Galloping Through the Records: Finding Racehorse-Owning Ancestors

Debora Ellen Blodgett
May 12
6 min read

Introduction

The Kentucky Derby, founded in 1875, is one of the most celebrated racing events. Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the race observed its 151st running in 2025.[1]

This annual event prompts family historians to wonder if ancestors had a connection to horses as an owner, breeder, or jockey. How might this association be determined? Researchers often first consult the United States census for valuable data about ancestors such as residence, family biographical details, and occupations.

Clues in the Census

Beginning in 1850, the census sheet included a column that described the enumerated person’s occupation.[2]

Table of Horse Related Occupations in 1850-1900 Census

Analysis of census returns from 1850 to 1900 identified occupations related to breeding, training, and racing activities. The following table shows nationwide estimates for horse-related occupations found in census records.[3]

The increase in equestrian-related occupations illustrates the rising popularity of the sport. A researcher should keep in mind that an individual’s involvement in racing activities may be a hobby rather than an occupation and therefore may not appear in the census record.

The gap left by the destruction of the 1890 census presents a challenge to family historians. When census records are not available, how might an ancestor’s residence or association with horses during that time period be investigated? Books and periodicals focused on this subject offer opportunities for further research.

Horsemanship Books and Periodicals

The growing popularity of equestrian activities led to the publication of books and periodicals that offer information that can help uncover details about ancestors. Online repositories like Google Books or HathiTrust may be used to locate more resources. Examples from each category appear below.

Stud Books

Stud books record horse names, pedigrees, and ownership information, often including city and state of residence. Here are two samples:

The American Stud Book. [4]
Wallace’s American Trotting Register. [5]

Trade Journals and Magazines

There are a variety of trade journals and magazines that feature articles about equestrian pursuits, including pedigrees, purchase and sale of stock, advertisements for horse breeders, or results of recent races:

The Breeder’s Gazette (Chicago), a weekly journal of livestock husbandry, including news of racehorses. [6]
Wallace’s Monthly (New York), an American sporting magazine reporting coverage of racing news and events. [7]
American Pony Racing Association Racing Calendar (New York), lists members, stables, jockeys, and regulations. [8]

Equestrian Clubs

As the sport expanded, so did the desire for individuals to spend time with like-minded enthusiasts. Here are two clubs that played key roles in the sport's development:

The Jockey Club (New York), established in 1894, dedicated to thoroughbred breeding and racing and currently maintains The American Stud Book. [9]
The Riding and Driving Club of Brooklyn (New York), established in 1889, was an elite equestrian club boasting the largest indoor riding ring in the country.[10]

Equestrian clubs often posted updates in local newspapers which could reveal details about membership, horse ownership, or racing news. Many repositories offer searchable historic newspaper collections. For example, the Library of Congress maintains the "Chronicling America," database of historic digitized American newspapers.

Horsemanship in the News

Newspapers often published equestrian results, records of ownership transfers, and illustrations. Advertisements often listed details about farms that bred horses or listed the names of horses for sale. Races were often promoted in newspapers.

Some newspapers do not depict images, but there are other ways to uncover racehorse illustrations such as lithographs, stereoscope images, or cigarette card inserts.

Racehorse Illustrations

Once a horse name has been identified, researchers can determine if an illustration of the horse exists by using the horse's name in a keyword search within online collections. Some of the periodicals mentioned above have images. Lithographs from producers like Currier & Ives as well as stereoscope cards or cigarette cards often depicted famous racehorses.

To demonstrate how a family historian can use the sources described in this article to locate information, consider the case study of John Shults, a horse breeder and racing enthusiast.

Case Study: Racehorse-Owning Ancestor

John H. Shults resided in Brooklyn, New York, and his occupation in the 1880 census was listed as a baker. [11] However, further research revealed that Shults was also prominent in the horse racing world. A Google Books search using the key phrase "John Shults Brooklyn NY" returned a variety of publications related to horses and horseracing. This information prompted investigation into stud books, which revealed not only the names of the horses he owned, but also the location of his breeding farm which was about 35 miles northeast of his residence in Brooklyn.

This case demonstrates how important it is for genealogists to conduct an exhaustive search using a diverse range of historical sources to uncover stories about an ancestor's life.

Conclusion

Historical research often prompts family historians to seek alternate records when solving family mysteries. This article identified a plan to find horse-owning ancestors by searching for hints in the federal census, consulting equestrian trade journals and magazines, examining racing news, and locating images of racehorses. This methodology is particularly helpful to identify residences during the twenty-year record gap caused by the loss of the 1890 census. By employing these ideas, genealogists can explore additional sources to identify records of ancestors involved in equestrian endeavors.

For More Information

Google Books

Locate historical texts like The American Stud Book and Wallace’s Monthly, useful for identifying horse breeders and pedigrees. https://books.google.com/

HathiTrust Digital Library

Access digitized equestrian periodicals, racing journals, and stud books. https://www.hathitrust.org/

Library of Congress – Chronicling America

Search digitized newspapers to uncover articles about local races, stud farms, and horse owners. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Library of Congress – Photos, Prints, Drawings

Explore lithographs of famous American racehorses and equestrian events. Use keyword "race horse." https://www.loc.gov/photos/

New York Public Library Digital Collections

Review race event flyers, advertisements, and images. Use keyword "race horse." https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/

Images

Finish Line of a Horse Race with Six Horses and Riders, image, 1891; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (https://www.loc.gov/item/2018696434/ : accessed 10 May 2025).

Horse Race with Four Riders, image, 1898; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (https://www.loc.gov/item/2018696386/ : accessed 10 May 2025).

The Sunday Journal the People’s Favorite, image, 1890; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (https://www.loc.gov/item/2015647291/ : accessed 10 May 2025).

Race Track, Saratoga, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library Digital Collections (https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-5985-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 : accessed 10 May 2025).

“Two Great Races,” The Wichita Daily Eagle [Wichita, Kansas], 4 June 1890, p. 2, col. 4; digital image, Chronicling America (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014635/1890-06-04/ed-1/seq-2/ : accessed 10 May 2025).

Montrose, Winner of the Kentucky Derby. Rider – Isaac Lewis. Kinney Bro’s High Class Cigarettes, image, 1890; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (https://www.loc.gov/item/2018646099/ : accessed 10 May 2025).

The Rider and Driver, vol. 8, no. 6 (New York: The Rider and Driver Publishing Company, 6 October 1894), 28, advertisement for “Shultshurst Farm”; Google Books (https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Rider_and_Driver/eAfc5oJJjZoC?hl=en&gbpv=1 : accessed 10 May 2025).

Great Horses in a Great Race / J. Cameron, lithograph, race between Salvator and Tenny at Sheepshead Bay, New York, 25 June 1890; published by Currier & Ives (New York, ca. 1891); Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (https://www.loc.gov/item/2006676683/ : accessed 10 May 2025).

Sources

[1] Churchill Downs Incorporated, "America's Greatest Race," Kentucky Derby (https://www.kentuckyderby.com/about/ : accessed 2 May 2025).

[2] National Archives and Records Administration, "1850 Census Records," National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850 : accessed 2 May 2025).

[3] "1850-1900 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry HeritageQuest (https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com/search/collections/8054/ : accessed 2 May 2025), search term: "horse breeder," "horse trainer," or "jockey" in occupation field. Each census year was searched separately.

[4] Sanders D. Bruce, The American Stud Book: Containing Full Pedigrees of All the Imported Thorough-Bred Stallions and Mares... to the End of the Year 1888... (New York: Sanders D. Bruce, 1889), Google Books (https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_American_Stud_Book/_KcCAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 : accessed 2 May 2025), vol. 5, p. 456.

[5] J. Hankins Wallace, Wallace's American Trotting Register ... (New York: Published at the office of Wallace's Monthly), HathiTrust (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008697104 : accessed 2 May 2025).

[6] The Breeder's Gazette: A Weekly Journal of Live Stock Husbandry, vol. 19, no. 1 (Chicago, Ill.: January 7, 1891), 1; Google Books (https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_Breeder_s_Gazette/CTczrAAREaoC?hl=en&gbpv=1 : accessed 2 May 2025).

[7] John H. Wallace, ed., Wallace’s Monthly, vol. 11, no. 1 (New York: Benjamin Singerly, February 1885), Google Books (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Wallace_s_Monthly/x0oCAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=wallaces+monthly&pg=PA594&printsec=frontcover : accessed 3 May 2025).

[8] James R. Wood, Racing Calendar, 1890 (New York: The Club, 1890), Tufts University, John A. Seaverns Equine Collection, HathiTrust (https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100774691/Cite : accessed 2 May 2025).

[9] “History of The Jockey Club,” The Jockey Club (https://www.jockeyclub.com/Default.asp?section=About&area=0 : accessed 2 May 2025).

[10] "Past and Present: The Riding and Driving Club of Brooklyn." Brownstoner (https://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-the-riding-and-driving-club-of-brooklyn : accessed 3 May 2025).

[11] 1880 U.S. census, Kings County, New York, population schedule, Brooklyn, enumeration district (ED) 185, p. 34 (stamped), dwelling 202, family 340; John H. Shults; digital image, Ancestry HeritageQuest (https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com : accessed 11 May 2025).