Thanks for your input.  By the way, I don't know what the Long Island
History project is, but do you know of any new "old" records from Gravesend
Long Island?  Do you think that people would take an earmark from one
geographical location to another?  I have ancestors that went from Lynn,
Mass. to Gravesend then to Middletown, Monmouth County, NJ. Would be helpful
I guess to see if they registered in all the places the same earmark.  Gwen





At 01:20 PM 8/15/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In doing research on Long Island history, I've come across some
> information on ear-marking, an early form of identifying cattle.
> Beginning in colonial times and up through the 1800's the townspeoples
> cattle and sheep were often pastured together on common lands.  The
> animals were left in charge of a keeper who watched over them and was
> paid a fee for his services.  He rounded up strays, rescued cattle who
> got stuck in the marsh or were injured, and herded them into enclosures
> when necessary.  Each owner identified his cattle by means of an
> ear-mark.  This was a similar system to brands that were used on Western
> cattle.  Earmarks were registered with the town clerks as evidence of
> private ownership.  Earmarks were cuts in the animals ear in a specific
> pattern.  They can be used as a source of information in tracing
> genealogies because a son would use the same ear-mark of his father
> after his fathers death.  Earmarks were recorded in the town clerk's
> offices by means of a diagram and in the larger offices, an accompanying
> written description.
>
>Georgina Martorella
>Newsday--Long Island History Project
>
>