Bloodline History
Morgan Whitehackle
Col. William Morgan of East Orange, New Jersey bred and fought some of the best Whitehackles as a pure stock gamefowl, which were pure Gilkerson cocks sourced from North Britain.
In 1858, George Gilkerson, an English farmer living in Cortland County, NY, imported some fowl from Cumberland, England from a man named Lawman a relative of Billy Lawman of New York State. Called North Britain at first and later known as Gilkerson Whitehackles.
The North Britain gamefowl were duckwing red, brown red and pyle. Before his death, Gilkerson gave many of his fowl to Col. Morgan, among them a little imported Scottish hen, maybe a Lawman, which Gilkerson prized most highly. Col. Morgan bred this hen with the old Gilkerson fowl and her blood is in all the strains of Whitehackle he created. The Morgan Whitehackle became more famous than the Gilkerson fowl, winning against Kearney, the Eslins, Mahoney in the Pennsylvania coal mining district.
Morgan only infused two outcrosses into his strain of Whitehackle pure bloods. Morgan got a ginger hen from Perry Baldwin, and put her in the yard of Sonny Stone of Newark. Stone bred her, her grand-daughters and great grand-daughters with the Morgan cocks.
The Whitehackles resulting from the mix, had the bloody heel and fighting ability of the pure Morgan's as well as the aggressiveness of the ginger [newbold fowl]. Morgan then took a fifteen-sixteenth Morgan and a sixteenth (Ginger) newbold hen from Stone, and bred her on his own gamefarm. John Hoy of Albany purchased gamefowl from Billy Lawman, and he and Morgan exchanged broodcocks freely, so the Whitehackle was continued as a pure strain.
Morgan bred the Lawman Whitehackle, reduced to one quarter in his own farm. In the early nineties Morgan gave a small pen of his fowl to a Colonel in Virginia. The colonel inbred the fowl and when he died, the Whitehackles became the roosters of a professor at Georgetown university, who knew nothing about breeding or cock fighting, but he kept the stock pure. Neither the pure Morgan Whithackle or inbred birds have changed in twenty-five years.
Murphy Gamefowl as Whitehackle
Mr. Murphy was a very private cocker who considered his affairs his own business and saw no reason to discuss them with anyone. The gamefowl he bred showed the most consistently uniform fowl ever seen in New York main cocking events. He lost his fair share, but he won a majority of the mains he competed in, winning forty-nine stag mains according to a cocker who followed his gamefowl career.
Mr. Murphy was part owner of Schley and company, a large brokerage firm. Born in Long Island, New York, he began working around the harness horse track near his home by the time he was 14. He became a close colleague of the horse racers, who were active traders in the NY stock market, and they gave Mr. Murphy tips on investing in the market, where he made good money. Many of the Horsemen at that time were crazy about cockfighting. Murphy was attracted by the winnings of the sport and cocking was already in full swing around New York City.
At one time three or four horses owners he jockeyed for in Syracuse, New York, had a current account of $100,000 in the bank, from which Murphy could withdraw any time if he saw a good horse that could breed well with his horse patrons. Mr. Murphy could have gotten any proven bloodline he desired to start his gamefarm but his independent nature led him to raise his own bloodline and he didn't want anyone to know what they were, or where they came from. No one ever knew how he started his bloodlines and he just purchased whatever fowl he wished to start breeding cocks.
Nick Downes, an old Irish man who worked for him for 30 years, claimed Murphy fowl were Lawman Whitehackles. John Hoy, a great cocker around 1900 until his death in 1929, work for Murphy for seven years as a feeder and, Hoy was associated with Billy lawman and had the Lawman Whitehackles and Muffs. He took some of the fowl to Murphies place and a great many of the a more breed, raised and fought by and for Murphy. And, after hoy left Murphy, some of the fowl remained. They were the fowl Murphy continued to raise and fight.
The Murphy fowl were very uniform in every way, looks, fighting style and gameness. They were sort of a rusty red with white in wings and tail, call straight comb and all yellow legs and beaks.
Kearney Whitehackle
Bloodline History
The Kearny Whitehackle was developed by Floyd Gurley who bred them for over 50 years from the original strain of Michael Kearney sold down through the generations. Floyd developed the winning Green Legged Kearny Whitehackles (Chesapeak) and the equally proven Yellow Legged Kearny Whitehackles. The last strain that Floyd Gurley developed was the Spangled Kearny Whitehackles.
Another modern breeder who developed this bloodline is Steve Sturm.
The Kearny Whitehackle is 100% straight comb. Whitehackle cocks come as yellow-legged, or green-legged (Chesapeak) and also spangled. The Whitehackle is still considered as the most beautiful gamecock, the breed most recognized as top dog Whitehackle was the strain developed by Mr. Michael Kearney in 1871.
Breeders who Swear by the Whitehackle
Jesse Horta, a very smart gamefowl breeder, said that in order to win in today's competition, you should have bloodlines that can kill Sweaters. The current reigning champion of the pit throughout the Philippines is the Sweater, its swarming attack always overwhelming all comers after the last infusion by Carol Nesmith enabled a bird that once lost steam in a long fight due to its relentless attacks to sustain a fight until its opponent gave up the ghost. Because of this, almost all cockers in the country have Sweaters as part of their broodstock. Jesse
To make his Sweater Killers ( Jesse christened them as his White-Legged Sweater ), he crossed a Kearny Whitehackle and Junior Belt's Cowan Roundhead together at a 3/4 Kearny Whitehackle x 1/4 Cowan Roundhead ratio.
Curt Langston, another cocker who was lucky to get original stock from Floyd Gurley himself in the 90s, before the old man retired. Both exchanged ideas on how to cross and raise the Whitehackle for better fighters. Mr. Langston chose to breed with Oriental fowl, and the outcome helped him win 13 straight fights in long knife in his outing with the Whitehackle hybrid crosses years ago and recently he won 4-cock derby using the same Kearney Whitehackle cross.
Most other Gamefarms in the Philippines that had the precious opportunity to acquire Floyd Gurley bred Kearney Whitehackles to cross with their own broodstocks, like RED GAMEFARM have had very good fight records against othewr local top cockers.
The Kearney Whitehackle is always bred as pure stock and are often crossed with the Sweaters and Roundheads for a modern pit fighter that can go head to head with any rooster.
Fighting Style
The Whitehackle gamefowl are straight combed with red eyes and are medium stationed. While 90% are yellow red in color, the remaining 10% are spangled, mustard colored hackles. These fighters are built with broad shoulders, fairly compact and with heavy plumage, each rooster having an average weight of 2 to 2.4 kgs. The Whitehackle is a very deadly cutter, break high and can fight in any position available due to their agility and shiftiness, on the ground and in the air. They are strong and power hitting fighting fowl with very deep game. Described by veteran gamefowl aficionados as a ring general, the Whitehackle fights best using the long knife slasher type. This beautiful rooster is a very smart fighter and has accurate timing that places deliberate blows to kill its opponent. It is also a very aggressive rooster. Because this strain has been carefully sustained by smart breeding over the years, it is still a consistent and proven bloodline that wins big.
Floyd Gurley bred the modern version of the bird straight pure blooded stock to create a unifrom bloodline that consistently tops its opponents in the pit until today.
http://www.reach-unlimited.com/p/259719619/whitehackle-aggressive-power
The Kearney and Duryea fowl
By: E. T Piper
There can be but little doubt in the minds of the students in the cocking fraternity that the gamest fowl in this country, not only today but as far back as any of us now living can remember, come and came from the vicinity of new York City. Lest some of the readers get gamest confused with best. Let us hasten to assure you we used the former. there isn’t a doubt in the mind of this writer but what today or any day a main of cocks could be selected from most any part of the country and in long heels make the gamest fowl up there look very sick indeed. Ever in the short fast heels of today. We believe a main could be selected from among the better long heel fowl that could take the gamest fowl in or around new York. It`s a recognized fact among the more intelligent members of the clan that the gamer a family is the poorer fighters and cutters they seem to be. We wont go into the whys and wherefore of that statement just now. With hardly an exception the gamest families we can recall when their pedigree is traced back leads right to new York City. The few we can think of that were not descended from new York City were from not very far away and did a big shore of their fighting against the New York crowd. Examples? yes, we can give you a few ./ the gamest fowl it has been this writers privilege to see in the past 25 years were the so-called hardy mahoganies, The Hatch fowl the Albanies the Jim Thompson owl and very few others that is which filled the bill as deep game fowl in our book. Let `s see where some of them came from. The Hardys got their fowl from Jim Ford of Medina, New York. Ford got them through his brother who was a New York judge, he, in turn got them from John Madden of Kentucky, and Madden got them direct from Mike Kearney of long island, NY. the Albanys were half Hardy through a cock called the sneak and on the other side of Albany family there was some hatch blood, hatch too came from and lived all his life in or very near New York City. Jim Thompson lived at White Plains, N.Y. about 20 miles from New York City. His fowl were said to have been the result of a cross between an Adam Schreiber, Albany, N.Y. hen that Thompson had a man name Squealer Murray steal for him, and some old game stock down near New York City. they were a very deep game family, and of course the Hatch fowl were entirely New York stuff. There are plenty of winning fowl in both the north and south that seldom show bas actor, yet, we have not included then in our list of the gamest families. Those who are familiar with deep game fowl will understand why and when deep game fowl and New York are mentioned, Mike Kearney sticks out like a sore thumb. Kearney is said to have arrived in this country from Ireland in about 1870. He brought fowl with him and in a comparatively short time, was in the midst of cocking activities in and around New York. Either at or soon after his arrival, the type of heels preferred in that section were what later came to be know as slow heels. they where a regulation heel with a blade but one and one-quarter inch long in length. The blade was thick with the point more or less blunt. The rules used were known as New York rules, ten tens required to count out a cock and peck would break the count at any time. Under such conditions, deep game cocks were an absolute necessity and fighting ability and cutting ability were a secondary consideration. Just the opposite, incidentally, from today with our modern rules and faster heel. the mike Kearney whitehackles, brown reds and others were used to a certain extent as a standard to go by in measuring gameness, mike Kearney has been dead for many years, yet even today most of our gamest fowl can be traced back to his fowl. during the years E. W. Rogers published the warrior, 1927-1935, its pages were constantly filled with stories of the Kearney and Duryea fowl. nearly all of this was written by A.P. O`Conor, who contended Herman Duryea with whom Kearney was for years associated in cocking was the greatest gamefowl breeder of all times. The Duryea Whitehackles, the greatest family of gamefowl in this or any other country. That were according to O`Conor obtained by Duryea from a steamship agent in or near Boston and maintained in their purity by Duryea strictly by inbreeding for 30 years or more. During which time Duryea fought mains by the score and lost but one that one when his cocks took sick mike Kearney was Duryea feeder and caretaker,etc. in the past fifteen years we have at every opportunity questioned anyone we thought might have some information of this regard to either the Kearney or Duryea in the following we are going to tell you a few of the things we learned. Mike Kearney `s son Harry is still alive and while none f this information came to us directly from Harry, a considerable amount of it came from him indirectly. Several years a go in Troy, we met a Boston cocker who’s name we have forgotten and who has since passed away. He was well-known on the game and was an ink salesman. Tom Kelly of Watertown knows who i mean. At any rate this man told me he visited Kearney on long island one time and told him he would like to see a pure Kearney Whitehackle, Mike reached in a peb and brought out a typical Whitehackle exept he had a round head and pea comb, he told mike he did`nt know Whitehackles came pea comb. Mike said some of his did and offered no further explanation. It `s well know fact the so-called Duryea fowl came both straight and pea comb. After Kearny `s association with Duryea when a pea comb cock was shown it was assumed by most men it was a Duryea cross, or a so-called straight Duryea. Today, Harry Kearney confirms the fact that their Whitehackles came from Ireland with both pea and straight comb just as Mike previously to the ink salesman. Further more and this came indirectly from Harry both him and his dad, Mike, preferred their Brownreds to their Whitehackles. Because that were gamer, stronger, harder hitters, although the Whitehackles were better cutters. They ran a solon and had nowhere but a small back yard in which to breed and raise fowl. until Mike hooked up with Duryea and took complete charge of the breeding and fighting of his fowl. Duryea had the fowl on his estate at Red Bank, New Jersey, and he, himself maintained a large racing and breeding stable in France. He spent considerable time there. Mike mated the yards at Red Bank and generally ran things with the fowl to suit himself. Duryea very much disliked a Brownred chicken and forebode mike to have any of then on the place. For that reason Kearny bred only a few and those away from Duryea `s place, Duryea also had at Red Bank some fowl he got from Frank Collidge of Boston which we believe to be Boston Roundheads. They were oriental cross of some sort, according to Kearney they were very strong fowl good cutters and fighters but no bitter {game} enough to suit Kearney `s. However as Duryea liked then, they bread some and used them along with their Whitehackles and some crosses of the two. If the above is correct as we have ever reason to believe it is, acutely there was never any such thing as a long inbred strain of Duryea fowl anywhere but in O`Conor mind. O`Conor claimed Duryea lost but one main in thirty years. While another writer in the warrior of that era contended Kearney probably lost more mains than any man that ever lived, in view of the above both men were wrong. Duryea lost may mains and Kearney had a share in both the winning and the losing mains. as we stated above for a period of five or six years the warrior contained reams and reams about the Kearny and Duryea fowl. Gamest on earth, best winning family in history, etc. when probably the truth is the so-called duress were nothing more than Kearney Whitehackles and some crosses of them on some Jap or Asil crosses from Frank Coolidge.
Kearney Whitehackles
by M.D. Chesbro (1920)
To the genuine lover of the game fowl, the history of strains that have become famous is always interesting, and as I have never seen an accurate and detailed history of the strain or family so widely known as “Mike Kearney’s Whitehackles,” I will give as fully as may be, the principalfacts concerning them, and the man who by his skill as a feeder and handler made them famous.
It is not my intention to unduly glorify this strain, nor to contrast them with other families of games, but simply to state facts. And I may say, that in addition to my personal knowledge of the fowl many of the facts which I will record here were stated to me by Mr. Kittridge, Mr. Kearney, Mr. Coolidge and Mr. Wingate and in each instance where the statement to me was by word of mouth I immediately made a written memoranda (some of which are more than twenty years old) and are now before me, and from the basis of what I will write. I will tell this story in order of time as that may make it more clear.
The extensive plan occupying the central portion of the county of Kildare in Ireland and known as the Curragh of Kildare, has long been known as the sporting center of the Green Isle. Here racing, cocking, and all field sports were wont to flourish. Each village had its favorite trainers, jockeys, wrestlers, and foot racers, and favorite strain of game fowl. Sport in some form was the main business of the inhabitants and here was born Michael Kearney. While most of his relatives were devoted to horses, he bacame known throughout Kildare as a most successful breeder, feeder, and handler of cocks.
His favorite strain were “beasy” breasted light reds with yellow legs and white underhackles, broad shoulders, compactly made cocks with heavy plumage. In the mains which were constantly taking place, the most formidable opponents of his light reds were a strain bred in a nearby village which were dark brown reds in color, dark underhackles, and dark hazel eyes. These two strains were similar in fighting qualities and equally good, except that the brown reds heavier in bone and muscle. The sporting freedom which the people had so long enjoyed began to be more interfered with by the authorities, until just prior to the year 1870, cocking was entirely prohinited. Kearney refused to give up his beloved sport and emigrated to America bringing with him twelve of his favorite Whitehackle cocks.
These cocks were very tame and on sunny days, were one by one allowed their liberty on the deck of the vessel, which arrived in New York in Augsut. As there was no cocking at that season, it was not until the following winter that he fought and won a main using his imported cocks. The sport was extremely popular in New York and vicinity and soon the new comer was in the midst of it. He was very successful with his mains and made many friends and it was not long before he opened a road house and pit at Blissville; a suberb of Long Island City, having in the meantime taken out his papers as a citizen of the United States. Here for many years his cocks held sway, and mains were constantly being fought, sometimes two or three mains a week during the cocking season. Each year, for several years, Kearney sent a man, (usually his uncle Bob Quinn) over to Ireland to bring to New York cocks and hens of both the light red Whitehackles and the dark brown breeds. The two strains were each bred separately and pure without any crosses, and were fought by Kearney in immense numbers.
The Whitehackles were a medium weight fowl, the breast black streaked more or less with dark ginger the outer hackle a light red shading to light golden on the shoulders, the back a dark crimson, the wing long, wide, and hanging low, the tail wide and carried up, the shanks short and yellow, (never white) the body noticeably wide and short, neck medium length and the head short and broad with red eyes, and a thin single comb and white under feather.
The hens were always wheaten color. As fighters the cocks were high headed, fast enough and game beyond the test of steel. Around the pit was gathered a coterie of cockers whose constant cry was “gameness first.” and the test that these little Whitehackles were put to by that crowd not only in mains and hacks but also for days after, were sufficient to prove to any one that if there was such athing on Earth as a strain that never produced a quitter, that was it. The brown reds were amuch larger, and heavier breed, low on the leg with tremendously broad powerful bodies, and very big thighs, but were not as fast and high strung as the Whitehackles, but were harder hitters and deep game. It was for one of these game cocks that Kearney named his race horse, “Hard Brown Red.” After several years of breeding the two strains seperately, he concluded to cross them, and it was from this nick which came heroric little 4.6 cock who then blind and bleeding, but with his head in the air, won the terrific battle at Albany of one hour and fourty minutes of steady fighting against his noble whitetailed opponent. These were the Kearney fowl up to 1886.
Horace Brown, who lived at Peekskill, N.Y., was an old time cock fighter, a friend of Bill Clacker and the other worthies of the period from 1860. He was a great stickler for extreme gameness, along about 1881-’83 used to come into the law office and read with great interest the articles written by Joseph Wingate who at that time was having a controversy in the pages of Dixie Game Fowl and upholding the claims of 1 1/4 heels as the only game cock heel, and the old controversy never has been settled. In the begining of the year 1883, Wingate took some of his cocks and went down to New Orleans where a cocking tournament was held in the first week of Febuary, and challenged all comers to fight him in 1 1/4 heels. Brown was so delighted with the gameness of the man and his cocks, that when Wingate returned to his home in New Hampshire Brown sent to Wingate and bought a trio of his fowl. The cock was a dark ginger in color with dark legs and had a straight single somb; one hen was a partrige color, the other a pyle. They were from Wingate’s Irish (imported) McDermotts’ strain. Brown bred them together in the spring of 1884. Living in Peekskills at that time was Benjamin Kittridge, a wealthy young gentelman who had graduated from Harvard College the preceeding year. He was an ardent amateur sportsman, a crack pigeon shot and a successful yachtsman. He and his college classmates, Mr. Herman Duryea, then of Red Bank, N.J., and Mr. Raymond Belomnt, of New York, during their college days had become interested in cocking at Frank Coolidge’s place at Watertown, near Boston. As Brown was the cocking authority of his town Mr. Kittridge employed him to raise and fight cocks for him and they started with the pullets Brown had raised from the Wingate trio, and also fought successfully the main of stags. Mr. Kittridge sent to Wingate for a cock to breed over the pullets and purchased it – a ginger breasted white legged cock sired by Wingate’s McDermott cock out of a white legged Gull hen bred by J.B. Squires. When put on the scales he balanced the seven pound weight and a silver dollar, so he was always called “Silver Dollar.”
At the same time Mr. Kittridge and Mr. Belmont purchased some fowl of Coolidge, a cock and three hens. This cock was a broad backed low set cock with a black breast, light red hackles, daw eye, and yellow legs. He had long broad wings, and long heavily sickled tail carried up a widely spread. He had a smooth round head and was dubbed very closely indicating once a pea comb. One hen was a very light buff, with creamy to almost a white breast, light green legs, and high single comb; the other two hens were wheaten with single combs, yellow legs and spurs. It was stated that these hens were “sired by a Claiborne cock out of hens from Marblehead.” How the cock bred was not stated at the time, but the following statement by Frank Norton, of Boston, may throw some light on this cocks’ breeding. “in 1864 John Harwood was head stevedore at East Boston docks for the Cunard Steamship Company. I lived next door to Harwood. One of the steamers brought over from England a trio of game fowl. The address and shipping bill of the fowl had been lost. The company kept them about three months and gave them to Harwood, he paying the shipping charges. Harwood gave the fowl to his friend Ned Gill, who bred and fought them. I knew Ned Gill and often saw these fowl fight, and frequently saw the brood yards. They were called Gill Roundheads or Boston Roundheads. They were light reds with black breasts more or less streaked with ginger. The hens were light wheaten color. All had yellow legs. After Ned Gill died John McCoy, of Marble head, Mass., got some of the Gill fowl and crossed them with John Stone fowl. McCoy was a very successful cocker in his days in the neighborhood of Boston. The imported trio had small round heads, pea sombs, and heavy feathers. They looked like old time English full feathered fowl with a slight touch of Aseel in their makeup.”
Gilkerson Whitehackles
by the Newyorker (1907)
I note in a recent issue of an esteemed journal an interesting and I might add, an amusing history of the Gilkerson Whitehackles, to me amusing because of the many unaccuracies this fertile brained historian so proudly offers to the cock loving public, erstwhile flinging a few choice bouquets at that other grand strain of Whitehackles which stand out in the history of game cocks and which show their breeding in the pit and not paper, etc. Now whenever a man offers up such fulsome praise it creates or invites criticism and desire to ask questions and ascertain where this knowledge is derived. Perhaps these fowl are better than any Gilkerson ever dared to own but I am like the man from Missouri – you must show me. Now, consider the comparison. Gilkerson proved his by public performances against the best fowl in the country. Has the other man done so? Where did these much lauded Whitehackle ever defeat a standard strain in a public pit? He is located near Casey. Ever defeat him or Jim Wild, of his own state? Not far from Billy Howard or Kearney or Hoy, of New York state. Ever defeat them? Gilkerson played no favorites in his mains. How about the other man? I do not wish to reflect in any manner upon the qualities of these fowl am simply trying to enlighten myself and incidentally many others. Perchance the owner desires a public demonstration. If so I will guarantee to pit another strain of Whitehackles against them which will test them good and plenty. Now there is another strain of Whitehackles that my honored historical contemporary can take off his hat to and that do “stand out prominent in the history of cocking” and like Gilkerson’s they play no favorites. Kearney’s Whitehackles and Maurice O’Conell’s “Niggers.” Kearney always conditions and fights O’Conell’s cocks and the limit is taken off when you stack up against O’Conell with Kearnet to feed and when you whip one of these cocks you have got to kill them and be positive they are actually dead because they have a nasty way of coming back to life and landing another desperate smash. Such a smash as only a dead game cock is capable of making. Hats are off to Kearney and his Whitehackles. Hats off to Maurice O’Conell and his “Niggers.” By the way, I did hear that one of the Whitehackles my historical friend kindly mentions fought in a main at Nyack recently. Perhaps later he will learn how he performed, in so much as history seems to be in oder to permit me to digress for a time. Sometime in the early ’60’s a young Irish lad living in Tipperary conceived the idea of invading America with a bunch of Irish bred cocks. His country had the best breed of Whitehackles in all Ireland while the adjoining county had the best Brown reds and many were the mains fought between these counties with honors about even. When this lad started with his lot of game cocks he had one-half Brown Reds and one-half Whitehackles. He landed in New York in May, only to learn that cocking was over for the season. He managed to find walks for the cocks and returned to to Ireland, coming back the following winter with another bunch of cocks. Shortly after his arrival there was a big main and during an intermission the audience was amazed to hear a young man with as rich brougue as ever crossed the pond, cry out, “I will fight any man in the house a main for 500 pounds.” Pat Carroll, of Philadelphia, who was present, said, “I would like to get at that `greenhron’ if he would only put up,” and he forwith tackled the `greenhorn’, making the preliminaries all the time skeptical, until finally he suggested putting up a forfeit. “All right,” said the `greenhorn’. “Suppose we put up $1000 each as a forfeit,” and producing the money. This was a stagger for Carroll but he managed to come up and the main was on. Carroll, who was the breeder of the then famous “Black Hawks”, won the toss and named for the small end a 3.10. The greenhorn (who the readers have probably guessed, was Michael Kearney) had nothing so light and was in despair, when he met a man who told him where he might find such a small cock, He succeeded in geeting him and strange to say, won the light weight. Michael obtained permission to feed his cocks at this hotel where they were to fight the main and which was in Hoboken, N.Y. On moving he discovered a lot of cocks left in the coops which had big heads and swollen eyes. “Swelled head.” He had never seen anything like it before but concluded to take no chances and moved every cock to barrels in the yard, disinfected the coops and started feeding. After a time some strangers appeared and asked Michael how he was getting on. Suspecting they were emissaries from Carroll, he replied, “Poorly. I don’t know what is the matter, look here,” showing the cocks in the yard. “I never saw anything like that in the old country,” said the forthy Mike. “Oh” replied the strangers, that is the same way they act in this country. Carroll’s are just the same.” “Is that so?” said Mike. Then I doubt they could scarcely get away fast enough to report to Carroll with the result that on the night of the main the betting was 100 to 60 on Carroll. If I remember correctly fifteen fell in and it stood seven to seven with the last match to decide the main and such hedging of bets was rarely ever seen before. For the last battle Carroll produced a magnificent Black Hackle while Kearney produced a Brown Red, bred in Ireland and that he brought along with him. It was a grand battle, both cocks in pink of condition and both aggressive and determined. It was anybody’s fight for an hour or more when it was seen that the Black Hackle was getting smaller and he finally turned away giving the victory ot the gamy, persevering Kearney Brown Reds, direct from the old sod and incidentally a small fortune to the equally game `greehorn’ who dared to come thousands of miles to test the supremacy of the Irish bred cocks and the Irish system of feeding and handling against the redoubtable Pat Carroll and his seldom defeated Black Hackles. I again take off my derby to Michael Kearney as a breeder. I think he is the most wonderful breeder of the country. He still has the Whitehackles same as he brought over nearly fifty years ago and can show them in plenty at 6:00 to 7:00 in condition and has fought them every year since and from Aiken, S.C., where he defeated Jimmie Dougrey, from Boston, where two years ago fought a draw with Casey to the extreme western part of the state. He had fought thousands of these two strains in all kinds of pits and conditions and who ever saw one quit that he or Maurice O’Connell bred. He has won two big mains already this season. Can any breeder equal this? It is proper to doff your head gear to Michael. What say you, historian? on’t you now consider yourself presumptive to say at the least, to class that other strain with Kearney Whitehackles?. I will also add that when Lord Cromwell was here some years ago he visited Mr. Kearney who presented his lordship with several Whitehackle cocks and hens to take back to Ireland. Lord Cromwell bred these and last year challenged all England and defeated England with these same cocks. How about you, historian? I know of at least one case where at least $500 would have been paid Mr. Kearney for a trio and the man was shown the fowl and then shown out the back door of the yard as the “easiest way to get to the cars.” The man was not even allowed in to buy a drink in Michael’s hotel after he made the offer. I have known of $1000 being offered by a syndicate gentlemen connected with a country club to Mr. O’Connell for a stock of his Whitehackles and refused.
Morgan Whitehackles
by: E.T. Piper { Fulldrop }
Col. William l Morgan of East Oragne,N.J., bred and perfected this strain of gamefowl. And it takes its name from him. As the Morgan fowl are practically pure Gilkerson North Brittons, it is necessary to go somewhat into the history of that strain. About 1858, George Gilkerson, an English farmer living in Cortland County, N. Y, imported some fowl from Cumberland, England. From a man named lawman a relative of Billy Lawman of New York State. In this country there where known as North Brittons and later known as Gilkerson Whitehackles. North Brittons contained Duckwingred, Brownred and Pyle. On and before his death Gilkerson`s death many of his fowl came to Col.Morgan. Among these fowl was a little imported Scottish hen. Which Gilkerson prized most highly. Col. Morgan bred this hen with the old Gilkerson fowl and her blood is in all his fowl. Morgan did not know the history of this hen but expressed the opinion that she was nothing more or less than a lawman hen. That had been bred across the boarder in Scotland. All her stags looked and acted just like the Gilkerson fowl. The Morgan Whitehackles became famous than the Gilkerson fowl had ever been. He whipped Kearney, the Eslins, Mahoney and many of a less note in many mains in the Pennsylvania coal mining district. No man has ever approached this record in short heels, and the backbone of all these mains was pure Morgan Whitehackles. Col. Morgan never made but two permanent outcrosses in the straight strain. Morgan got a Ginger hen from Perry Baldwin. And put her on the yard of Sonny Stone of Newark. He had stone bred her. Her granddaughters and great granddaughters under Morgan cocks. the resulting progeny had the bloody heel and fighting quality of the pure Morgan’s and still retained some of the excessive courage of the ginger [ newbold fowl]. Morgan finally took a fifteen-sixteenth Morgan and a sixteenth {ginger] newbold hen from stone and bred her on his own yard. That is the blood in all Morgan fowl. About the beginning of the century John Hoy of Albany obtained possession of the fowl of Billy Lawman. Morgan and Hoy exchanged brood fowl freely an as the fowl were identical in general make-up and charactishtics. The offspring bred on as the pure strain. Morgan bred the Lawman cock when reduced to one quarter in his favorite pens. At the time of his death there was a small percentage of this blood in most of his fowl. In the early nineties Morgan have a small pen of his fowl to a Col. in Virginia. The Col. inbreed the fowl and on his death. They fell into the hands of a professor at Georgetown university. Who knew nothing about breeding or cock fighting. He kept the family pure breeding his favorite cock to the whole flock on hens. When he died the fowl were still inbred in N.J. Neither the family Morgan bred or the family that had been inbred had changed appearance or quality in twenty-five years. Although kept absolutely apart, bred together the young cannot be told from the parents on either side. Except that they are larger and stronger that the offshoot family.
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The Kearney and Duryea fowl
By: E. T Piper
There can be but little doubt in the minds of the students in the cocking fraternity that the gamest fowl in this country, not only today but as far back as any of us now living can remember, come and came from the vicinity of new York City. Lest some of the readers get gamest confused with best. Let us hasten to assure you we used the former. there isn’t a doubt in the mind of this writer but what today or any day a main of cocks could be selected from most any part of the country and in long heels make the gamest fowl up there look very sick indeed. Ever in the short fast heels of today. We believe a main could be selected from among the better long heel fowl that could take the gamest fowl in or around new York. It`s a recognized fact among the more intelligent members of the clan that the gamer a family is the poorer fighters and cutters they seem to be. We wont go into the whys and wherefore of that statement just now. With hardly an exception the gamest families we can recall when their pedigree is traced back leads right to new York City. The few we can think of that were not descended from new York City were from not very far away and did a big shore of their fighting against the New York crowd. Examples? yes, we can give you a few ./ the gamest fowl it has been this writers privilege to see in the past 25 years were the so-called hardy mahoganies, The Hatch fowl the Albanies the Jim Thompson owl and very few others that is which filled the bill as deep game fowl in our book. Let `s see where some of them came from. The Hardys got their fowl from Jim Ford of Medina, New York. Ford got them through his brother who was a New York judge, he, in turn got them from John Madden of Kentucky, and Madden got them direct from Mike Kearney of long island, NY. the Albanys were half Hardy through a cock called the sneak and on the other side of Albany family there was some hatch blood, hatch too came from and lived all his life in or very near New York City. Jim Thompson lived at White Plains, N.Y. about 20 miles from New York City. His fowl were said to have been the result of a cross between an Adam Schreiber, Albany, N.Y. hen that Thompson had a man name Squealer Murray steal for him, and some old game stock down near New York City. they were a very deep game family, and of course the Hatch fowl were entirely New York stuff. There are plenty of winning fowl in both the north and south that seldom show bas actor, yet, we have not included then in our list of the gamest families. Those who are familiar with deep game fowl will understand why and when deep game fowl and New York are mentioned, Mike Kearney sticks out like a sore thumb. Kearney is said to have arrived in this country from Ireland in about 1870. He brought fowl with him and in a comparatively short time, was in the midst of cocking activities in and around New York. Either at or soon after his arrival, the type of heels preferred in that section were what later came to be know as slow heels. they where a regulation heel with a blade but one and one-quarter inch long in length. The blade was thick with the point more or less blunt. The rules used were known as New York rules, ten tens required to count out a cock and peck would break the count at any time. Under such conditions, deep game cocks were an absolute necessity and fighting ability and cutting ability were a secondary consideration. Just the opposite, incidentally, from today with our modern rules and faster heel. the mike Kearney whitehackles, brown reds and others were used to a certain extent as a standard to go by in measuring gameness, mike Kearney has been dead for many years, yet even today most of our gamest fowl can be traced back to his fowl. during the years E. W. Rogers published the warrior, 1927-1935, its pages were constantly filled with stories of the Kearney and Duryea fowl. nearly all of this was written by A.P. O`Conor, who contended Herman Duryea with whom Kearney was for years associated in cocking was the greatest gamefowl breeder of all times. The Duryea Whitehackles, the greatest family of gamefowl in this or any other country. That were according to O`Conor obtained by Duryea from a steamship agent in or near Boston and maintained in their purity by Duryea strictly by inbreeding for 30 years or more. During which time Duryea fought mains by the score and lost but one that one when his cocks took sick mike Kearney was Duryea feeder and caretaker,etc. in the past fifteen years we have at every opportunity questioned anyone we thought might have some information of this regard to either the Kearney or Duryea in the following we are going to tell you a few of the things we learned. Mike Kearney `s son Harry is still alive and while none f this information came to us directly from Harry, a considerable amount of it came from him indirectly. Several years a go in Troy, we met a Boston cocker who’s name we have forgotten and who has since passed away. He was well-known on the game and was an ink salesman. Tom Kelly of Watertown knows who i mean. At any rate this man told me he visited Kearney on long island one time and told him he would like to see a pure Kearney Whitehackle, Mike reached in a peb and brought out a typical Whitehackle exept he had a round head and pea comb, he told mike he did`nt know Whitehackles came pea comb. Mike said some of his did and offered no further explanation. It `s well know fact the so-called Duryea fowl came both straight and pea comb. After Kearny `s association with Duryea when a pea comb cock was shown it was assumed by most men it was a Duryea cross, or a so-called straight Duryea. Today, Harry Kearney confirms the fact that their Whitehackles came from Ireland with both pea and straight comb just as Mike previously to the ink salesman. Further more and this came indirectly from Harry both him and his dad, Mike, preferred their Brownreds to their Whitehackles. Because that were gamer, stronger, harder hitters, although the Whitehackles were better cutters. They ran a solon and had nowhere but a small back yard in which to breed and raise fowl. until Mike hooked up with Duryea and took complete charge of the breeding and fighting of his fowl. Duryea had the fowl on his estate at Red Bank, New Jersey, and he, himself maintained a large racing and breeding stable in France. He spent considerable time there. Mike mated the yards at Red Bank and generally ran things with the fowl to suit himself. Duryea very much disliked a Brownred chicken and forebode mike to have any of then on the place. For that reason Kearny bred only a few and those away from Duryea `s place, Duryea also had at Red Bank some fowl he got from Frank Collidge of Boston which we believe to be Boston Roundheads. They were oriental cross of some sort, according to Kearney they were very strong fowl good cutters and fighters but no bitter {game} enough to suit Kearney `s. However as Duryea liked then, they bread some and used them along with their Whitehackles and some crosses of the two. If the above is correct as we have ever reason to believe it is, acutely there was never any such thing as a long inbred strain of Duryea fowl anywhere but in O`Conor mind. O`Conor claimed Duryea lost but one main in thirty years. While another writer in the warrior of that era contended Kearney probably lost more mains than any man that ever lived, in view of the above both men were wrong. Duryea lost may mains and Kearney had a share in both the winning and the losing mains. as we stated above for a period of five or six years the warrior contained reams and reams about the Kearny and Duryea fowl. Gamest on earth, best winning family in history, etc. when probably the truth is the so-called duress were nothing more than Kearney Whitehackles and some crosses of them on some Jap or Asil crosses from Frank Coolidge.
Kearney Whitehackles
by M.D. Chesbro (1920)
To the genuine lover of the game fowl, the history of strains that have become famous is always interesting, and as I have never seen an accurate and detailed history of the strain or family so widely known as “Mike Kearney’s Whitehackles,” I will give as fully as may be, the principalfacts concerning them, and the man who by his skill as a feeder and handler made them famous.
It is not my intention to unduly glorify this strain, nor to contrast them with other families of games, but simply to state facts. And I may say, that in addition to my personal knowledge of the fowl many of the facts which I will record here were stated to me by Mr. Kittridge, Mr. Kearney, Mr. Coolidge and Mr. Wingate and in each instance where the statement to me was by word of mouth I immediately made a written memoranda (some of which are more than twenty years old) and are now before me, and from the basis of what I will write. I will tell this story in order of time as that may make it more clear.
The extensive plan occupying the central portion of the county of Kildare in Ireland and known as the Curragh of Kildare, has long been known as the sporting center of the Green Isle. Here racing, cocking, and all field sports were wont to flourish. Each village had its favorite trainers, jockeys, wrestlers, and foot racers, and favorite strain of game fowl. Sport in some form was the main business of the inhabitants and here was born Michael Kearney. While most of his relatives were devoted to horses, he bacame known throughout Kildare as a most successful breeder, feeder, and handler of cocks.
His favorite strain were “beasy” breasted light reds with yellow legs and white underhackles, broad shoulders, compactly made cocks with heavy plumage. In the mains which were constantly taking place, the most formidable opponents of his light reds were a strain bred in a nearby village which were dark brown reds in color, dark underhackles, and dark hazel eyes. These two strains were similar in fighting qualities and equally good, except that the brown reds heavier in bone and muscle. The sporting freedom which the people had so long enjoyed began to be more interfered with by the authorities, until just prior to the year 1870, cocking was entirely prohinited. Kearney refused to give up his beloved sport and emigrated to America bringing with him twelve of his favorite Whitehackle cocks.
These cocks were very tame and on sunny days, were one by one allowed their liberty on the deck of the vessel, which arrived in New York in Augsut. As there was no cocking at that season, it was not until the following winter that he fought and won a main using his imported cocks. The sport was extremely popular in New York and vicinity and soon the new comer was in the midst of it. He was very successful with his mains and made many friends and it was not long before he opened a road house and pit at Blissville; a suberb of Long Island City, having in the meantime taken out his papers as a citizen of the United States. Here for many years his cocks held sway, and mains were constantly being fought, sometimes two or three mains a week during the cocking season. Each year, for several years, Kearney sent a man, (usually his uncle Bob Quinn) over to Ireland to bring to New York cocks and hens of both the light red Whitehackles and the dark brown breeds. The two strains were each bred separately and pure without any crosses, and were fought by Kearney in immense numbers.
The Whitehackles were a medium weight fowl, the breast black streaked more or less with dark ginger the outer hackle a light red shading to light golden on the shoulders, the back a dark crimson, the wing long, wide, and hanging low, the tail wide and carried up, the shanks short and yellow, (never white) the body noticeably wide and short, neck medium length and the head short and broad with red eyes, and a thin single comb and white under feather.
The hens were always wheaten color. As fighters the cocks were high headed, fast enough and game beyond the test of steel. Around the pit was gathered a coterie of cockers whose constant cry was “gameness first.” and the test that these little Whitehackles were put to by that crowd not only in mains and hacks but also for days after, were sufficient to prove to any one that if there was such athing on Earth as a strain that never produced a quitter, that was it. The brown reds were amuch larger, and heavier breed, low on the leg with tremendously broad powerful bodies, and very big thighs, but were not as fast and high strung as the Whitehackles, but were harder hitters and deep game. It was for one of these game cocks that Kearney named his race horse, “Hard Brown Red.” After several years of breeding the two strains seperately, he concluded to cross them, and it was from this nick which came heroric little 4.6 cock who then blind and bleeding, but with his head in the air, won the terrific battle at Albany of one hour and fourty minutes of steady fighting against his noble whitetailed opponent. These were the Kearney fowl up to 1886.
Horace Brown, who lived at Peekskill, N.Y., was an old time cock fighter, a friend of Bill Clacker and the other worthies of the period from 1860. He was a great stickler for extreme gameness, along about 1881-’83 used to come into the law office and read with great interest the articles written by Joseph Wingate who at that time was having a controversy in the pages of Dixie Game Fowl and upholding the claims of 1 1/4 heels as the only game cock heel, and the old controversy never has been settled. In the begining of the year 1883, Wingate took some of his cocks and went down to New Orleans where a cocking tournament was held in the first week of Febuary, and challenged all comers to fight him in 1 1/4 heels. Brown was so delighted with the gameness of the man and his cocks, that when Wingate returned to his home in New Hampshire Brown sent to Wingate and bought a trio of his fowl. The cock was a dark ginger in color with dark legs and had a straight single somb; one hen was a partrige color, the other a pyle. They were from Wingate’s Irish (imported) McDermotts’ strain. Brown bred them together in the spring of 1884. Living in Peekskills at that time was Benjamin Kittridge, a wealthy young gentelman who had graduated from Harvard College the preceeding year. He was an ardent amateur sportsman, a crack pigeon shot and a successful yachtsman. He and his college classmates, Mr. Herman Duryea, then of Red Bank, N.J., and Mr. Raymond Belomnt, of New York, during their college days had become interested in cocking at Frank Coolidge’s place at Watertown, near Boston. As Brown was the cocking authority of his town Mr. Kittridge employed him to raise and fight cocks for him and they started with the pullets Brown had raised from the Wingate trio, and also fought successfully the main of stags. Mr. Kittridge sent to Wingate for a cock to breed over the pullets and purchased it – a ginger breasted white legged cock sired by Wingate’s McDermott cock out of a white legged Gull hen bred by J.B. Squires. When put on the scales he balanced the seven pound weight and a silver dollar, so he was always called “Silver Dollar.”
At the same time Mr. Kittridge and Mr. Belmont purchased some fowl of Coolidge, a cock and three hens. This cock was a broad backed low set cock with a black breast, light red hackles, daw eye, and yellow legs. He had long broad wings, and long heavily sickled tail carried up a widely spread. He had a smooth round head and was dubbed very closely indicating once a pea comb. One hen was a very light buff, with creamy to almost a white breast, light green legs, and high single comb; the other two hens were wheaten with single combs, yellow legs and spurs. It was stated that these hens were “sired by a Claiborne cock out of hens from Marblehead.” How the cock bred was not stated at the time, but the following statement by Frank Norton, of Boston, may throw some light on this cocks’ breeding. “in 1864 John Harwood was head stevedore at East Boston docks for the Cunard Steamship Company. I lived next door to Harwood. One of the steamers brought over from England a trio of game fowl. The address and shipping bill of the fowl had been lost. The company kept them about three months and gave them to Harwood, he paying the shipping charges. Harwood gave the fowl to his friend Ned Gill, who bred and fought them. I knew Ned Gill and often saw these fowl fight, and frequently saw the brood yards. They were called Gill Roundheads or Boston Roundheads. They were light reds with black breasts more or less streaked with ginger. The hens were light wheaten color. All had yellow legs. After Ned Gill died John McCoy, of Marble head, Mass., got some of the Gill fowl and crossed them with John Stone fowl. McCoy was a very successful cocker in his days in the neighborhood of Boston. The imported trio had small round heads, pea sombs, and heavy feathers. They looked like old time English full feathered fowl with a slight touch of Aseel in their makeup.”
Gilkerson Whitehackles
by the Newyorker (1907)
I note in a recent issue of an esteemed journal an interesting and I might add, an amusing history of the Gilkerson Whitehackles, to me amusing because of the many unaccuracies this fertile brained historian so proudly offers to the cock loving public, erstwhile flinging a few choice bouquets at that other grand strain of Whitehackles which stand out in the history of game cocks and which show their breeding in the pit and not paper, etc. Now whenever a man offers up such fulsome praise it creates or invites criticism and desire to ask questions and ascertain where this knowledge is derived. Perhaps these fowl are better than any Gilkerson ever dared to own but I am like the man from Missouri – you must show me. Now, consider the comparison. Gilkerson proved his by public performances against the best fowl in the country. Has the other man done so? Where did these much lauded Whitehackle ever defeat a standard strain in a public pit? He is located near Casey. Ever defeat him or Jim Wild, of his own state? Not far from Billy Howard or Kearney or Hoy, of New York state. Ever defeat them? Gilkerson played no favorites in his mains. How about the other man? I do not wish to reflect in any manner upon the qualities of these fowl am simply trying to enlighten myself and incidentally many others. Perchance the owner desires a public demonstration. If so I will guarantee to pit another strain of Whitehackles against them which will test them good and plenty. Now there is another strain of Whitehackles that my honored historical contemporary can take off his hat to and that do “stand out prominent in the history of cocking” and like Gilkerson’s they play no favorites. Kearney’s Whitehackles and Maurice O’Conell’s “Niggers.” Kearney always conditions and fights O’Conell’s cocks and the limit is taken off when you stack up against O’Conell with Kearnet to feed and when you whip one of these cocks you have got to kill them and be positive they are actually dead because they have a nasty way of coming back to life and landing another desperate smash. Such a smash as only a dead game cock is capable of making. Hats are off to Kearney and his Whitehackles. Hats off to Maurice O’Conell and his “Niggers.” By the way, I did hear that one of the Whitehackles my historical friend kindly mentions fought in a main at Nyack recently. Perhaps later he will learn how he performed, in so much as history seems to be in oder to permit me to digress for a time. Sometime in the early ’60’s a young Irish lad living in Tipperary conceived the idea of invading America with a bunch of Irish bred cocks. His country had the best breed of Whitehackles in all Ireland while the adjoining county had the best Brown reds and many were the mains fought between these counties with honors about even. When this lad started with his lot of game cocks he had one-half Brown Reds and one-half Whitehackles. He landed in New York in May, only to learn that cocking was over for the season. He managed to find walks for the cocks and returned to to Ireland, coming back the following winter with another bunch of cocks. Shortly after his arrival there was a big main and during an intermission the audience was amazed to hear a young man with as rich brougue as ever crossed the pond, cry out, “I will fight any man in the house a main for 500 pounds.” Pat Carroll, of Philadelphia, who was present, said, “I would like to get at that `greenhron’ if he would only put up,” and he forwith tackled the `greenhorn’, making the preliminaries all the time skeptical, until finally he suggested putting up a forfeit. “All right,” said the `greenhorn’. “Suppose we put up $1000 each as a forfeit,” and producing the money. This was a stagger for Carroll but he managed to come up and the main was on. Carroll, who was the breeder of the then famous “Black Hawks”, won the toss and named for the small end a 3.10. The greenhorn (who the readers have probably guessed, was Michael Kearney) had nothing so light and was in despair, when he met a man who told him where he might find such a small cock, He succeeded in geeting him and strange to say, won the light weight. Michael obtained permission to feed his cocks at this hotel where they were to fight the main and which was in Hoboken, N.Y. On moving he discovered a lot of cocks left in the coops which had big heads and swollen eyes. “Swelled head.” He had never seen anything like it before but concluded to take no chances and moved every cock to barrels in the yard, disinfected the coops and started feeding. After a time some strangers appeared and asked Michael how he was getting on. Suspecting they were emissaries from Carroll, he replied, “Poorly. I don’t know what is the matter, look here,” showing the cocks in the yard. “I never saw anything like that in the old country,” said the forthy Mike. “Oh” replied the strangers, that is the same way they act in this country. Carroll’s are just the same.” “Is that so?” said Mike. Then I doubt they could scarcely get away fast enough to report to Carroll with the result that on the night of the main the betting was 100 to 60 on Carroll. If I remember correctly fifteen fell in and it stood seven to seven with the last match to decide the main and such hedging of bets was rarely ever seen before. For the last battle Carroll produced a magnificent Black Hackle while Kearney produced a Brown Red, bred in Ireland and that he brought along with him. It was a grand battle, both cocks in pink of condition and both aggressive and determined. It was anybody’s fight for an hour or more when it was seen that the Black Hackle was getting smaller and he finally turned away giving the victory ot the gamy, persevering Kearney Brown Reds, direct from the old sod and incidentally a small fortune to the equally game `greehorn’ who dared to come thousands of miles to test the supremacy of the Irish bred cocks and the Irish system of feeding and handling against the redoubtable Pat Carroll and his seldom defeated Black Hackles. I again take off my derby to Michael Kearney as a breeder. I think he is the most wonderful breeder of the country. He still has the Whitehackles same as he brought over nearly fifty years ago and can show them in plenty at 6:00 to 7:00 in condition and has fought them every year since and from Aiken, S.C., where he defeated Jimmie Dougrey, from Boston, where two years ago fought a draw with Casey to the extreme western part of the state. He had fought thousands of these two strains in all kinds of pits and conditions and who ever saw one quit that he or Maurice O’Connell bred. He has won two big mains already this season. Can any breeder equal this? It is proper to doff your head gear to Michael. What say you, historian? on’t you now consider yourself presumptive to say at the least, to class that other strain with Kearney Whitehackles?. I will also add that when Lord Cromwell was here some years ago he visited Mr. Kearney who presented his lordship with several Whitehackle cocks and hens to take back to Ireland. Lord Cromwell bred these and last year challenged all England and defeated England with these same cocks. How about you, historian? I know of at least one case where at least $500 would have been paid Mr. Kearney for a trio and the man was shown the fowl and then shown out the back door of the yard as the “easiest way to get to the cars.” The man was not even allowed in to buy a drink in Michael’s hotel after he made the offer. I have known of $1000 being offered by a syndicate gentlemen connected with a country club to Mr. O’Connell for a stock of his Whitehackles and refused.
Morgan Whitehackles
by: E.T. Piper { Fulldrop }
Col. William l Morgan of East Oragne,N.J., bred and perfected this strain of gamefowl. And it takes its name from him. As the Morgan fowl are practically pure Gilkerson North Brittons, it is necessary to go somewhat into the history of that strain. About 1858, George Gilkerson, an English farmer living in Cortland County, N. Y, imported some fowl from Cumberland, England. From a man named lawman a relative of Billy Lawman of New York State. In this country there where known as North Brittons and later known as Gilkerson Whitehackles. North Brittons contained Duckwingred, Brownred and Pyle. On and before his death Gilkerson`s death many of his fowl came to Col.Morgan. Among these fowl was a little imported Scottish hen. Which Gilkerson prized most highly. Col. Morgan bred this hen with the old Gilkerson fowl and her blood is in all his fowl. Morgan did not know the history of this hen but expressed the opinion that she was nothing more or less than a lawman hen. That had been bred across the boarder in Scotland. All her stags looked and acted just like the Gilkerson fowl. The Morgan Whitehackles became famous than the Gilkerson fowl had ever been. He whipped Kearney, the Eslins, Mahoney and many of a less note in many mains in the Pennsylvania coal mining district. No man has ever approached this record in short heels, and the backbone of all these mains was pure Morgan Whitehackles. Col. Morgan never made but two permanent outcrosses in the straight strain. Morgan got a Ginger hen from Perry Baldwin. And put her on the yard of Sonny Stone of Newark. He had stone bred her. Her granddaughters and great granddaughters under Morgan cocks. the resulting progeny had the bloody heel and fighting quality of the pure Morgan’s and still retained some of the excessive courage of the ginger [ newbold fowl]. Morgan finally took a fifteen-sixteenth Morgan and a sixteenth {ginger] newbold hen from stone and bred her on his own yard. That is the blood in all Morgan fowl. About the beginning of the century John Hoy of Albany obtained possession of the fowl of Billy Lawman. Morgan and Hoy exchanged brood fowl freely an as the fowl were identical in general make-up and charactishtics. The offspring bred on as the pure strain. Morgan bred the Lawman cock when reduced to one quarter in his favorite pens. At the time of his death there was a small percentage of this blood in most of his fowl. In the early nineties Morgan have a small pen of his fowl to a Col. in Virginia. The Col. inbreed the fowl and on his death. They fell into the hands of a professor at Georgetown university. Who knew nothing about breeding or cock fighting. He kept the family pure breeding his favorite cock to the whole flock on hens. When he died the fowl were still inbred in N.J. Neither the family Morgan bred or the family that had been inbred had changed appearance or quality in twenty-five years. Although kept absolutely apart, bred together the young cannot be told from the parents on either side. Except that they are larger and stronger that the offshoot family.
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