|  Seth E. Thomas, Jr., Master
Spring Valley Hounds first began in New Jersey in 1915, when a draft of hounds was sent from England to Seth Thomas Jr., by the Duke of Beaufort. They were kenneled in Green Village with Percy Drury as huntsman, who was also sent over from England.
In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, Mr. Thomas sent the pack to Virginia. They returned to Morristown in 1919, their number greatly reduced by heartworms. The remaining hounds were sent to Watson Webb, who had a pack of English Foxhounds in Shebourne, VT.
In 1922, Mr. Thomas bought a draft of English Harriers from the pack of Lord Erwin in England who was being sent to India as Viceroy. Redgate was built at this time with a large brick kennel and stable in the woods behind the house.The Spring Valley Hounds were run as a “private pack” by invitation of Mr. Thomas, and regular guests included Henry Colgate (who was later master), Howard Bayne (donor of Bayne Park and the Horse Show grounds), Hartley Dodge, Leon Freeman and Dr. F.T. Van Beuren, Hon. Secretary for over a decade.
| | At this time the Spring Valley Hounds and the Essex Fox Hounds held a number of joint meets each year. Seth Thomas, Jr. passed on his MFH first to his daughter Josephine, in 1929, and then his daughter, Emily Agusta, in 1930.
In 1932, Seth Thomas, Jr. died, and Manning Jacobs,
his son-in-law became MFH. The Spring Valley Hounds first became a subscription pack in 1933, when it became financially impossible to
maintain the hounds as a private pack. Rates were $50 for a single
person, $100 for a family of 2 or 3, and $150 for a family of four or
more.
In 1934, the hounds moved to the Bates property from
Redgate with James S. Jones as huntsman. Also at this time the Spring
Valley Hounds changed to a drag pack, with hounds purchased from James
Brady, MFH of the Essex Fox Hounds at the time. Before 1934, the Spring
Valley Hounds hunted imported Belgian and Polish Hare, and until about
1935, were usually called the Spring Valley Harriers. In 1938, the
Spring Valley Hounds were officially “recognized” by the Masters of
Foxhounds Association.
In 1939, Manning Jacobs passed on MFH to
J.
Spencer Weed and Henry Colgate jointly. In 1943, Mr. Robert Fairburn
assumed MFH with Mr. John Hays until 1951 when Mrs. Gustav Koven took
Mr. Hay’s place. Mr. Fairburn resigned in 1972 and Mr. Gustav Koven became joint MFH.
In 1985, Mr. and Mrs. Koven appointed Mr. John Casey, Mr. Frank Gibbs and Mr. and Mrs. Barry Jayson. Hounds were kept at the kennels at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Barry Jayson located on Pleasant Plains Road in NJ and known as Weatherlea Farm currently the visitors center for the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Mr. Jayson died in 1998 and Mrs. Jayson, now Kurdzialek, retired in 2000. The hounds were then moved to the kennel at Gibbs. Mrs. Valerie DiCristina became Joint Master in 2000. In 2007, Mrs. Jenny Kobilinski and Mr. Paul Opdyke joined Mr. Frank Gibbs and Mrs. Valerie DiCristina as Joint Masters. Mr. Paul Opdyke resigned as a Joint Master due to relocation to California in 2009 and Mrs. Jenny Kobilinski was named Huntsman. In 2011, Mrs. Jenny Kobilinski resigned as Master and Huntsman. Mr. David Schroepfer DVM continues to hunt the hounds.
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