Jim Elbrecht <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>... > [email protected] wrote: > > >I'm trying to find people who had ancestors connected with > >THOROUGHBRED horseracing and breeding in NJ. If you are tracing your > >ancestry and come up with info that a grandparent, or > >great-grandparent worked at a track or was a horse-racing fan and you > > Not a relative, and I'm not sure if they would have been considered > what we call thoroughbreds today-- but at least 2 of the NJ Signers of > the Declaration of Independence were horse fanciers. John Hart's > horse, Northumberland, gets high praise in many John Hart biographies. > The mare 'Bulle Rock' is mentioned in Hammond's biography of the > Signer. > > Hammond prints this excerpt from the Pennsylvania Chronicle in 1773; > > "To Cover this Season, the Famous Grey Horse, NORTHUMBERLAND (Commonly > called the IRISH HORSE) At Forty-five Shilling the Season, and > Twenty-two and Six-pence the single leap, Money to be paid before the > Mares are taken away, or Three Pounds, to wait one Year; He is full > Fifteen Hands Two Inches high, free from all Blemishes, and is allowed > by all judges, to be the best made Horse ever imported; he was bred by > Lord Mazarine, and got by the famous horse, BUSTARD, out of Daughter > of OLD CRAB, Grand Dam by OLD BABRAM; he is a Brother to FREEMASON, > and Lord Mont Eagle's famous Horse BOTTOM, who kept the Course of > Kildare, in Ireland, for three Years successively; his performances in > England, Ireland and America, are well known to all Sportsmen; he is > very sure, and his Colts are allowed to be the best made of any in > America. He is kept at JOHN HART'S, Esq: in Hunterdon County, > New-Jersey, where good Pastures for Mares are provided at a moderate > Price" > > Richard Stockton was also known as a breeder & lover of fast horses. > There is probably more about him in other sources, but I don't have > any great suggestions off hand. There is also likely some > historian at Morven, Stockton's home, that could shed some more light > on his horse dealings. > http://www.historicmorven.org/ > > > > >have evidence of this, please share it with me for a research project. > >I am a legitimate journalist, not "aspiring writer". > > But you *were* an aspiring writer at some time, weren't you? > > -snip- > > Please reply to [email protected] with "horse racing" > >in subjejct line. Thank you for your efforts! > > Reap as you sow-- you'll have to read the newsgroup to see my reply. > > Jim Jim, this is what I call an A+ response - a lot of wisdowm - a little humor...and at the end of this very trying day, humor is what I need. I included the comment about "aspiring writer" because on another forum, where I placed a similar request for information, a reader absolutely trashed me, claiming that I was not a legitimate journalist and, if I was, I was asking other people to do my work for me ala Jason Blair. Unfortunately, that reader didn't comprehend that conducting personal interviews is a small, but essential, part of a quality research project. Yes, I was once an aspiring writer. Now, 25 years later, I am sometimes an inspiring writer, sometimes a perspiring writer, and, on the most overworked days, like today, I feel like I'm a soon to be expiring writer. Your information is excellent. Much thanks. Morven is on my long list of research topics - but initially for a different reason. I'm trying to solve a horse-racing related mystery involving Richard Stockton's descendent, Commodore Robert Stockton. Thank you for the link. I will add you to my list of contacts and people to be credited should I meet with success in this endeavor. Thanks again, and if there's any topic you are researching on which you think I may be of some help (newspaper people tend to know a little about a lot), please, just ask.