USA > Ohio > Clark County > The history of Clark County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, V. 1 > Part 46
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Mr. Waddle was so well pleased with the calves from his Kentucky grades that he bred them to Zadoc, the bull before mentioned. Mr. John Stickney. Sr .. with others, caught the spirit of improvement, and bred their common cows to Nicanor, Montezuma, Miami, Mr. Pugh's Magnus, and Mr. Moore's Powelton, with splendid results.
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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.
There were at that time four herds established in the county, which, as leaven, set influences in motion that acted and re-acted upon the cold-blooded, slow-going, slab-sided, ill-shaped and unprofitable bovine race around them.
The work was a great and noble one, requiring much labor, firmness of purpose and enduring patience, joined with large outlays of capital, against. adverse criticism.
These pioneer short-horners had to deal with mind, as well as matter. Like missionaries in heathendcin, they had to break the fetters of habit, and prejudice, and doubt, by ocular demonstrations, before they could convince their chary neighbors that theirs was the better way. To do this, they felt that much depended upon their skill in breeding and rearing their own stock, not only thoroughbreds, but more especially grades, which was really the great objective point of their venture. They believed the blood of this match- less race was capable of metamorphosing the veriest scalawag that cumbered their pastures into a thrifty and gainly beast; but, to succeed, they must follow closely and adopt the methods and appliances of the great masters of the art. In due time, therefore. these herds were seen at the county fairs, and those who remember the fairs when held at South Charlestou, in those early days when fairs subserved the purpose for which they were created -- to wit, educators -- can recall the interested crowds lingering about those beautiful animals, listen- ing with rapt attention. to the exposition of their points of excellence, and strik- ing contrast to the common scrubs, so earnestly pointed out by their owners. Old short-horners of those days who are still living, evoking the esprit de corps that beld the multitudes around the show-ring, will glow with ardent admira- tion as those short-legged, straight-backed, massive-cropped, broad-hipped, level-rumped and fleshy-quartered animals pass in retrospect. Such men aver that short-horns of the present day do not compare favorably with those of the past; that line breeding-breeding to a gilt-edged pedigree and red color --- have wrought a material change in their type; where style has been gained, constitution and size have been lost; where smoothness of contour and depth of flank have been obtained, the width of hip and milking quality have been com- promised; and as the head and horn have been shortened and refined, the leg has been elongated and fertility impaired. Evidently, those pioneers made the best of the facilities at their command. Their young stock, thoroughbreds and grades, demonstrated the extreme possibilities which they promised could be realized. A demand for young bulls was gradually created, and the grading- up process slowly inaugurated. the good effects of which are seen at the present dav.
In 1841, Mr. Henry Stickney makes his debut, and, recognizing the im- provement made in the stock by his father and brothers, John and George, he seeks to continue building upon the foundation so happily laid, by purchasing the bull Daniel Webster of Mr. Pugh. About that time, Mr. Pugh's lease ex- pired, and he offered his fine stock at public auction; but money was scarce and bidding slow; he therefore closed the sale, and removed his whole herd to the neighborhood of Cincinnati. Not long subsequent to Mr. Pugh's departure, Mr. T. Wright determined to make a closing-out sale. At this sale, Mr. Ben- jamin Browning bought some of Mr. Wright's fine cows, laying the foundation of his future herd, of which more will be said hereafter. In the spring of 1542, Mr. Benjamin Moore offered his entire hord at public sale. None of his stock, however, fell into the hands of Clark County men at this sale, except a few cows bought by Mr. Andrew Goudy, who, so far as can be ascertained. merged them in his herd of common cattle, thereby attenuating their richer blood by promisenous and indifferent breeding. The cows belonging to Mr. .Moore's herd had the reputation of being splendid milkers, but they were not
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considered by stock mon first-rate handlers. They were muscular enough, but not mellow and fine-grained; in the language of the butchers, "they did not die well." For several years, a calm seems to pervade short-horn circles broken only by the occasional sale of a young bull. It was during this interim of repose that Mr. Browning put Burleigh, a fine three-year-old bull, oward by Mr. W. D. Peirce, and a grandson of Miss Trimble, and sired by Nimrod. at the head of his herd, followed in due time by Bucyrus, of the same tribe. But, in 1847, Mr. Jacob Peirce attains his majority, and, thoroughly fascinated with what he considered the romance and poetry of agricultural life, short-horn breeding, and earnestly desiring to emulate Bakewell, Collings, Booth and Bates in attaining fame by pursuing one of the most intricate and treacherous pathis that leads to that historic pinnacle, he starts with his father, Jonathan Peirce, for the Scioto Valley to buy a herd of short-horns. To show the enthusiasm and zeal that possessed his mind at this time, I quote his own words, found in his catalogue, July, 1859. He says: "I resolved to have the best short-horns in the country, regardless of price. I determined not to be outdone by any person in the State of Ohio as a breeder of fino cattle."
In accord with this sentiment, Mr. Peirce not only paid the highest prices for cattle, but made the most elaborate arrangements for their care, providing a herdsman at $300 per annum, with a corps of attendants to feed and groom thom after the most approved manner. Well, Mr. Peirce and father bought, at the time alluded to, six or eight cows and heifers of Messrs. George and Har- ness Renick. These animals were the very best, and belonged to such distin- guished tribes as the Rose of Sharon, Donna Maria, Poppy, etc., and were only one remove from the imported cows. It does not appear that they bought a bull at this time, but bred their cows to William D. Peirce's young bulls, Snow- ball, Burleigh and Premier, also to imported Nimrod, imported Norfolk, etc. Indeed, the catalogue of Mr. Jonathan Peirce conclusively shows that he did not believe that the inimitable symmetry and exquisite beauty possessed by the renowned Cleopatra were the results of the unification of physiological units so wantonly attempted by the incestuous house of the Ptolemies, nor that the acknowledged prepotency, and up-headed and stylish appearance which charac- terizes the Bates cattle, should be attributed to in-breeding, but, taking the practice of the elder Booth as his guide, he bred mos, promiscuously, for ho bred to no less than thirteen bulls in five years. Still, anxious to excel their confreres beyond the shadow of a doubt, they bought of Mr. Sherwood, of New York, in 1848, the splendid white cow Diana.
In striking contrast to Mr. Jonathan Peirce's course of breeding, Mr. Will- iam D. Peirce adopts the plan of in-breeding, using his young bulls, the descendants of Miss Trimble, upon their sisters and half-sisters, a la Colling.
In 1848, Mr. B. B. Browning purchased a bluish roan bull calf, quite young, of Mr. Knowles, near Sheffield, England, which he named Prince Albert. This calf was imported by Mr. Browning, and reared on his farm, and was not imported by the Madison County Importing Company in 1853, as stated in L. F. Allen's history of short-horns. He is duly recorded in the American Herd Book, and numbered 3284.
Another lull seems to have settled over short-horn activities, broken by Mr. George Watson purchasing of Mr. Shropshire, Kentucky, several short-horn cows and heifers, and the establishment of another herd on the Dawson farm by Mr. Col- lier. in 1850. But, in 1552, a re-action takes place, first indicated by Me. Wad- dle buying the young bull, Arthur, of Mr. William D. Peirce; but the most important event was Mr. Jonathan Peirce's sale, which occurred on the 11th of March, 1852. At this sale, twenty-three cows and heifers and six bulls were sold, all of which have been lost sight of except the three cows bought by Mr.
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Alex Waddle. Hitherto, Mr. Waddle had bred only grades, but at this sale he lays the foundation of a herd that has won a commanding position among the short-horn herds of the county. In this year, Mr. W. N. Chamberlain embarked upon the inviting but rock-lined sea of scientific breeding by buying a beautiful heifer, of the Red Rose by Earnesty sort, of Mr. Matthew Bonner; and Mr. Henry Stickney enlarged his herd from Dr. Warfield's, Kentucky. Mr. Alex Waddle bought a young bull of Mr. Collier, which he named Collier, but, not desiring to use him upon his best cows, he, in connection with Messrs. William and Jacob Peirce, bought, at the sale of the Scioto County Importation Con- pany, Alderman, a roan bull, at $1,150; Moss Rose, by Stapleton, at $1,200; and Mary, by Lord of the Manor, at $1,650. Mr. Waddle took Mary, Mr. J. Peirce Alderman, and Mr. W. Peirce Moss Rose. These prices were unprece- dented, and marked an epoch in the history of short-horns in the county. Mr. Collier's herd was soon scattered, on account of his death, and no trace of it can now be found, other than the bull bought by Mr. Waddle.
In 1853, Mr. B. Browning was sent as one of the agents of the Madison County Importation Company to England, and assisted in buying the splendid cattle of that importation, which were sold in London, Ohio, in 1853, at public auction. At this sale, Mr. William Watson bought Princess, by Belted Will, at $690, who proved to be very prolific, and many of her descendants are still in the county. But short-horn interests appear to have culminated in this county in 1854. An association was formed in that year, of which C. M. Clark was the prime mover and leading spirit. and an importation made under the agency of Dr. Watts, of Chillicothe, and Hon. Alex Waddle, of this county, who pro- ceeded to England and bought nine bulls and twenty cows and heifers, which were sold near Springfield, on the 6th of September, 1854, at public auction. The agents had been exceedingly fortunate in their selections; their return with their cattle widely heralded by the leading newspapers of the country; the day was fine, the crowd large, expectation on tiptoe, and the cattle pleased the inost fastidious connoisseur. Under this combination of favorable auspices, bidding was animated, and Buckingham was soon knocked off to William D. Peirce at $1,000. The beautiful roan yearling, New Year's Day, was taken by C. M. Clark at 83,500; Messrs. 1. I Paige, H. Stickney. R. Oxtoby and Will- iam Watson were the fortunate purchasers of Czar, at $1,900; Hon. Alex Wad- dle took Lord Stanwick at $500, and Lord of the Isles at 8575; Mr. A. I. Paige paid $1,425 for Aylesby Lady, and $1.100 for Dahlia; Roman 13th and her bull calf sold to Jacob Peirce for $1.300; Mr. Waddle paid $1,000 for Zeal- ous, Zenobia $825, and $425 for Blushing Beauty; William D. Peirce paid for Lancaster 17th 8900, $1,000 for Roan Lady, and $1,075 for Venus; George Watson and L. B. Sprague bought Zephyr at $400, and Lancaster 19th at $350: H. Stickney paid $290 for Butterfly, and C. M. Clark $1,125 for Easter Dav. This is the largest acquisition of short-horn blood ever made before or since in this county, aggregating $17,690, and much valuable stock now in the county trace in their pedigrees to this importation.
Following close upon this great sale was another memorable event. to wit. the great National Cattle Show, which was held in Springfield, beginning Octo- ber 28, 1854. This was an episode, and intensified the interest, already at the boiling point. in short-horn circles. To Mr. C. M. Clark is due the honor of bringing this great show to Springfield at this time. It doubtless did much toward educating our people to a proper conception of the possibilities to which this unrivaled breed of cattle could attain. All sections of our wide domain were represented, affording ocular demonstrations of the flexibility of nature, and the innate capacity they possessed of adapting themselves to their sur- roundings and maintaining their excellence, whether reared upon the stunted
O
Moura
Respectfully Roso Mitchell
LAGONDA
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grasses of New England pastures, or luxuriating in the blue-grass lawns of the West; whether exposed to the rigor of Northern winters, or subjected to the torrid heat of the semi-tropics. Not only did the old broeders of the county avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by the great sale just mentioned to make important accessions to their respective herds, but several "parvenues " stepped into the arena and laid the foundations of future herds, with blood fresh from the fountain head. C. M. Clark started in the race under the most favorable circumstances. New Year's Day and Easter Day, beaux ideal short- horns, could not disappoint the most sanguine expectations. A. I. Paige, the happy possesor of the exquisite Aylesby Lady, and the symmetrical Dahlia, and joint owner of the royally bred Czar, might reasonably expect to realize re- sults but little short of his most extravagantly tinted day dreams. Lancaster the 19th, whose veins were as full of blue blood as any Lancaster's that ever wore a rose; and Beautiful Zephyr, with hair as silky as thistle-down, and eyes as clear and placid as a mountain lake. doubtless filled Mr. Sprague's future with brightest visions of success. With the foundations laid, they began build- ing upon them and making additions, as circumstances indicated. In the fall of 1855, Mr. W. N. Chamberlain bought of Mr. J. G. Dun, Knickerbocker, a roan bull calf of the tribe of Red Rose by Earnesty, which did more, perhaps, to bring his herd into notoriety than any other animal he ever possessed.
On the 17th of October, 1856, Mr. Jacob Peirce offered at public sale a draft from his herd of fourteen bulls and twenty-five cows and heifers. This was the first sale of the kind ever made in the county. His stock were in good condition, all catalogued, and their pedigrees complete-a great improvement upon his father's in 1852. Notwithstanding the preparations thus made, the cattle sold extremely low. The highest figure paid for a bull was $111; the lowest (bull calf), $30; $201 was the maximum paid for a cow, and $30 the ininimum (calf). Several of these cattle belonged to what is now the fashiona- ble Rose of Sharon tribe. None of these animals were incorporated into the then existing herds, nor formed a nucleus of a new one. In 1858, C. M. Clark made a large addition to his herd. He paid R. G. Corwin $500 for a little calf named Flora Bell, of the Scottish Bluebell tribe: Kitty Clyde and Kitty Clover came from Kentucky, and cost respectively $900 and $S00; Snow Drop and Beauty, costing about the same, were also from the same Sta'e. About this time, Mr. B. Browning made another trip to England, and brought back with him a young white bull named Nelson Gwynn. This bull was not considered, by some good judges, as par excellence; he nevertheless left a good impress upon the stock of his neighborhood. He was sold and taken East. In 1859. August 10, Mr. Jacob Peirce brought his whole herd, fifty head, to the auction block. He stated in his catalogue that he had "gratified his ambition by carrying off the red ribbons in many hotly contested show-rings, both at home and abroad, and at county, State and national fairs," but adds, with a kind of melancholy pathos, "at an enormous cost." This sale was largely attended, but the tidal wave did not come, judging from the prices realized. Alderman, purchased in 1852, had been bred extensively on this herd, notwithstanding he gave a black nose to many of his calves-and, even at the present day, his descendants often show this disagreeable atavism. He had died, however, some time before the sale, from an attack of mad itch. Darling and Delightful, bred by Mr. A. L. Paige, from Dahlia and Avlesby Lady, and of the herd which took the first premium at the Ohio State Fair, brought $350 and $375 respectively. This was a terrible letting-down for descendants of such blue-blooded ancestry. Truly, bovine as well as human life is checkered. After a send off of this kind, re-action in prices was almost impossible; some animals were knocked off for the mere nominal sum of $25. But a sharper competition seems to have existed for
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bulls. Starlight 2d, bred by D. Watson, of Union County, and sired by im- ported Starlight, brought $650; Crusade, 8370; Don Quixote and Blucher, $250 each; Oscar, 850; and Nicholas, $45. Forty-eight head brought $6,422.50, averaging $133.80. Females averaged $122.54; bulls averaged $167.58. The price paid for one cow and one bull was not reported. Nearly all of these cat- tle were descendants of the Scioto County and Clark County importations, a few pedigrees being topped by Knickerbocker. Mr. Jacob Peirce did not breed so promiscuously as his father, nor approach in-breeding so nearly as did his brother William. This large herd was widely dispersed through the West and Northwest, only a very few remaining in the county, and they, like snow falling upon the bosom of the ocean, were soon lost in the general mass of common stock. Another turn of the wheel of time brings William D. Peirce's pioneer herd under the auctioneer's hammer, on the 20th and 21st days of June, 1860.
Mr. S. Howell, the administrator on Mr. Peirce's estate, offered the largest berd that had hitherto been thrown upon the market, comprising sixty-eight cows and twelve bulls. Of these eighty head of cattle, thirty-eight cows and one bull were descendants of Miss Trimble, the first short-horn ever bought by Mr. Peirce, and it is worthy of remark that every one approached their progen- itrix in color. These cattle were low in fiesh, and looked badly, and sold much below their intrinsic value, but there are no means by which their average price can be ascertained Buckingham 2d and Roan Lady had died soine time previously. Lancaster 17th, costing Mr. Peirce $900, sold for 859. but Mr. A. J. Paige, coming to the rescue, paid $400 for Venus -- 8675 less than she cost in 1854. Of course, such fearful depreciation of values for imported cows depressed prices for home-bred animals beyond recovery. Why the names of these imported cows appear so seldom in the pedigrees of Mr. Peirce's herd must be left to conjecture. Mr. L. B. Sprague took this opportunity of intro- ducing into his herd some descendants of Miss Trimble; Mr. W. N. Chamber- lain bought Violet for $59, and a three-year-old bull, Ignis Fatuus, for $54, and Will-of-the-Wisp was knocked off to Mr. J. V. Cartmell for $20. Many of these cattle were bought by farmers of the county at merely nominal prices, and. thrown into the general herd and lost sight of as thoroughbreds, but produced a wonderful leavening effect upon the thrift and quality of the cattle in our county. Forebodings, consequent upon our political situation at this time, paralyzed enterprise in every department of business, and were doubtless largely responsible for forcing down prices below zero at his sale. During this year, Mr. W. N. Chamberlain purchased Dundenna, a very fine heifer, of Mr. James Rankin, Madison County, Ohio, and Mr. L. B. Sprague bought sev- eral cows of the T. Wright sort, of Mr. B. B. Browning. The original cow bought by Mr. Wright of Gen. Garrard, Kentucky, and referred to before, was slaughtered by Mr. Browning after she had attained the age of nineteen years. She was a remarkably rapid breeder, but in her old age became unusually fat. Mr. Sprague also bought Mr. Watson's interest in their stock jointly owned. Zephyr, which they had purchased at the Clark County Importation Company's sale, proved to be a slow breeder, and soon became excessively fat, ceased to breed, and was slaughtered. About 1862. Mr. Stickney sold Butterfly and twenty head, mostly of his Kentucky purchase, to Mr. Sprague; and Mr. Paige sold his imported cows, Avlesby Lady and Dahlia, to the same gentleman. Aylesby Lady had become a slow, if not a doubtful, breeder, and dropped Mr. Sprague but one living calf. a bull, which, owing to the diseased condition of her udder, was raised by another cow. Not long subsequent to the birth of this calf, she died from cancer of the head.
Czar bad been sold to a gentleman in Clinton County some time before Mr. Paige disposed of his cows.
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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.
The country at this time was overcast with the blackest of war-clouds; upon it all eyes were fixed, the hearts of strong men quaked, and the moanings of many Rachels were heard. To be or not to be as a nation, was the supreme question that filled men's minds by day, and haunted their dreams by night, leaving no place to thoughts pertaining to a pursuit so incongruous to their surroundings as systematic and scientific breeding. Under these circumstances, it was not surprising that some relaxed their watchful care over their herds, and others abandoned theirs altogether, sending them to the shambles, while only the more hopeful preserved theirs from degeneracy by careful breeding.
It was under this state of depression that Mr. Chamberlain ventured to buy Victoria 3, an Imported Princess by Belted Will.
But in 1865, the war-cloud rifted, and, by 1863, the benign influences of peace had restored confidence to the public mind, and recuperation was every- where manifest; consequently Mr. C. M. Clark offered his fine herd for sale in the fall of 1868, under much more favorable auspices. To be sure, his herd had been more fashionably bred, and had cost more than any in the county, which accounted for some of the strength given to prices, but doubtless, the facts mentioned above were large factors. Mr. Clark had bred and reared sixty calves during his short-horn career, and had been most scrupulous in the care of his stock: had won the red ribbon in almost every show-ring in the country, and, with all the prestige thus obtained, he offered them at public sale. Ten of his best cows averaged $1,000, and all the rest of his stock brought satisfac- tory prices.
New Year's Day had long since become unprofitable, and Easter Day in the decrepitude of age sold for a mere pittance.
Several young bulls were bought by farmers of the county, but Dexter was the only one that found a place in the herds of professional breeders. Mr. Clark did not use many bulls on his herd; perhaps the great majority of his stock were sired by Sir Robert Alexander, Doke of Clark and Dundee. It was about this time Mr. Sprague brought Gen. Burnside, a fine show bull, from Kentucky, and moved by a laudable ambition to attain pre-eminence as a breeder, he introduced into his herd, during the next six years, bulls possessing great individual excellence, and celebrated as sires, such as Dundee, Xenophon, Dex- ter, Imported Colonel and Col. Foote. In the fall of 1871, Mr. W. N. Cham- berlain made a closing out sale. His stock had been carefully bred, and Knickerbocker more particularly, had brought his herd into considerable noto- riety; besides, they were in good condition, but Mr. Chamberlain thought they sold too low. Except through the four cows bought by Mr. Sprague, no trace of this herd can now be found within our borders. Mr. Chamberlain acted upon the theory that the road to success led through a continuous breeding to prize- winning bulls, hence but few of his cattle were bred alike, or were uniform in characteristics, nevertheless they took prizes at county, State and national fairs. About this date Mr. Sprague added several cows to his herd, belonging to the Red Rose by Earnesty tribe, and made some important private sales. But, in less than a year, he announced that, on the 17th of October, 1872, he would offer Oak Grove herd at public sale. Dahlia, Butterfly and Lancaster 19th. the last of the Clark County importation, had previously been sent to the sham- bles.
The appointed day came. a lovely autumn day; the sun was bright, the air balmy: the crowd large and the stock in good condition. The bidding ran low at first, but gradually strengthened until fair prices were reached and main- tained. At this sale Mr. George Watson & Son bought Clifton Duke 4th and four cows, and Mr. D. Heiskel. N. B. Sprague, Col. Cheney, J. S. R. Hazzard & Son, and several other Clark County citizens, were purchasers. About forty
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head were sold, leaving a remnant of ten head as a nucleus for a future herd. Mr. Sprague's herd contained some very fine animals, but there was a lack of uniformity, which could have been attained, if a different method in breeding had been pursued.
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