Michael Bernard Gratz horse and cattle pedigree book
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Michael Bernard Gratz horse and cattle pedigree book
- Date
- 1838-1937 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Gratz, Michael Bernard, 1822-1889
- Extent
- 0.1 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Horse industry -- Kentucky
- Horse farms
- Thoroughbred horse -- Breeding -- Kentucky
- Thoroughbred horse -- Pedigrees
- Horse farms
- Cattle -- Kentucky -- Pedigrees.
- Cattle -- Breeding -- Kentucky.
- Preferred Citation
- 2007ms088 : [identification of item], Michael Bernard Gratz horse and cattle pedigree book, 1838-1937, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Michael Bernard Gratz was born to Benjamin Cattell Gratz (1792-1884) and Maria Cecil Gratz on February 28, 1822 in Clark County, Kentucky. His mother's father was Nathaniel Gist (1733-1796) who fought in the Revolutionary War. Gratz, who never married, lived at Canewood, the Woodford County, Kentucky estate acquired by the Gratz family in 1840. There he raised Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses as well as cattle on his ever-expanding farm. The foundation for his Thoroughbred line at Canewood was a brown mare named Emuckfaw, who was given to Gratz by Francis P. Blair. Blair was married to Gratz's aunt. Emuckfaw, foaled in 1838 and sired by Mambrino and dam Diana, had been given to Blair by President Andrew Jackson.
- At the age of 40, Michael Gratz enrolled for the Union Army as a 1st Lieutenant in the 21st Kentucky Infantry on September 12, 1862 in Louisville, Ky. According to one biographical account, during the war he was asked to requisition horses from Confederate sympathizers in Wolford County, Kentucky, and he responded by saying he would take his own horses but not "those of my old friends, even if they are Confederates."
- After the end of the war, Gratz continued to breed horses at Canewood. He grew the farm from the original 180 acres to 900 acres at the time of his death. His obituary mentions three horses who were the most noted among his line: Virgil, Checkmate, and Silent Spring. Gratz died in 1889 from acute uremia after working in his garden.
- Scope and Content
- The Michael Bernard Gratz horse and cattle pedigree book (dated 1838-1937; 0.1 cubic feet; 1 folder) contains entries of horses and cattle owned or bred by Michael Bernard Gratz at Canewood, his farm near Spring Station in Woodford County, Kentucky. The pedigrees date from 1838 to 1883, but much of the book contains blank pages. It was apparently used by someone else from 1924 to 1937 as a book for listing household objects and clothing. It is unclear whether the lists of objects relate to the Gratz family.
- The pedigree book contains pedigree and produce records for the following Thoroughbred or Standardbred horses owned by Gratz at his Woodford County, Kentucky stables: Emuckfaw, brown mare, foaled in 1838, sired by Mambrino, dam Diana, bred by Andrew Jackson and presented to Gratz by the Francis P. Blair from Washington D.C.; Springbrook, chestnut mare, foaled in 1859, sired by Lexington, dam Emuckfaw, bred and owned by Gratz; Full Cry, bay mare, foaled in 1866 sired by Vandal, dam Springbrook; Sally Ferrel (also known as Sallie Farrell), chestnut mare, foaled in 1868, sired by imported Australian, dam Springbrook; Glen Spring, chestnut mare, foaled in 1875, sired by Glen Athol, dam Springbrook. The pedigree of Mambrino, sire of Emuckfaw, is also listed.
- Gratz maintained cattle on his farm and his Canewood Herd lineage is described in latter pages of the pedigree book. Records of the following cattle (1870-1878): Cecil, Cecil 2nd, Cecil 3rd, Cecil 4th, Laura Pugh, Laura Pugh 2nd, Laura Pugh 4th are listed.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Michael Bernard Gratz horse and cattle pedigree book, 1838-1937
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
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If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
