The Old Hemlock strain was bred by George and Kay Evans. They were located at the Old Hemlock Place in Brucetown Mills, W. VA.
George bought his first stud dog from George Ryman in 1939.
It was here that George started his practice of inline breeding. Breeding mothers to son....fathers to daughters....etc. He patterned his breeding after Edward Lavarack. The kennel peaked in the mid 70's with Old Hemlock Brier.
Because of such tight breeding and the fact that Evan's only kept a few dogs at a time the quality started to deteriate. A man by the name of Roger Brown took over the kennel after George Evans died.
The Pinewild Setter was bred in the Utica New York area. These dogs were bred by Lilly and Percy Hunt, and later by their daughter. The name (Pinewild) was chosen because their winter training grounds were in Pinewild N. Carolina.
Pinewild Kennel started out breeding pointers and sold Robert Wehle one of his early foundation stud dogs. After Percy died, His wife Lilly and her daughter continued breeding until the late 1970's
A man by the name of George Ryman started his kennel about the time WWI was breaking out. The Kennel was located in Shahola, PA. The kennel produced Setters until George died in 1964.
At the peak of Ryman Kennel they had 175 dogs.
George would outcross to the leading field Setter of his day.
Ryman wanted a setter that trained and handled easily, produced birds for the gun stylishly and efficiently, and retained the proper conformation of the English Setter as established by the breed's "founding father" Edward Laverack. Ryman setters are indeed very handsome dogs.
Later after his death the remaining dogs were sold to a single breeder.
Ryman
Pinewild
Twombly
The Twombly line started by a man named Earl Twombly. His kennel was called Coronation and was located in Waterbury, VT.
He began breeding Setters around 1920 and continued until the early 1960's.
The Twombly was a large type Setter and excellent hunting dogs. When Earl did an outcross it was usually with a bench type Setter.
There's little doubt that the man was sincere in developing and promoting the ideal gun dog. The English setters Ryman grew up around in the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania area during the late 1800s were of the Laverack type, the large-boned, square-muzzled dogs with belton marking which nowadays are most frequently associated with bench shows. Ryman was determined that these were the type he wanted to produce, by possessing outstanding field abilities in addition to their handsome conformation.
Over the years a number of breeders have used Ryman dogs as foundation stock for the development of their own particular lines; the best know of these is undoubtedly the Old Hemlock line developed by George Bird Evans.
