Timeline

Clairedale Kennel

1889: Oct. 23, Claire Antoinette Knapp is born to Sylvia T. & Joseph P. Knapp

1894: Joseph Palmer Knapp joins Westminster Kennel Club and attends many of the gun / bird dog meets held at the Babylon LI clubhouse. He remains a lifelong member.

 

The Westminster Clubhouse Babylon, LI 1890's

 

1890's -1900's: Claire's mother Sylvia T. Knapp starts entering Boston Terriers at the Westminster Dog Show in NYC & a Joseph P. Knapp silver cup is offered as a prize

1910 : Claire Knapp is living mainly in Bellport, LI and breeding & attending dog shows. She is also heavily involved with show horses at this time.

1911 -12 : Claire starts to concentrate on Chows and moves to Greenlawn, LI. She keeps her riding stable there.

1916 - 1925 : Claire's brother Joseph F. Knapp buys the 200 acre Lawrence estate in Mastic, LI (now known as Mastic Beach) Claire moves there and in 1922 the name "Clairedale" appears in print.

1925 -1928 : Claire marries Willis Oliver Penney and moves Clairedale to Yaphank. She starts a family and is rapidly becoming known as an expert on the Chow breed

1929 - 1933 The Penney Family (by now there are two daughters ) & Kennel move to Stony Brook, LI. They also have a Winter home on Johns Island, S.C.

1933 : After her entire Chow Kennel is destroyed in South Carolina due to heartworms, Claire returns to Long Island. She purchases property at Red Cedar Point on the Peconic Bay in Hampton Bays. There she starts from scratch with a new breed Sealyham Terriers.

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1934-40 ARE THE GLORY YEARS FOR CLAIREDALE KENNELS. HER SEALYHAM TERRIERS
BRING MUCH FAME TO CLAIREDALE WITH THE BIG WIN OF

BEST IN SHOW

AT THE 1936 WESTMINSTER

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1940s: The Penneys divorce and Claire marries Thomas Dixon. Claire starts to expand her breeds most notably with Highland Terriers. Her eldest daughter Margaret who has obviously inherited Claire's flair with dogs starts her own kennel at Hampton Bays. Pennyworth Kennels will also go into the record books and great success. Clairedale continues winning with several different breeds. Claire's marriage to Mr. Dixon, whom she had known since the very early 1900's, does not fare as well and they seperate.

1950's : Both Clairedale & Pennyworth continue with success in the show arena. By mid '50's Claire's health starts to decline. Some shows are entered with jointly Mother/Daughter owned dogs. After a long illness , Mrs. Claire Knapp Dixon dies October 25, 1959.

1960: Clairedale Property at Red Cedar Point, Hampton Bays is put up for sale

1964: Claire's daughter Margaret Penney Newcombe wins Best In Show at Wesminster. They are the only mother & daughter to have done that in the 128 year history of the show. Pennyworth carries the Clairedale flame with a long and distiguished breeding career.

 

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