Tomorrow At Monticello
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Today’s Hours
Gates open from 8:30 am to 6 pm
TJE Original Title:
Horses
Below is a list of the names and foaling or purchase dates (if known) of Thomas Jefferson's riding horses.
| Horse Name | Foaled |
| Alllycrocker [1] | 1758 |
| Gustavus | 1762 |
| Cacullin | 1764 |
| The General | 1769 |
| Crab | 1771 |
| Everallyn | purchased 1774 |
| Alfred | 1774 |
| Caractacus | 1775 |
| Ethelinda | 1776 |
| Silvertail | 1773 |
| Orra Moor | 1778 |
| Peggy Waffington | 1778 |
| Zanga | 1778 |
| Odin | 1778 |
| Polly Peachum | 1778 |
| Silveret | 1780 |
| Assaragoa | 1779 |
| Raleigh | 1777 |
| Tarquin | purchased 1790 |
| Brimmer | purchased 1790 |
| Remus & Romulus (carriage horses) | Not known |
| Matchless | purchased 1791 |
| Fitzpartner | purchased 1799 |
| Wildair | purchased 1801 |
| Castor | |
| Diomede | |
| Bremo | Spring 1806; purchased by Jefferson 1814 |
| Wellington | purchased 1815 |
| Tecumseh | purchased 1815 |
| Peacemaker | purchased 1819 |
| The Eagle | purchased 1820 |
- List compiled by Chad Wollerton, April 30, 2007, based on Betts, Farm Book, 88-110.
Further Sources
- Campbell, Julie. The Horse in Virginia: An Illustrated History. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 2010.
- Massachusetts Historical Society. Thomas Jefferson's Farm Book. See pp. 1-2.
- Look for sources in the Thomas Jefferson Portal
Comments
I read a passage in Randall's Jefferson on page 339 that Cornwallis's troops destroyed Jefferson's Elk Hill plantation. He states that the army carried off horses, and those not capable of service killed. Are there any records that indicate the disposition of the horses listed above?
Lisa, Jefferson's Farm book contains information on the ultimate fate of some of Jefferson's horses. His Memorandum Books also contain some information on them. I'll try to fill in some info here soon...
Here is a paper waiting to be written here! Actresses, gods, chieftains, and opera heroines were just a few sources of inspiration for the names Jefferson gave to the many horses he owned and rode during his life time. Polly Peachum, Peggy Waffington, Odin, Caractacus, and The Eagle are just a few of the evocative names that tug at the imagination. A wonderful, albeit brief, summary of Jefferson's horses can also be found in Jefferson's Farm Book.