The Aurelius town board in 1794 voted a bounty on wolves' heads. The Aurelius Justice of the Peace had to fill out a certificate saying the wolf was from Aurelius. They then paid $10 a piece for wolf's heads. This bounty business continued for about 10 years. In 1805, the town board voted not to pay any bounty.
But, those varmints must have started to howl again!
In 1807, it was voted back in at the town meeting, but only $5 this time. After this date, we don't ‘hear much about the wolves.
Now comes the wooly part. Sheep came to the town of Ledyard in 1794. This was some 15 miles south of Aurelius. This first flock of sheep in Aurelius came up from Pennsylvania and was completely destroyed by wolves. Now you know why the wolf bounty was in Aurelius. You could count about 4,800 sheep within Aurelius in 1865. This was the end of the Civil War and cotton wasn't coming up for the south. What is more surprising to me is that Auburn had 1,740 of the bleating beasts inside the city in 1860.
On the first Tuesday in March of 1805, the annual meeting of the Town of Aurelius was held at the home of Henry Moore. At this meeting, it was voted that sheep be free commoners, and also that hogs be free commoners without yokes or reins. A $10 bounty for wolves' heads was continued at that meeting. Wolves liked a variety - lamb, mutton or port. Can you imagine in 2006, sheep and hogs running free?
In 1808, at the annual town meeting in Aurelius, it was voted that ram do not run free from the Sept. 1 until the Nov. 10. I am not talking about the Dodge truck. I am referring to the male of the sheep family. This was done to keep the ewes from lambing at the wrong time of the year. The following year, the time was moved back to Aug. 1. If a ram was caught free at the wrong time, it would be castrated.
William Bostwick, Joseph Grover and Elijah Price served as pound keepers in 1801. They were responsible for other stray animals as well.
An interesting fact to note - John L. Hardenburgh served as both supervisor and town clerk that year in Aurelius. We have to remember that although Hardenburgh was the founder of Auburn, there was no such place in 1801, for where it now stands was all the town of Aurelius.
The pound keepers were charged by the town to confine stray animals until claimed. Every animal in the town of Aurelius had identification registration. Some examples of this were:
• Eli Wright's mark was a crop in the end of the right ear and a hole though the left year (Oct. 6, 1795).
• Zenas Higgins' mark was a hole through each ear (Aug. 24, 1795).
• Thomas Dunning's mark was a swallow tail on the end of the right ear (Oct. 10, 1795).
• John L. Hardenburgh's mark was a smooth crop of each ear and a half penny out of the under part of the left year (April 30, 1796).
There are still sheep farmers in Aurelius today. We don't know anything about the wolves.
Ruth Probst is historian for the town of Aurelius
In 1807, it was voted back in at the town meeting, but only $5 this time. After this date, we don't ‘hear much about the wolves.
Now comes the wooly part. Sheep came to the town of Ledyard in 1794. This was some 15 miles south of Aurelius. This first flock of sheep in Aurelius came up from Pennsylvania and was completely destroyed by wolves. Now you know why the wolf bounty was in Aurelius. You could count about 4,800 sheep within Aurelius in 1865. This was the end of the Civil War and cotton wasn't coming up for the south. What is more surprising to me is that Auburn had 1,740 of the bleating beasts inside the city in 1860.
On the first Tuesday in March of 1805, the annual meeting of the Town of Aurelius was held at the home of Henry Moore. At this meeting, it was voted that sheep be free commoners, and also that hogs be free commoners without yokes or reins. A $10 bounty for wolves' heads was continued at that meeting. Wolves liked a variety - lamb, mutton or port. Can you imagine in 2006, sheep and hogs running free?
In 1808, at the annual town meeting in Aurelius, it was voted that ram do not run free from the Sept. 1 until the Nov. 10. I am not talking about the Dodge truck. I am referring to the male of the sheep family. This was done to keep the ewes from lambing at the wrong time of the year. The following year, the time was moved back to Aug. 1. If a ram was caught free at the wrong time, it would be castrated.
William Bostwick, Joseph Grover and Elijah Price served as pound keepers in 1801. They were responsible for other stray animals as well.
An interesting fact to note - John L. Hardenburgh served as both supervisor and town clerk that year in Aurelius. We have to remember that although Hardenburgh was the founder of Auburn, there was no such place in 1801, for where it now stands was all the town of Aurelius.
The pound keepers were charged by the town to confine stray animals until claimed. Every animal in the town of Aurelius had identification registration. Some examples of this were:
• Eli Wright's mark was a crop in the end of the right ear and a hole though the left year (Oct. 6, 1795).
• Zenas Higgins' mark was a hole through each ear (Aug. 24, 1795).
• Thomas Dunning's mark was a swallow tail on the end of the right ear (Oct. 10, 1795).
• John L. Hardenburgh's mark was a smooth crop of each ear and a half penny out of the under part of the left year (April 30, 1796).
There are still sheep farmers in Aurelius today. We don't know anything about the wolves.
Ruth Probst is historian for the town of Aurelius
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