The Chappell Doms: 170 Years of One Family's Bloodline, in J.B. Chappell's Own Words

Tgf Gameyard shared a 4-minute reel that reads aloud one of the most precious documents in Dom history: the handwritten family history of the Chappell Doms, signed by J.B. Chappell of Falkville, Alabama. Why does this matter to us? Because the Chappell Doms are not just an American story. A Chappell descendant has fought these birds here in the Philippines. And this is one of the rare bloodlines that stayed with one family, on one farm, for six generations. Where It All Started: One Cock and One Hen ✅ A rich bachelor, W.R. Smith of "Lawrence" (Laurens), South Carolina, near Cross Hill, went to England for a horse race and a cocking main. ✅ He was so impressed by the Doms he saw that he paid "a fancy price for one cock and one hen." At home they proved "exceedingly fast and dead game." ✅ In 1855, J.W. Chappell bought every Dom Smith had. Smith never fought again. One pair. That's the whole foundation. Everything after that was selection. The Winning Record (As the Family Tells It) Two years after getting them, J.W. fought them and "almost every one won." With his brothers Henry and Jim, he beat Rob Franklin of Columbia, S.C. in a 15-cock main, winning every fight. Franklin pushed him to fight Mr. Liverman of Augusta, Georgia. They matched 18 cocks, and the Chappells won every fight and the main. The family fought the Doms every year for 50 years in Columbia, S.C. His hardest opponents were the "Nickerton/Arlington" cocks of North Carolina: "the hardest cocks to whip the writer ever saw." ⚠️ These records come from the family's own letter, not from neutral main reports. What the Original Chappell Doms Looked Like ✅ "At first they were white almost." ✅ The old white Doms "all have tassels or top knots." ✅ A later writer says the Chappells crossed a black strain and a white strain. When Merrill H. Smith inbred them, about 30% came slate-legged, pea-combed blacks, 30% came yellow-legged whites with big tassels, and 40% came speckled to true Dom color. So if your Chappell-blood bird throws a white or tasseled chick, that's not a "contamination." That's the old blood showing itself. Only Four Outside Bloods in 170 Years The family documents just four infusions: ✅ "Santa Ana", a rose-comb Spanish cock J.W. got from a Mexican and named after the Mexican general. He won 11 battles. This is where the rose comb came from. ✅ An "Arlington" cock from North Carolina. J.W. called this cross "the best cross that we Chappells ever made." A Mr. Floyd of Newberry, S.C. paid $50 for one of these cocks and gave it to J.B., who bred it over five of his father's hens. ✅ A Mingus Dom cock, used by Jerry Chappell in the 1970s. ✅ Sureshot Dom blood from Scott Gay, added by Kris Chappell in 1991. Four outcrosses in about 170 years. That is discipline. Saved During the Civil War ✅ Before J.W. left for the American Civil War, he left his Doms with Ben Wells of Laurens, S.C., "a true lover of a game cock," who "kept my father's Doms in their purity." ✅ In 1891 in Atlanta, Tennessee beat Atlanta 10 out of 11 fights with J.B. Chappell's Doms and crosses. Six Generations, One Farm ✅ J.W. → J.B. → O.B. → J.W. → Jerry → Kris Chappell, all keeping the family in Falkville, Alabama. According to Brent R. Scott, who transcribed the letter with the family's blessing: Kris won derbies in 1998 and 2000 with pure Doms. With partner Brian Corkren, he won Cocker of the Year at Hickory in 2001 and 2002, fighting Chappell Doms and Corkren Sweaters. He came to the Philippines and went 3–1 with the Doms in a Cavite long-knife derby. ⚠️ These achievements are reported by Scott; I could not find the official derby results. A Detail Most People Miss The reel opens with "Grit and Steel...", which makes it sound like a magazine article. In fact, ✅ Scott says J.B. wrote it for Grit and Steel but never submitted it. It survived as a handwritten family document until Scott transcribed it. So this is a family letter, not a published column. (The reel's narration mispronounces several names, like "Chapelle" and "Maine" for "main". I used the spellings from the written transcription.) My Takeaways for Pinoy Breeders A great line can start from one good pair. The money is in what you do after buying: selecting, culling and keeping records. Outcross rarely, and on purpose. Four infusions in 170 years. Each one was a proven fighter (Santa Ana won 11). Don't cross just because a bird is "nice." Know your bloodline's "hidden colors." Chappell blood can throw whites, blacks and tassels. If you sell, explain this to buyers upfront so they trust you. Have a backup keeper. J.W. survived the war because Ben Wells kept his birds pure. Leave a trio with a trusted friend in case of disease, typhoons or theft. Documentation sells. A written family history is the reason we still talk about these birds. Keep your own breeding records and story. That's your brand. Watch for fake "pure Chappell" listings. The true family line stayed with the Chappells in Falkville. Ask any seller where their birds came from. Like Lolo's Binhi The Chappell Doms are like the binhi (seed rice) an old farmer saves from his best harvest. Every year he sets aside the best grains, never sells them, and plants them again next season. Once in a long while he mixes in seed from a neighbor's field, but only when he has seen that field yield well. Six generations later, his apo is still planting from the same sack. That is how you keep a bloodline alive: not by buying new seed every year, but by guarding the binhi.