «Md he part with any until 
the last years of his life. I now live on the farm formerly owned and 
occupied by him, and possess a large portion of the above described 
flock. I am confident that it has not been crossed with Saxons, or 
any other breeds of sheep in this country. JASPER BARNUM. 
Shoreham, 1444. - 
Levi Rockwood’s Statement. 
I moved into the neighborhood of Leonard Bedell, late of Shoreham, 
Vt., in the spring of 1430, and soon became acquainted with his flock 
of Merino sheep. I have frequently heard him relate the history of 
his sheep. He said he purchased them of Andrew Cock, of Long Is¬ 
land, and that they were imported from the flock of Godoy, the Prince 
of Peace, in Spain, as their Spanish pedigree, in his possession, would 
show. He always called them Paular Merinoes, and frequently boast¬ 
ed of this as being the best stock ever imported. I have heard him 
advised to cross the blood of his flock by using bucks from other Spa- 
’nish flocks, but, he insisted on keeping his pure, preferring as he had 
done, to breed them in and in. 1 have seen the Spanish certificate 
' which accompanied the sheep, but never read it. 
Monkton, 1844. LEVI ROCKWOOD. 
Statement of Hon. Harvey Munsill , Judge of Probate. 
I hereby certify that I am personally acquainted with the above na¬ 
med Levi Rockwood, and have been for a great number of years. 1 
consider him a man of truth and veracity, and believe himto.be so 
considered by the community at large. HARVEY MUNSILL. 
Bristol, 1844. - 
Certificates to the same general effect with the above, 
might be indefinitely multiplied, and the above would be 
promptly turned into affidavits , were there any occasion 
for such a step. 
It will be observed that the shesp sold by Cock to 
Messrs. Rich and Eedell, were imported with a Spanish 
pedigree, attested to be genuine by one of our Consuls in 
