1874 - 1900
ALL EXCERPTS ARE FROM THE BOOK 'THE ERMINETTE' BY CURT BURROUGHS
"Around the 1860's a group of fowl were brought to the shores of America, they hailed from the West Indies and exhibited a beautiful coloration; being mostly white with a few random solid black feathers throughout their bodies and known under the breed name of West India..........
What was also noted about the West India was that their preferred coloration would not breed true to type. When two West Indies were bred together they would hatch out in white, white with black spots, and solid black. While breeders of other breeds were very interested in introducing this coloration to their breed, it appears the West India breeders themselves were unable to formally organize the breed..........
In losing the West India, we would have lost the unique breeding pattern they were known for had it not been for a Brahma breeder..........
The first known breeder to transfer the West India coloration to their preferred breed of choice was a Brahma breeder by the name of John H. Sutliffe. Mr. Sutliffe conceived the idea that a cross could be made between these birds (West Indies) and the larger varieties that would still retain their beautiful plumage and add to their weight the heft of the Asiatics..........
Mr. Sutliffe was highly pleased with the experiment so far..... and the result of the third mating was highly satisfactory, birds being produced that were as finely splashed as the original West Indias, and had taken on weight with wonderful rapidly, and showed as fine leg-feathering as the Asiatics.
After a few more years of selective breeding, Mr. Sutliffe was encouraged by his friends to show his creation, and in December of 1874, in Bristol, Connecticut, Mr. Sutliffe introduced to the world his creation which he had named, the Erminette. He continued to show his Erminettes until 1877 when he sold the entirety of his flocks to his son-in-law (J.C. Russell) who was noted in the article to be advertising Erminettes in the back of the 1877 edition of The Poultry World."
"While Mr. Sutliffe’s Erminette was the first exhibited under this breed/ variety name, within the next two decades, birds exhibiting rose combs, single combs, clean legs, and bodies resembling the Wyandotte and Rock were all being raised and marketed under the banner of Erminette. According to written accounts, we can document the individuals accredited to the creation of the various Erminette types as follows:
- John H. Sutliffe of Bristol, Connecticut developed the pea combed, feather shanked variation which closely resembled the Asiatic breeds of his time. In 1874 Mr. Sutliffe introduced to the public the first of the three primary variations of the Erminette. In 1877 Mr. Sutliffe’s entire flock was sold to his son-in-law J.C. Russell who continued breeding this variation for a number of years. It is currently unknown when this strain of Erminette became extinct.
- The Poultry World – Hartford, Conn. – Volume VI, Issue No. III - 1877
- In 1887 Clarence J. Reddig of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania was accredited with the creation of the rose combed, clean legged version of the Erminette which possessed a body type similar to the Wyandotte as known to exist during this time.
- The Poultry Monthly – Volume IV – 1887
- The Poultry Monthly – Albany NY – Volume XXII, Issue No. III – 1900
- By 1895 C.A.H. Bright of Bridgeport, Connecticut had established a flock of single combed, clean shanked Erminettes with his son-in-law, Frederick A. Burr of Fairfield, Connecticut, managing his flock well into the 1940’s when FB Hutt obtained breeding stock for his genetic experiments. In type Mr. Bright’s stock carried traits most similar to the Plymouth Rock of his generation.
- Genetic Basis Of The Erminette Breed Of Fowls – F.B. Hutt – Published in 1964
- It is claimed that at a poultry show in 1892 there existed a single combed, feather shanked variation to the Erminette. This claim is sited by the following statement regarding a class of Erminettes, “Clean legged, beautiful birds were beaten by feather-legged questionable specimens, simply because the first possessed rose combs and the judge favored single combs.” At the present it is unknown who originated this line but it would appear that this variation would have a connection to Mr. Sutliffe’s stock due to the feathered shanks.
- The Pet Stock, Pigeon and Poultry Bulletin – Volume XXII - 1892"