GameFowlBreeders.info

    Jim Sanford was an Englishman and an ex-pugilist who left the East following a prize fight which resulted fatally to his opponent. He was brought up in New Orleans, bred and pitted cocks for a number of years for Judge Claiborne of that city. The judge was one of the greatest sportsmen of his time and in fighting a main in the Old Spanish pit, an English Earl of Derby lost by having a heel broken off in his back. Jim Sanford got the broken heel out and bred him to a Spanish hen, as Jim could see the good points in this cock. This cross proved to be the equal, if not the superior, to anything wearing feathers in the chicken line at the time.

    Here is a few simple words we have on the makeup of the smooth head Claiborne bred and originated by Jim Sanford and named in honor Judge Claiborne 18 or 20 years before the war between the North and the South. The smooth head Claiborne got into the hands of John Stone in this way, Stone and Saunders made a main to be fought in Richmond, Va. Stone took his Irish Brown Reds there to condition them. About the same time Judge Claiborne happened to be in Baltimore and was the main advertised on the billboards of the city. So the judge went to Richmond to witness that main. He was introduced to Stone and Saunders and expressed a desire to see the Brown Reds. He looked the cocks over, examined them, and said they were as "fine a lot of cocks as I have ever seen, but they are looking too beefy and I think that you will lose the main", which they did. Mr. Stone was living on a farm and the Judge asked him if he would breed chickens for him. If we can agree said Stone.

    The agreement was that Stone was to kill all his pullets and ship all stags to Judge Claiborne in New Orleans, which he did till after the war broke out. After the war began Stone could not hear from Judge Claiborne and as he had taken on a bride who wished him to dispose of his games he then sold them to John Mahar, of Marblehead, Miss., the Jim Sanford Smoothhead Claibornes, stipulating that is Mahar ever heard from Judge Claiborne, that he, Mahar should ship stags to the Judge as he had done. Mr. Stone also let John Daniels have a trio and Tom Heathwood a pair. Mr. Mahar, being a cocker, they made a name and fame that will live for generations to come, all through the United States.

    Mr. Mahar had good success raising stags the first year and the next winter took a main of ten stags to Boston and won every fight and fought four of them the second battle and won. The Boston cockers were amazed at their success so made another main with Mahar, to show 13 stags, nine pair fell in. Boston had forty of the best to be found to pick from. Mahar won seven straight battles. The other two were not fought as Boston had enough. Boston then challenged Mahar to fight seven cocks, they were winners, but the great Claibornes were again victorious and won six out of the seven battles. This established their well-earned reputation.

    Jim Sanford was also an admirer of the Baltimore Topknots, a famed and winning strain of Bright Reds, which were originated in Maryland and were almost invincible in long heels. Jim procured six full sisters of the Baltimore Topknots and bred them to the same Earl Derby cock he used on the Spanish hen. Jim bred both strains as long as he lived, the Topknot cross proving to be as good as the smoothheads and a little larger. A few years later Lewis Everett, of Benton, Ala., went to New Orleans and brought a stag and three pullets of the plain heads, but the Topknots Everett carried to Ben Grisset's, Camden, Ala., did not pan out satisfactorily, so he sold them to Major Felix Tait, of Rock West, Ala., and Tait with his brother bred them as long as he lived, the remnant going to his daughter, Mrs. Sally Tait Bragg, of Camden Ala. We also made note that Grissett, Everett and Tait crossed the plain or smooth heads on the Topknots. Sanford and Everett bred together later at Mobile, Ala. In Everett's last years we find him at Joe Pickins', Sulphur Springs, Texas with his smoothheads where they were bred pure by Mr. Pickins. Major Tait said he got out first from Sanford, then from Everett who sent smooth heads and Topknots and we have bred them together always. Both strains are a beautiful fowl and both show white in wing and tail, both strains showing some spangle, some having a red breast and some black, yellow and white legs and beaks, red and daw eyes, ranging from low set to medium. The Spanish showed some dark legs, as one may crop out.

    This history comes from many friends who were personally acquainted with Jim Sanford, Judge Claiborne, Everett, Trait, John Stone and John Mahar and is as old as true as the strain itself. When I was a very small boy about 45 years ago, I could visit an estate where the Earl Derby's were bred. Some were black red, some brown red and some light red, the light reds having a shorter head than the black reds and color eyes and bill as mentions above.

Source: Johnson's History of Game Strains By; W.T. Johnson
Minor Editing by Keoni