The Devon Cattle Book published by the American Devon Cattle Club in Boston in 1920 gives some general comments on the attractiveness of the Devon breed and then an accounting of importations and notable breeders of the 1800s:
It is a common saying that "A man once a Devon Breeder is always a Devon Breeder." There is no breed of cattle that is so uniform in type as the Devon. They are the most bloodlike and active of cattle.
For a large portion of our country they are better adapted than any other. They are not excelled for hardiness by any other breed, thriving where other cattle would starve and yet showing care and good feed as much as any. Their strong digestive organs aid in giving profitable returns for feed consumed, and their robust constitution makes them freer from disease than any other breeds.
The first account that we have of the importation of Devon cattle into New England was in the ship Charity, in the spring of 1623, in the care of Edward Winslow, one of the Pilgrim Fathers, then agent of the colony of Plymouth.
- 1800
- Winthrop & Davenport imported Devons into Massachusetts.
- 1805
- Gen. Eaton imported Devons into New York.
- 1817
- Mr. Patterson imported Devons into Baltimore.
- 1818
- Hon. Rufus King imported Devons into New York.
- 1825
- Henry Thompson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1835
- John Cowlin imported Devons into New York.
- 1836
- Patterson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1839
- Miles Vernon imported Devons into New York.
- 1839
- Francis Rotch imported Devons into New York.
- 1841
- Mr. Patterson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1842
- Daniel Webster imported Devons into Massachusetts.
- 1845
- Massachusetts Society imported Devon into Massachusetts.
- 1848
- Wainwright imported Devons into New York.
- 1850
- Van Renssler imported Devons into New York.
- 1850-52
- Ambros Stevens imported Devons into New York.
- 1851
- Col. Morris imported Devons into New York.
- 1851-56
- G. Vail imported Devon into New York.
- 1851-52
- Mr. Wainwright imported Devons into New York.
- 1851
- Abigail Catlin and C. N. Chase imported Devons into Connecticut.
- 1851
- W. R. Sanford imported Devons into Vermont.
- 1852
- Patterson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1853
- Geo. Vail imported Devons into New York.
- 1853
- Howard McHenry imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1854
- Mr. Peters imported Devons into Georgia.
- 1854
- John Allen imported Devons into Connecticut.
- 1856
- Patterson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1857
- Mr. Linsly imported Devons into Connecticut.
- 1858
- Col. Hoe imported Devons into New York.
- 1860
- Patterson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1865
- Mr. Cameron imported Devons into New York.
- 1868
- Patterson imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1872
- J. C. Brown imported Devons into Rhode Island.
- 1876
- J. Murray imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1879
- Frank Brown imported Devons into Maryland.
- 1886-88
- John Hudson imported Devons into Illinois.
- 1893-99
- Dr. Morris imported Devons into Pennsylvania.
- 1893
- A. S. Warden imported Devons into Pennsylvania.
- 1912
- James J. Hill imported Devons into Minnesota.
From these importations descended the Devons which we have today in the United States. Some of the early breeders of this country who have contributed much time to the breeding and improvement of Devon cattle are:
William Patterson of Maryland bred Devons from 1817 - 1835.
Geo. Patterson, his son, bred Devons from 1835 - 1863.
S.&L. Hurlburt of Connecticut bred Devons from 1819 - 1856.
Samuel Baker & Son, Freeman Baker of New York bred Devons 1830 - 1904.
Harvey Dodge of Massachusetts bred Devons from 1845 - 1883.
James Bill of Connecticut bred Devons from 1845 - 1914.
Harley M. Hall of Vermont bred Devons from 1846 - 1878.
H.M. Sessions of Massachusetts bred Devons from 1850 - 1881.
(Mr. Sessions edited the first Devon Herd Book of this country, 5 volumes.)
E.H. Hyde of Connecticut bred Devons from 1851 - 1890.
James Buckingham of Ohio Bred Devons from 1856 - 1912.
(Mr. Buckingham was secretary and edited the first four volumes of the second series of the Devon Herd Books.)
Joseph Hilton & Sons of New York bred Devons from 1857 - 1906.
Dr. J. Cheston Morris of Pennsylvania bred Devons from 1861 - 1920.
(Dr. Morris was President of the American Devon Cattle Club for many years.)
Ward Parker of New Hampshire bred Devons from 1865 - 1890.
L.P. Sisson of Virginia bred Devons from 1866 - 1916.
Mr. Sisson was Sec'y and Treas., of the American Devon Cattle Club, from 1887 to time of his death 1916.
J. Banker of Pennsylvania bred Devons from 1874 - 1904.
Wm. H. and B.F. Jones of Pennsylvania bred Devons from 1879 - 1905.
Thos. D. Coffing & Sons of Indiana bred Devons from 1882 - 1920.
John Hudson of Illinois bred Devons from 1884 - 1903.
(Mr. Hudson came to this country from Devonshire, Eng., and imported for the foundation of his herd thirty Devon cattle.)
